Blue-Faced Meadowhawk Dragonfly

This gorgeous dragonfly is one of my favorites. Their coloring is beautiful and they are usually easy to approach. This lovely dragon is the Blue-Faced Meadowhawk (Sympetrum ambiguum). They are found throughout most of the Eastern United States, with exception to the extreme North Eastern States.  They are average in size at approximately 2 inches, it isn't their size that is impressive, it is the color. The males have an all blue face and thorax, complete with blue eyes, and their abdomen is shockingly red. The females look very much like the males, except their abdomen is brownish in color.

Picture 1.) Mating Pair

Picture 2.) Female

Picture 3.) Male

Picture 4.) Close-up of males wing

Males will perch and wait for passing females. There is heavy competition among males seeking mates. It is common to see them chasing each other for vantage points, to try and gain the upper hand. If you act aggressive, yet perch in an attractive manner, what female can resist? I must say our male here looks quite dashing, and charming. He was definitely the top dog of his small area, he chased numerous males away from his grassy perch, only to return seconds later and pose so nicely. 

They seem to favor woodland ponds and swamplands and the areas nearby. The ones pictured here were photographed near a wetland area on our farm. From the information I gathered on these dragonflies it appears that they are not common, and in some parts of their range they are quite rare or even endangered. I feel very privileged to have them in secure numbers here on our farm. They are a joy to watch, and they certainly brighten any landscape. When you factor in all the insects they eat, what is not to love about these flying jewels?

Bronzed Tiger Beetle

I had some difficulty in identifying this long-legged beetle. I sent this image to Ted over at Beetles in the Bush, and he identified it as the Bronzed Tiger Beetle (Cicindela repanda).  So many of the tiger beetle species look similar, sometimes it can be difficult to tell one species from another. If you have not visited Ted's blog you should do so, he offers a wealth of information on many subjects, his favorite being beetles, especially it seems Tiger Beetles. The bronzed tiger beetle is quite common and can be found throughout most of North America. They measure roughly 1/2-3/4 of an inch in length. They are brown with metallic reddish or coppery reflections. The elytra (wings) contain cream or white colored marking, in fact I think the markings resemble muscial notes. This species is associated with sandy soil, especially near rivers or streams. The one pictured here was photographed at Elrod Mill Conservation Area on the Platte River bank. They will also be found in clay soil, gravel and other areas free from vegetation. Once the females have mated they will dig shallow depressions in the soil and deposit eggs singly in each chamber. After hatching, the larvae will dig itself a burrow and will remain there throughout its development. They feed on insects that venture to close to the burrow opening, such as ants, or other small invertebrates. The adults also feed on other insects, but one unique characteristic of this species is it's taste for fruit. They are the only tiger beetle reported to feed on anything other than insects. Because of their preference for living near water, they are also called Common Shore Tiger Beetle. So if someone asks you if we have tigers in Missouri, you can most assuredly tell them"YES we do....the six-legged variety". See how long it takes them to figure it out.

Cottonwood Leaf Beetle

This tiny but pretty little beetle is the Cottonwood Leaf Beetle (Chrysomela scripta). Reaching lengths up to 1/2 inch classifies them as a small beetle, but they are stunningly colored. Oval shaped and marked with yellows, black, and red they look like a brightly colored package all gift wrapped for the holidays. Trouble is, these are one gift you may not want to recieve. Their food of choice are Cottonwoods, Willows and Poplars. The adults feed on the midrib and veins of tree leaves. The larvae will feed on the same leaves, but they carry it to an extreme, they completely skeletonize the leaves, eating all the good fleshy parts of the leaves and leaving the veins and midrib. In large numbers these beetles could potentially harm trees, by reducing their seedling growth. Adults hibernate through the winter under bark or leaf litter. In the spring they become active again and begin feeding on the tender leaves and early buds of Cottonwood trees. Several days later the female will begin laying her eggs on the underside of leaves on trees in the Willow or Cottonwood family. The tiny reddish to yellow colored eggs hatch in a few days and the tiny black larvae will begin feeding. You will commonly find adults and larva together feeding on the same leaves. These beetles are plentiful and can be found most anywhere that Cottonwood, Willow, Poplar and sometimes Alder are found. The one pictured here was on some River Willow along the Platte River at Elrod Mill Conservation Area just north of Savannah, MO

My first Award!

