Just a note to our North American members: if you want help identifying an unknown insect, https://www.bugguide.net is a great resource. They also use the uploaded images to create range maps and seasonal distribution information. I know of some entomologists who both use it to get help with ID's and who help provide ID's.
Education: "the ardent search for truth and its unselfish transmission to youth and to all those learning to think rigorously, so as to act rightly and to serve humanity better." - John Paul II
We have two plum trees that we brought back as seedlings from Utah 20 years ago. They have been producing a good number of prune/plums for about 15 years. This year after a very mild winter we had a very hard frost in April that killed the leaves and buds on our trees. New leaves grew on the trees but they are kind of sparse and odd looking. Some of the leaves are curled. I took a couple of photos of the underside of the leaves and they have quite the aphid infestation. This is the first year we've noticed anything like this.
M.J. Wayne wrote:Not sure what this is...
(Southern Missouri between Black, and Current Rivers).
I'm pretty sure that's a dobsonfly. We were just looking at pictures of those in my daughter's bug book. The larva are aquatic and the pincers are for mating, not biting. I've never seen one in person so I'm jealous.
M.J. Wayne wrote:Not sure what this is...
(Southern Missouri between Black, and Current Rivers).
I'm pretty sure that's a dobsonfly. We were just looking at pictures of those in my daughter's bug book. The larva are aquatic and the pincers are for mating, not biting. I've never seen one in person so I'm jealous.
Hi Steve, a blast of water will knock most the aphids off and hopefully natural predators will show up to take care of the rest for you.
Today I saw some sharpshooters making holes on a sunflower leaf and a predatory stink bug came over to suck the life out of one. But they also killed other caterpillars I like too.
M.J. you have a eastern dobsonfly (Corydalus cornutus) and red-spotted purple butterfly (Limenitis arthemis). Cool bugs indeed!
It’s not the best photo, but it’s the only one I got….
I have always heard that a preying mantis male could not copulate until his head was removed by the female. But as difficult as the shadows make it to view, looks like a copulating pair, male still has his head.
This was on the outside wall by the front door, yesterday
20260821_102351.jpg
Jus' an ol' Stick
"The only thing...more expensive than education is ignorance."~Ben Franklin. "We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light." ~ Plato
I was at my kitchen sink and saw this out the window, having a munch on my grapevine: an elephant hawk moth caterpillar. Evidently they are common? But this is the first time I've ever seen one and was seriously amazed at its size.
I see lots of cloudless sulfur butterflies (Phoebis sennae) in the garden. They have a special affection to the red canna. It's interesting that the mature caterpillar is yellow and the chrysalis is yellow as well.
Cool bug. Looks like a fat lacewing with a bit of grasshopper thrown in. I'd love to know what it is too.
"When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind." C.S. Lewis
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"The only thing...more expensive than education is ignorance."~Ben Franklin. "We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light." ~ Plato
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