Giant Crane Fly

This beautiful insect is a Giant Crane Fly (Tipula abdominalis), they are found throughout Central and Eastern North America. They can be found anywhere there are fresh water streams. These are very large flies, like their name implies. Females measure 5 1/2 inches front to back. Males are generally smaller. The one pictured here was actually a pair mating, they were stuck to the side of our grill cover. My husband hollered for me, he had found a cool insect for me. I rushed to see what he had found, and was shocked to see these huge flies. I had never seen anything like them. I snapped a few pictures and sent one to Bugguide and they ID'd them as the Giant Crane Fly. They remained together for well over an hour. I finally lost interest in them and when I returned later they were gone. 

After mating, the female will lay her eggs within the water, and the young nymphs will live a completely aquatic life. They prefer streams where there is sufficient underwater dead or decaying vegetation. The nymphs are called Leatherjackets.  They will feed on the rotten leaf litter. There will be two generations per year, one in the spring and another in the fall. Many people mistake these large flies for mosquitoes, they are in the same order, Diptera, but they lack any functional mouth parts and therefore cannot bite humans. They do somewhat resemble mosquitoes with those long legs and thin body, and even their nicknames of "Mosquito Hawk" and "Mosquito Eater" elude to them being mosquitoes or perhaps fond of eating them. Neither is true. They are completely harmless to humans. Handling them will be far more dangerous to them, than it will be to you. Their legs are very fragile and become detached with the slightest of efforts. These flies are often attracted to lights at night and will found at your porch lights.

Cabbage White Butterfly

 

Image by Ron Hemberger via bugguide.net

 Cabbage White Butterflies (Pieris rapae) are native to Europe, they were first discovered in the United States in the 1800's. They are now found throughout North America as well as Africa, Asia, and Australia. There is nothing spectacular about them, they do not have the gorgeous colors of some butterflies, or dynamic size, or gorgeous tails. What they lack in splendor they more than make up for in sheer numbers. It is not unusual to see large numbers of these butterflies puddling at mud holes, gleaning minerals from the moist earth. They are relatively small with a wingspan up to 1 3/4 inches. There are two color forms, one is white, the other is a pale yellow. The females will have two black spots on their forewings, the male only has one. There is some gray shading near the wing edges. They can be found in a wide variety of habitats, including vegetable gardens, flower gardens, parks, meadows, along roadsides, and open fields. In the spring males and females will engage in elaborate mating rituals. A male will approach a female, and if she has already mated she will show her lack of interest by their signature "Spiral flight". The two will rise into the air circling each other until the male loses interest and drops back to the ground. The female will then come slowly back down as well and begin egg laying. Look for this behavior in the summer months, since these butterflies are so common, observing this behavior shouldn't be difficult. The females use plants such as cabbage, turnips and radishes to lay their eggs on. The young caterpillars feed on the leaves of the plants. Sometimes much to the irritation of gardeners. Sevin Dust or removing the caterpillars by hand should eliminate any significant chance for the caterpillars to damage your produce. Or you can plant extra and share. Even though these butterflies aren't as spectacular as many other species, they are still a joy to watch fluttering around your flowers gathering nectar.

Pair mating

These butterflies are easily reared in classrooms, or as a 4H, or home school project. They will readily feed and pupate in captivity. It takes approximately 3 weeks for them to complete their life cycle.

And what's a butterfly? At best he's but a caterpillar at rest. -John Grey-

Blue Dasher

Blue Dasher's (Pachydiplax longipennis) are one of the most common dragonflies in the United States. They are beginning to make their way to Canada and Mexico as well. They are a small to average sized dragonfly with a wingspan up to 3 inches, the length of their body is approximately 1 3/4 inches.  Blue Dasher's are all blue with bright aqua-blue eyes. The thorax is black with yellow striping. The females have a characteristic yellow stripe on their abdomen.