I've been trying to upload a photograph for today's insect, but apparently Blogger is having some issues and every attempt I make at an  upload results in my computer screaming the word failed at me. Ok, maybe that is a slight exaggeration, but it does glare at me in red letters on the screen!

So I decided to brag on myself just a bit and tell you about an award I won last week. 

Six years ago I began a journey, and this journey took me to the Missouri Department Of Conservation. Where I began volunteer naturalist training. If you live in Missouri then you are aware of the fantastic job these people do in protecting our forest, fish and wildlife. One thing you may not be aware of though, is another aspect of this fine organization. The division I speak of is Outreach and Education. The people who make up this wonderful aspect of the Conservation Department wear many hats and bring untold amounts of knowledge and experience with nature to the citizens of Missouri. I have been very fortunate to work in a volunteer capacity within this division. My programs have brought me in contact with many wonderful people, both adults and children. To try and tell you the pleasure it brings to my life to be able to share my knowledge of nature with each of the people I meet, would be very hard for me to do. I think it is something you have to experience for yourself. To say that it has made my life richer and fuller is an understatement. Every time a child is little less afraid of a snake, or a little more curious about the outdoors, I feel like I've made a difference in that child's life. When I have the opportunity to speak to adults and kindly correct falsehoods they have grown up believing, I feel a step closer  in making their outdoor experiences better.

Working part time, raising teenagers, helping take care of an 86 acre farm, yard work, housework, writing, and various other things that invariably come up has limited the amount of time I am able to give to volunteering. In the 6 years I've been a volunteer I've given close to 1,000 hours, and each of these hours have enriched my life. I've learned more about our wonderful state of Missouri and about myself than I would have ever imagined possible. 

Last week my volunteer coordinator, Rebecca told me she had something for me in her office. Usually when she tells me this it is some sort of insect that someone has dropped off for an ID. They know how crazy I am about bugs so they save them for me. Imagine my surprise when she handed me a plaque and a certificate announcing I had won "Distinguished Volunteer Interpreter" of 2009. I was shocked, I didn't even know I had been nominated! The award was given at a banquet the previous week and for health reasons I was unable to attend. Oh how I wish I would have been well. Rebecca stressed that this was quite an accomplishment, I was nominated with members of DNR, MDC, as well as nature centers, museums, teachers, natural history sites, etc. She was excited and happy for me and for our office in St. Joseph. We only have about 8 volunteers and we are not listed as a nature center. We do not have the resources that a nature center would have,so this was exciting for Rebecca to have someone under her guidance win such an honor. 

We may not have everything that bigger nature centers have, but what we do have is a wonderful group of people who give their time to educate people about Missouri's Natural Resources, and we have FUN doing it!!! Thanks Rebecca and Lu for all your support and friendship and for the nomination!

Conehead

 

When you hear the word conehead; perhaps it puts images in your head of Saturday Night Live and those wacky aliens from planet Remulak; played by Jane Curtain and Dan Aykroyd. In this case though I am referring to a genus of Katydid's called Neoconocephalus. I wonder if these insects is where the idea for alien coneheads was conceptualized? Most of the 14 species in this Genus of  coneheads are found in Eastern North America. They are easily identified by the somewhat "Pointed" look to their head. The wings extend out beyond the abdomen, and they can be either green or brown. Some species are quite large, and can reach lengths up 3 1/2 inches. The one pictured here was almost 3 inches.

 

Females have an extremely long ovipositor, that they use to deposit eggs into clumps of grasses. Generally speaking the eggs will overwinter and hatch in the spring. The young nymphs look very similar to the adults. They can be found in most grassy habitats, including meadows, marshes, thickets and even cornfields. Adults eat seeds of grasses and sometimes sedges. The young nymphs feed on grass flowers and developing seeds. If mishandled they can bite, so best to handle with care.

Long-Jawed Orb Weaver

 

Long-Jawed Orb Weavers are in the Family of spiders called Tetragnathidae, and the genus Tetragnatha. There are hundreds of spiders within this genus, most are tropical or sub-tropical. Several species are found in Missouri and one of the most common is the one pictured here called Tetragnatha extensa. This particular species is usually associated with water, like lakes, ponds, streams or river banks. The one pictured here was photographed near our pond, and there were many others in the area as well. It was quite long, the body was approximately and inch in length, but with those legs it was easily 3 or more inches long.

