5th July 2008, 05:00 am
Here’s one that probably everybody in North America has at least heard, if not seen: field crickets. I recorded this sound clip on June 17, which was when the spring field crickets (Gryllus veletis) started singing[1].
Chirp of Spring Field Cricket (.wav file)
Continue reading ‘Field Crickets’ »
Tags:
black,
detrivores,
fish bait,
found all over the place,
found in furniture,
found in house,
found in yard,
found under rocks,
juicy and succulent,
singing,
tarantula food Category:
Crickets,
Insects,
Orthoptera |
3 Comments
28th June 2008, 05:00 am
Sam found this one under her crib on May 27. It’s a rather striking gold-colored beetle with intricate tracery on the wing covers.

This is certainly one of the Calligrapha leaf beetles[1]. Based on the dark green pronotum (the plate between the head and the wing covers), it looks like it is related to Calligrapha alni, the Russet Alder Leaf Beetle. I’m not so sure it is that exact species, though. While the pattern on the wing covers is very close, the examples in Bug Guide show more of a rusty coloration, and a bit less gold.
Continue reading ‘Calligrapha Leaf Beetle’ »
10th May 2008, 05:00 am
While cleaning up some stuff in the basement, out of the corner of my eye I spotted something bounding up in the air. And by “bounding”, I mean getting up about two feet off the floor. So I went to investigate, and found this:

Continue reading ‘Camel Cricket’ »
5th April 2008, 06:30 am
Back in November, I posted pictures of a male crab spider, today we have some pictures of a female, for contrast. She probably isn’t exactly the same species, but she’s fairly close.

Continue reading ‘Female Crab Spider’ »
15th March 2008, 05:00 am
This wasp was on the window in the entryway last fall, and sadly, it died when I put it in the refrigerator to cool it down for photography.

It appears to be some type of Ichneumon wasp, based on the fact that (a) it looks wasp-like, and (b) its hind trochanter[1] is divided into 2 segments (the next picture is a close-up of the point where the hind leg meets the body).
Continue reading ‘Ichneumon Wasp and the Extended Depth of Field’ »
1st March 2008, 05:00 am
I’d like to say right now that, if you want to get pictures of all the bugs in your house, you really can’t beat having a 2-3 year old child helping you find them. Sam found this spider on the rug just a couple of weeks ago (in January)[*], and brought it to me alive and undamaged. It even has all of its legs for once!

Continue reading ‘Elongated Running Crab Spider’ »
2nd February 2008, 06:00 am
There are no uninteresting insects, only insects that are insufficiently magnified
S_ found this little larva while cleaning out a cupboard. It was in the back of the shelf, happily chowing down on a dead ant.

Continue reading ‘Carpet Beetle Larva’ »
26th January 2008, 06:00 am
This is a species of spider that has successfully colonized the dark corners of our house: so far S_ found me three specimens to photograph in December and January (two females and a male). I could tell that one of them was male because he had enormously swollen pedipalps, which I understand means he was ready to mate. He was within a few inches of one of the females, so we suspect that he was courting her when he was caught.

Continue reading ‘Cobweb spiders’ »
29th December 2007, 06:00 am
When I found this beetle crawling across the floor in the basement, I knew what it was right away:

It’s a darkling beetle, Tenebrio molitor.
Continue reading ‘Darkling Beetle’ »
24th November 2007, 06:00 am
This crab spider was on the kitchen counter on July 5[1], strolling along just as bold as you please.

It appears to be a male goldenrod crab spider, Misumena vatia.
Continue reading ‘Male Goldenrod Crab Spider’ »