Tag Archives: Salix

Celebrating Silky Willow

Simply not mowing the lawn, and welcoming whatever plants decide to grow in its place, has done wonders for the biodiversity of our yard. But we have also welcomed gifts of native plants from friends, and today I’d like to … Continue reading

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Down the Rabbit Hole

I’ve managed to study insects intensively for over a decade, writing two books and publishing over 50 scientific papers that included the descriptions of 76 new species and one new genus, without ever learning to dissect anything. I have relied … Continue reading

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The Yard List(s), Part 11

Now that I’ve declared my intention to find as many sawfly larvae as possible, they’re starting to show up everywhere I look. Today Julia and I made a rare trip away from home, lured by the news from my mother … Continue reading

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Willow Stem Galls

Swellings on willow stems can be caused by a variety of gall midges, sawflies, agromyzid flies, and buprestid beetles. In many cases I have no clue as to the identity of the gall inducer just from looking at a photo … Continue reading

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Moths From A Willow Leaf

Over the past few days, a break in fieldwork has given me a chance to start catching up on going through my photos from this year—I’m exactly five months behind at the moment. On March 19 I finally got to … Continue reading

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Green Islands (Part 2), and Another Mystery Moth

(Note: For those who have already read yesterday’s post, I’ve added a little more information at the end after hearing back today from Jerry Powell, who described the genus Areniscythris in 1976.) Last January I wrote about the “green islands” … Continue reading

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Alpine Excursions

Yesterday a beautiful wolf spider I posted to BugGuide nearly four years ago finally got identified: Arctosa alpigena (Lycosidae). Although it was quite a while ago, I clearly remember taking that picture.  I was standing on a cold, blustery ridge of … Continue reading

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