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Category Archives: bugs
Pipe pollination
The Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora) is an interesting plant — it lacks chlorophyll. Yet, it thrives in rare locations on the forest floor where it has carved out a niche which does not require it to have access to … Continue reading
Posted in bugs, wildflowers
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Butterfly roving
There are worse ways to spend a few hours than to wander amongst butterflies. Painted Lady (topside of wings) Painted Lady (underside of wing) Common Wood-Nymph Great Spangled Fritillary (in flight) Purplish Copper (feeding) Purplish Coppers in flight with … Continue reading
Inflight capture
When a Song Sparrow chases a Mayfly, the match is uneven — the bird will win. A tenth of a second later, the bug had been captured and swallowed.
Posted in birds, bugs
2 Comments
Galls
I had no idea what I was looking at. The plant was the wild rose (Rosa woodsii), but what were those spiky red balls on its leaves? Adjacent clues — spider’s threads, spittlebug’s froth — turned out to be … Continue reading
Posted in bugs, wildflowers
2 Comments
Hunting styles
Predators have various hunting styles: some wait in ambush, others search. I watched each style yesterday. In these cases, the prey were insects. One predator was a bird; the other, a spider. The Western Tanager (this is a female) … Continue reading
Spring Odonata
The Odonata season has begun. This order of carnivorous insects includes dragonflies and damselflies. These three early-season members were seen in wetlands around the Lake. Previously, I have seen a Four-spotted Skimmer Dragonfly in mid-May, but early June works. … Continue reading
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Bombus vagans
The Half-black Bumble Bee (Bombus vagans) is a common bumble bee of North America. Its local scarcity this spring has prompted me to wonder about it. However, I am finding it now — not in great numbers, but it … Continue reading
Posted in bugs, wildflowers
1 Comment
Dinner and dance
The Spotted Sandpiper is usually solitary, so when two forage together, it can prove interesting. Two sandpipers spent their initial time together stalking and eating sandflies off the beach. Each fly was grabbed and swallowed in well under a second. “Now … Continue reading
Tigers mating
When was the last time anyone watched tigers mating in the wilds of British Columbia? OK, truth in advertising. The tigers in question are beetles: Western Tiger Beetles. These beach dwellers use their great speed to chase smaller insects … Continue reading
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Pollen covered
This spring has been a strange. Insects, usually plentiful, have been sparse — but not absent. In a field of dandelions, both hover flies and solitary bees (but, not social bees) flew from flower to flower seeking nectar. It was fairly … Continue reading
Posted in bugs, wildflowers
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