 Males are very territorial and will aggressively defend their territory from other males in the area. When a receptive female is located, mating will occur. They form a mating wheel, and while in this position a packet of sperm will be transferred to the female. Shortly thereafter she will begin depositing her eggs in the water on aquatic vegetation, or bottom sediment (picture 2). Once the eggs hatch the young nymphs will live an aquatic life, feeding on other aquatic insects. Once they reach maturity they will crawl out of the water onto a stick, rock or other solid surface to shed their skin for the last time. It takes them up to 2 hours or so to pump their wings full of fluid and gather enough strength to fly for the first time. These dragonflies can be found anywhere water is present, this could be ponds, lakes, streams, and wet boggy areas. These are one of the few dragonflies that are able to tolerate poorer water quality. Like all dragonflies they are meat eaters, and they will feed on flying insects. They capture insect using their powerful basket-like legs, right in mid-air, and carry their prey back to a perch to feed. This species has been observed orienting themselves in relation to the sun, either to cool themselves from the host summer sun, or to warm themselves on cooler days.

Broad-Headed Bug

There are approximately 29 species of Broad-Headed Bugs in the North America. They are true bugs in the order Hemiptera, and family Alydidae. The one pictured here I believe to be Alydus eurinus, which is a common species in the Eastern portion of the United States. 

They have a dark elongated body approximately 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch long, with  segmented antennae. Their heads are very broad, usually as wide as their thorax. It is this bodily feature that earned them their common name.The nymphs look very much likes ants. They can be found in fields, in backyard gardens, near forest edges. The adults feed on plant juices, and sometimes carrion. This one was found clinging to the side of our potting shed warming itself in the sun.

Bean Leaf Beetle

Bean Leaf Beetles (Cerotoma trifurcate) are very tiny beetles that pack a big punch. In large numbers these beetles can cause significant damage to bean crops, this is most especially true of soybeans. The main damage is to the leaves. They will also feed on corn or pumpkins. In the Midwest these beetles are becoming more common. As young grubs they will feed on the roots of their host plants, as adults they favor the leaves. They can vary greatly in color as adults, typically they will be yellowish, like the one pictured here, but they can also be red, or reddish-orange. There are four quadrangular black markings on their elytra (Wings), but this is not always the case, in some specimens these marks may be absent. The only absolute distinguishing characteristic of this beetle is a black triangle located at the top portion of the wing coverings where the wings meet the thorax. This mark is always present and separates them from other leaf beetles. The adults will overwinter in leaf litter or other ground vegetation. This will usually be alongside croplands that previously hand soybeans planted there. In the spring when warm weather returns they will become active and seek mates. After mating, the female will lay her eggs in clusters on top of the soil or near the soybean stems. The eggs will hatch in about 10 days. The grubs will burrow into the soil to feed on the roots of the soybean plant. They will live and feed in the soil for about 2 months, then emerge as adults. They are capable of 2 generations per year in most of their range. These beetles can be found from New Mexico and eastward throughout all the Eastern United States as well as parts of Southern Canada. If you notice these beetles on your plants, measures may need to be taken to apply chemicals to eradicate them. I find a few each year, but never in great enough numbers to justify applying strong chemicals to my plants that may endanger many other beneficial insects.

Convergent Lady Beetle

This tiny little lady beetle is called the Convergent Lady Beetle (Hippodamia convergens). They are native to the United States and are found throughout North America as well as parts of South America.  These beetles reach lengths up to 3/8 of an inch. Their bodies are somewhat elongated and reddish-orange.Typically they will have six black spots on each wing and a 13th spot at the top of the wings near the back of the head. Some specimens are immaculate (spottless), like the one pictured here. These are one of the most commonly purchased species from consumer supply houses by farmers and gardeners. They are used as a biological control against aphids and other harmful insects. In gardens, agricultural areas, meadows, and open fields are home to this ladybug. They will mate in the spring, and shortly thereafter the female will begin laying eggs.

She is capable of laying up to 50 eggs per day. After hatching, the tiny alligator shaped larvae will feed on nearby aphids populations. In about 28 days they will have completed their life cycles. They are capable of producing up to 5 generations per year. In the fall these beetles congregate near homes, and other hidden crevices to wait out the cold winter. They will become active in the spring when warm weather returns.

