Female Fall Cankerworm

2015 December 23

I found this wingless insect hanging on an outside wall at work on October 30, 2015. Its body was just about half an inch long.

Aside from the complete lack of wings, its body looks like some kind of moth.

read more…



Male Gypsy Moth

2015 December 19
Comments Off on Male Gypsy Moth

I found this moth near our porch light on August 4, 2015.

I was struck by how “bat-like” his antennae were.

read more…



Spotted Tussock Moth Caterpillar

2015 December 16

Sam and I found this rather striking woolly caterpillar on one of the alders out back on September 10, 2015.

Being so woolly, it is pretty clearly a caterpillar of one of the Tiger Moths.

read more…



Louse Fly

2015 December 12

Rosie spotted this freaky-looking fly on our windowsill on October 3, 2015. It has unusually strong legs, peculiar “toes”, and an oddly-shaped head with its proboscis pointing straight forward.

The body is kind of flattened, as if it is adapted for squeezing into tight spaces.

read more…



Orange European Skippers

2015 December 9

On July 9, 2015, Sam came over and showed me three little orange skippers that she’d caught, and were now tamely sitting on her hand.

They were kind of beat up, so they were most likely sitting there because they were old and tired.

read more…



Pavement Ant Battle

2015 December 5

Sam spotted this big pile of tiny ants at a crack in our sidewalk on July 27, 2015.

It appeared to be a free-for-all, with everybody wrestling with everybody else. Although, since ants tell each other apart by scent, I expect that they all knew pretty much who they were fighting with.

read more…



Gray Click Beetle

2015 December 2
Comments Off on Gray Click Beetle

I think it was Rosie that found me this click beetle on June 18, 2015.

I don’t know where she found it, but judging from how filthy it was, it was most likely in the garbage somewhere.

read more…



Small Black June Beetle

2015 November 28

Rosie found this half-inch-long beetle on the swingset on June 27, 2015.

It has the body shape, legs, and antennae that I’ve come to expect from the many kinds of scarab beetles.

read more…



Pillar Snail

2015 November 25

Sam showed me this snail on July 12, 2015. I think she found it under a board or a rock. The shell was less than a quarter of an inch long.

The shell had a peculiar spiral shape with a rounded tip, and was extremely shiny. These are all characteristics of the Pillar Snails in the genus Cochlicopidae.

read more…



White Triangle Tortrix

2015 November 21

This little orange moth with a white triangle on its wings was on the outside of one of our windows on June 12, 2015.

Since it was on the window, I was able to get a shot of its underside without disturbing it.

read more…