Category Archives: bugs

The first thing to realize when watching the Tule Bluet is that you can normally tell the boys from the girls. The males are blue and black while the females are brown and black. It is of interest to tell the … Continue reading →

If one were to judge all flies by the few baddies, such as the house fly and mosquito, we would miss out on the delightful ones in the yard and woods. Many folks take pleasure in watching the many species … Continue reading →

The ancients believed that (adult) honey bees could be produced from dead meat. References to this are found in Hebrew and Roman literature. How could this strange belief have arisen? The answer is simple and found to this day in … Continue reading →

I have commented a few times that ospreys of the West Arm are in retreat this summer: Ospreys’ annus horribilis, Happy herons. Of course, that doesn’t mean that they have all vanished, just that nesting has been remarkably poor. There are … Continue reading →

The European skipper is an invasive species. It was accidentally introduced into Ontario in 1910 and has since spread westward. That being said, one has to admit that invasive isn’t a bad word. This colourful butterfly does not seem to … Continue reading →

The hairy flower chafer is a beetle (Trichiotinus piger) that also goes by the name, the bee-mimic beetle. Indeed, it hangs out around flowers, is a plausible mimic of a bumble bee, and is a pollinator. In other years, I … Continue reading →

When it cleared for a time this afternoon following days of vigourous rains and winds (see Clapotis gaufré), I wandered around the yard to see if there were any pollinators in evidence. Alas no, they all seemed to be in … Continue reading →

There are worse ways to spend one’s lunch hour than to wander around looking at butterflies. I saw a number of species midday, but only two were wont to pose long enough for me to take satisfactory portraits. My favourite … Continue reading →

Coming through • An entomological play in one act • Set design by Deer Bush (Ceanothus integerrimus) Cast of characters • Lingerer is played by Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus) • Jogger is played by Mining Bee (Andrena sp.)   Jogger: “Coming through; … Continue reading →