Monthly Archives: July 2011

Great golden digger wasp excavating her nest

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

A number of these great golden digger wasps (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae: Sphex ichneumoneus) were digging nests in a sandy walkway. They provision their nests with paralyzed insect prey to feed their young. Recorded 07/26/2011 in a prairie near Clayton Michigan.

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Insect Love: Jagged ambush bugs

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

Yesterday I noticed the swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata, Asclepiadaceae) were flowering here in a southeast Michigan floodplain forest, so I took a closer look.  There was a lot of insect activity on these plants, and one thing that caught my … Continue reading →

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Random Plant: Red mulberry

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

Native to North America, red mulberry (Morus rubra, Moraceae) is most commonly found in moist areas along streams and forest borders (Kershner et al. 2008).  A number of them grow along the edge of a particular floodplain forest here in … Continue reading →

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Random Insect: Blue-tipped dancer

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

The other day I wrote about an ebony jewelwing damselfly (Odonata:  Calopterygidae:  Calopteryx maculata), and that damselfly was easy to identify.  The family Calopterygidae only contains eight species in North America, and each one is quite unique. The damselfly shown … Continue reading →

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Plant-Insect Interaction: Swamp milkweed leaf beetle larva

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

A couple weeks ago I posted a video of this little swamp milkweed leaf beetle larva (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Labidomera clivicollis) feeding on the flower buds of a swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata, Asclepiadaceae).  I thought these stills were pretty good and … Continue reading →

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Random Insect: Ebony jewelwing damselfly

Posted on July 24, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

While out in my favorite floodplain forest in southeast Michigan, I saw a few of these ebony jewelwing damselflies (Odonata:  Calopterygidae:  Calopteryx maculata).  They spent a lot of time resting on foliage, but every time I got close they fluttered … Continue reading →

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Random Plant: Catnip

Posted on July 23, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

As a treat for my cats, about seven years ago I started growing catnip (Nepeta cataria, Lamiaceae) in my garden.  At the time I didn’t know this mint is an introduced species that became widespread across North America (Brandenburg 2008).  … Continue reading →

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Random Insect: Sharpshooter leafhopper

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

Perhaps my favorite local leafhoppers here in Michigan are members of this particular genus of sharpshooter (Hemiptera:  Cicadellidae:  Graphocephala sp.).  Many leafhoppers are marked with striking colors (Triplehorn and Johnson 2005), but these little guys are the ones I come … Continue reading →

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Insect Love: Large milkweed bugs

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

Large milkweed bugs (Hemiptera:  Lygaeidae:  Oncopeltus fasciatus) are often found on (surprise!) milkweed plants.  The individuals above were mating on the flower head of a swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata, Asclepiadaceae) in a southeast Michigan floodplain forest. As members of the … Continue reading →

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Random Insect: Meadowhawk dragonfly

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

The other day I braved the mosquitoes, deer flies, 95F temperature, and blazing sun to sit motionless in a Michigan sedge meadow and wait for flying insects to alight nearby.  I was rewarded with some interesting specimens, especially dragonflies and … Continue reading →

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Random Plant: American basswood

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

American basswood (Tilia americana, Tiliaceae) is recognizable from a distance thanks to the interesting pattern of the leaves overhead.  The large, thin leaves allow some sunlight to pass through them, and variable leaf density presents the unique mottled appearance shown … Continue reading →

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The hungry little swamp milkweed leaf beetle larva

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

The other day I found this plump larva of a swamp milkweed leaf beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Labidomera clivicollis) feeding on the flower buds of a swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata, Asclepiadaceae).  Recorded 07/10/2011 in a floodplain along the River Raisin near … Continue reading →

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Random Insect: Long-legged fly

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

A few weeks ago I found a number of these small long-legged flies (Diptera:  Dolichopodidae: possibly Condylostylus).  They were buzzing around the edge of a woods along the River Raisin in southeast Michigan, and they kept stopping to rest on … Continue reading →

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Plant-Insect-Insect Interaction: Ants tending aphids on a roughleaf dogwood

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

I was recently examining a young roughleaf dogwood (Cornus drummondii, Cornaceae) and I noticed there were a lot of ants (Hymenoptera:  Formicidae) congregating in clusters all over the plant.  A closer look revealed the ants were gathered around groups of … Continue reading →

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Random Plant: Northern red oak

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

Common throughout eastern North America, northern red oak (Quercus rubra, Fagaceae) is often found in moist woods and valleys and along adjacent slopes (Kershner et al. 2008).  The leaves of this oak are characterized by being symmetric and having pointed … Continue reading →

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Lake St. Clair. Fishflies. Pure Michigan.

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

A few years ago my home state of Michigan started a new ad campaign to promote tourism.  These “Pure Michigan” commercials were narrated by long-time Michigander Tim Allen (Tim “The Toolman” Taylor of the TV series “Home Improvement” and the … Continue reading →

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Random Insect: More caddisflies

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

A few weeks ago I wrote a basic overview of caddisflies and included photos of an individual I found in late May.  In mid June I came across a different caddisfly, shown above.  It was in the same location as … Continue reading →

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Plant-Insect Interaction: Northern red oak leaf gall created by a gall wasp

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

About a month ago I came across this large, globular leaf gall on a northern red oak (Quercus rubra, Fagaceae).  It was succulent, slightly translucent, and it had a small hole in the side.  I tore it open to find … Continue reading →

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