These spiders are sometimes referred to as "Stretch Spiders" from their habit of stretching their front and back legs out, giving them a stretched or elongated appearance. This allows them to hide on blades of grass or other weedy plants without being seen. They are truly adapted to life near water, not only do they build stringy webs near cattails and other aquatic vegetations, but if one should happen to fall into the water, no worries, they can walk on water. Provided of course they get a move on it, before a hungry bass or frog makes a meal out of them.

No Need for Words

 

Alfalfa Butterfly A.K.A Orange Sulphur

Black-Horned Tree Cricket

 

This gorgeous tree cricket is the Black-Horned Tree Cricket (Oecanthus nigricornis), they get their name from their black or blackish colored antennae. Found in grassy areas, throughout the North Eastern United States from Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri to Maine. There is also an established population in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina and Tennessee. Although their name "Tree Cricket" would suggest that they perch in trees, that is not the case with this species, they will be found from 1 to 4 feet above the ground clinging to grasses and weeds. Preferred flowers or weeds seem to be thistles, and goldenrod. These are strikingly beautiful crickets, with their black antennae, heads, thorax, and legs. Some specimens will have more black than others. White eyes and greenish-white wings give these little guys a "dressed to impress" persona. 

Males begin to sing for mates in August, and mating will occur from August through October. The female will lay eggs in the soil and the young hatch the following June. When the young nymphs hatch they look very similar to their adult counterparts, with exception of no wings, and being lighter in color. Adults and young both feed on a wide variety of grasses and weedy plants.Remember as with all crickets, katydids and the like they have their own individual song that they use to attract mates, if you learn the songs, it is possible to locate these little guys in the grasses where they hide. http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/walker/buzz/589a.htm. Click here to listen o their song.

Caught Red-Handed

I discovered this little bandit robbing our juicy red tomatoes. From the size of the hole eaten in this tomato he was VERY hungry! Stink bugs are notorious for sucking the life juices out of plants, fruits and veggies. I'm sure his little buggy eyes about popped out of his head when he saw the buffet laid out before him in our garden. Good thing we plant more than we could ever eat, that way we can share with all the little critters that invariably show up to feast. The garden is waning, and very little is left worth picking and eating, so I let this little guy continue to enjoy his meal.

Swamp Milkweed Beetle

Swamp Milkweed Beetles (Labidomera clivicoliis) are found throughout the Eastern United States and parts of Northern Mexico. Reaching about 1/2 inch as adults, they are rather small to medium sized beetles, but striking in their markings. Their coloring varies by specimen, they can be bluish, or greenish-black with orangish or reddish-tan elytra (wings).

Most will have a distinctive "X" across the midline of the elytra (wings), like the one pictured below. Not all specimens will have this marking, the one I photographed was lighter in color and lacked the "X" on its back. (at right).

These beetles are common, at least that is what most reports claim, but the one I photographed here is the first I've ever seen. They can be found in ditches, along roadsides, in meadows, almost anywhere there is swamp milkweed or common milkweed. The adults feed on the foliage and flowers of milkweed, the larvae will feed on the leaves. Both adults and the young will cut side slits in the leaves or stems of milkweed to help drain away the sticky substance from the center of the milkweed to reduce it at the feeding site.(I don't know if you have ever had milkweed sap on your fingers, but trust me they could make glue outta this stuff!) Adults overwinter in leaf litter at the base of milkweed plants. Late in the spring they will become active again and begin feeding. Shortly thereafter they will seek mates. Females frequently mate with more than one male, and they may remain with a single mate for up to 40 hours. (OK...I'm going to resist the urge to comment here!) Bred females will lay eggs in small clusters on the underside of milkweed leaves. Shortly after laying her eggs she will perish. The young feed on the milkweed, and in a couple of weeks after reaching full size they will drop to the ground to pupate. Later in the summer new adults will emerge and the cycle begins again.
2nd Swamp Milkweed Beetle image was provided by Steve Scott