Flower Fly

 

This pretty little flower fly is the Common Oblique Syrphid (Allograpta obliqua). These are small flies that measure up to 3/8 of an inch. They can be found throughout most of North America. They are very common in flower beds where they will be seen nectaring at flowers. In the spring after mating the female will lay eggs on the leaves of various plants, usually near aphids. The young larvae will feed on the aphids. The adults are also partial to the honeydew that aphids produce from their anal glands. Typically these flies will be seen during the summer and early fall. On warmer days in the late fall they will be found at late blooming flowers, like these wild hollyhocks. Hardier plants like marigolds and mums will also attract them. They are sometimes called Hover Flies, from their ability to hover above flowers, they are also able to fly backwards. Syrphid Flies are considered important cross-pollinators of many plants. They are also predators of harmful aphids which attack various citrus crops,fruit trees, grains, corn, alfalfa, cotton, grapes, lettuce and other vegetables, ornamentals, and many wild host plants of the aphids. These little flies are often mistaken for sweat bees from their yellow and black banded bodies. They are beneficial and completely harmless to humans.

Bald Faced Hornet

It seems that no other insect instills such automatic fear as a hornet. The Baldfaced Hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) is found throughout North America, and Southern Canada. The only exception to this will be the drier areas of the Midwest. These large wasps are not really hornets at all, they are more closely related to Yellow Jackets, and are even sometimes called Baldfaced Yellow Jackets or Aerial Yellow Jackets. Late in the summer the queen will begin laying eggs that are destined to be fertile males (drones) and females. When the larvae of these fertile offspring reach maturity, they will seek mates. Soon after mating, cold weather begins to set in and the hive member will perish, all except the new queens. These new queens will seek sheltered areas to spend the winter, commonly this will be in the soil, under bark, or dense leaf litter. In the spring with the return of warm temperatures these queens awaken and become active. Their only purpose is to locate a suitable site to begin nest building and egg laying. She will fashion a circular shaped nest, that she creates by chewing up bits of wood mixed with starches in her saliva. Within this nest she form cells, and begins depositing eggs within each cell. She will care for these offspring herself, by feeding them chewed up bits of insects. Once these larvae have matured they will be the future workers of the nest and will take over the chore of expanding it and caring for the queens offspring. As the nest expands it will take on its more famous "Football" shape. Some of these nests can get quite large, reaching lengths up to 3 feet!

 (The nest pictured here was found by my son and his boss yesterday. My son called me and asked how the best way was to get it out of the tree, where it was located 40 feet above the ground. I suggested shooting the branch it was on, and catching it before it could be smashed against the ground. I felt pretty certain that the extremely cold nights and cooler days we'd been having for weeks now would guarantee that the members of the hive were either dead or very close to it. He was a bit worried about the small chance that remained that there could still be active hornets in that hive. He found his courage, shot the nest out of the tree, put it in the truck to bring back to his bosses place. After placing it in the truck, near the heater, you can almost guess what happened next.....yes....after warming up,the ones that remained in the hive crawled out! My son drove to his bosses farm, opened the truck door and kicked it out! LOL He then called me and informed me where it was at, and if I wanted it I COULD GO GET IT!  So I retrieved the nest and brought it home. I was shocked to discover just how large this nest was. It was easily 20 inches long and had a diameter close to a basketball in size.  I peeked into the hive and noticed a very rancid smell of dead and decaying bodies. Most of the hive had long since perished. The few hardier ones that remained were moving very slow and were near death themselves. The one pictured here I was able to handle and photograph, but I am certain she isn't long for this world.)

