Monthly Archives: September 2011

Random Insect: Western conifer seed bug

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

This morning I was greeted by a leaf-footed bug (family Coreidae) clinging to the side of my garage.  Naturally I grabbed my camera to photograph it, and later identified it as a western conifer seed bug (Hemiptera: Coreidae: Leptoglossus occidentalis). … Continue reading →

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Random Plant: Flower-of-an-hour

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

A few days ago I came across a rather interesting plant I hadn’t seen before.  This individual was growing alone near some landscape rocks at a friend’s house here in southeast Michigan.  I keyed it out as a flower-of-an-hour (Hibiscus … Continue reading →

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Plant-Insect Interaction: Shining flower beetles on goldenrod

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

I see shining flower beetles (family Phalacridae) all the time but don’t usually bother trying to photograph them.  These tiny little insects are less than 3mm in length and test the limits of my camera’s macros.  Yesterday I got lucky, … Continue reading →

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Eastern chipmunk

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

Last weekend I saw a ton of eastern chipmunks (Rodentia:  Sciuridae:  Tamias striatus) running around at Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  Since they were busy stuffing their faces for the impending winter, none of them seemed willing to hold still long … Continue reading →

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Random Insect: Red admiral

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

While stopped alongside Tinkers Creek at Cuyahoga Valley National Park I came across a number of these red admirals (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Vanessa atalanta) sipping nectar from various late-summer asters.  These butterflies overwinter in the deep south, but migrate northward every … Continue reading →

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Random Plant: Wingstem

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

Last weekend I visited Cuyahoga Valley National Park and along the Cuyahoga River I came across these conspicuous asters.  They were over six feet in height with large and thin alternate leaves and big yellow flowers with drooping ray florets.  … Continue reading →

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Waterfalls of Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

Here are three waterfalls in Cuyahoga Valley National Park located between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. In order they are Bridal Veil Falls, Blue Hen Falls, and Brandywine Falls. Recorded 09/17/2011.

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American black bear

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

I’ve been to a number of parks and campgrounds in the Appalachians, northern Michigan, and the southwest that hinted at the presence of American black bears (Ursus americanus, Ursidae).  These places had bear-resistant trash cans and some had warnings about … Continue reading →

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Random Arachnid: Tarantula

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

A few weeks ago a friend and I were driving down Kings Canyon Scenic Byway at Kings Canyon National Park in east-central California.  Along the way he suddenly exclaimed something like “holy crap I just saw a crab run across … Continue reading →

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California ground squirrel

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

While out at Yosemite National Park a few weeks ago I made a stop at Sentinel Beach to take a look at the Merced River.  There were a lot of these California ground squirrels (Otospermophilus beecheyi, Sciuridae) foraging near the … Continue reading →

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