Towards the first part of the summer as the nest is growing and the population of hornets is expanding these wasps can pose a potential threat to humans. Coming too close to the nest will irritate these hornets and you may find yourself under attack by an angry swarm of these over protective wasps. A hive may contain up to 700 individuals. That is a lot of stinging hornets! They are capable of repeated stings as they do not have a barbed stinger that becomes detached like honey bees do. Away from the nest they are no more dangerous than any other stinging insect. They are more focused on gathering food for their siblings, queen and themselves. As long as you do not swat at them or otherwise antagonize them you have nothing to fear. Make one mad however, and there are no guarantees. If one should get angry enough to sting, rest assured you may be faced with many more of her sisters all bent on attacking and coming to her defense. They possess a pheromone (Chemical perfume) that they emit when in danger or feeling threatened, other members of the hive can smell this cocktail of chemicals and will come to aid their sister.
Over all these wasps are more beneficial than harmful and should be left alone if at all possible. They kill and consume thousands of harmful insects that they feed to their siblings or consume themselves. Obviously if one of the queens decides to set up her homestead in our backyard; safety measures will need to be taken to have the nest removed. If you should happen to get stung, the best remedy for relief is baking soda, it will help reduce swelling.

Identifying these large wasps is easy. They  are all black with yellow or white markings on their face, thorax and the last few segments of their abdomen. The males will have an added yellow or white marking on the first abdominal section. Males do not possess stingers, so therefore they cannot sting. Queens are quite large and may measure up to 2 inches, female workers are closer to 1 1/4 inches. They just have a "Bad-Ass I'm in charge" kinda look about them.
In Missouri they will begin dying off around the first of November, maybe sooner if the temperatures are cold enough (like this year). If you wish to hunt for these fabulous nests and collect one....make sure the hive is abandoned or all the members have perished......plan ahead, they often build very high in trees and you need a safe way to remove it.....make sure you have permission to be on the ground where you are hunting for the nests......waiting until late fall when the leaves are off the trees and wasps are gone is the safest course to take.
It always seems like such a waste to me that these wasps work so diligently and hard all season to produce a work of art, to only die and leave the nest behind. Rarely if ever do future generations use previous nests. Time and weather will eventually destroy them, so if you are fortunate enough to find one, and can safely collect it I say do so. They are wonderful conversation pieces and great educational tools. 

 

Rest assured, next spring when those bred queens become active, the cycle will begin again. 

 

I for one feel fortunate that we have these amazing, engineering masters in Missouri.

Tree Hopper

This interesting looking little insect is a Tree Hopper (Entylia carinata). They are very tiny, only  measuring approximately 1/4 of an inch. They can be a variation of many different colors, which apparently caused much confusion among early scientists. These early researchers believed each specimen to be a completely different species. Even if they were found on the same plant, feeding in the same manner. Many years passed, and much additional research has been done and we now know them to be the same species, just with color variants. The nymphs of tree hoppers will often be found with ants, these ants tend to the hopper nymphs, protecting them in exchange for honey dew. This honey dew is an excretion that the nymph produces from anal glands. It has a sugary-sweet taste that ants find irresistible.This relationship works well for each species. The little nymphs are protected from other insects that may wish to dine on them. The ants will chase of or harm any intruding insect. The ants get a sugary treat that gives them much needed nutrition.
Tree hoppers feed on a wide variety of herbaceous plants. Sometimes causing damage, if they are in large enough numbers.

Pink-Spotted Lady Beetles

Pink-Spotted Lady Beetles (Coleomegilla maculata) are native to the United States and are very common in Missouri. They are fairly small, reaching lengths up to 1/4 of an inch. Their reddish or pinkish colored bodies are somewhat elongated with 6 individual spots on their elytra. The area directly behind the head can range in color from yellow to pink and has two black triangular markings.
Sometimes in the fall large aggregations of these beetles can be found under leaf litter or within stone walls and other protected sites. They don't seem to flock to our homes in large numbers like the Multi-Colored Asian Lady Beetles do. These ladybugs are much more agreeable than the non-native Asian variety, they do not bite, or give off a musky odor.
In the spring with the return of warm weather they will leave their places of shelter and begin feeding and seeking mates. After mating, the females will lay small clusters of eggs on the leaves of plants. This will generally be done near a ready food supply, like a colony of aphids. The female is capable of laying up to 1,000 eggs in a one to three month period of time. With up to 5 generations per year, they are quite prolific and their numbers are secure.
Look for them in gardens, near agricultural areas, along roadsides, in meadows, and prairies and open fields, where they will be feeding on aphids and other soft bodied insects.