Some Springtime Insects

Posted on April 30, 2021 by admin

Springtime hikes are often wildflower or bird walks, but insects are present and fascinating. While on a field trip with the Michigan Botanical Club to some undeveloped land near Northville, we saw several interesting early season insects.

We found a dead Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) with a dozen Ridged Carrion Beetles (Oiceoptoma inequale) feeding on it. These beetles are black with a hairy three-ridged elytron. An elytron is a beetle’s leathery forewing, the “back” of a resting beetle. Adult Ridged Carrion Beetles feed during the day, often on snakes but sometimes on fungi. They are active in the spring and early summer.

Green-striped Grasshopper Female – L Male – R

We also found a male and a female Green-striped Grasshopper (Chortophaga viridifasciata). According to Roger Bland’s The Orthoptera of Michigan: Biology, Keys, and Descriptions of Grasshoppers, Katydids, and Crickets it “is often the first adult grasshopper seen” in the spring. This is one of five Michigan grasshoppers that overwinter as nymphs. With a single molt in the spring, these grasshoppers enter the adult phase. Recorded in nearly every Michigan county, it is found in grassy fields, pastures, and untreated lawns. Green-striped Grasshoppers have a rounded face, and the area behind the head is roof-like. Most males are brown and most females are green. A small grasshopper with females up to 38mm [1.5 inch] and males 30mm [1.25 inch] long.

A Hawthorn (Crataegus sp.) grove occupied part of the site. It was unique to see a forest of hawthorn trees, a few 20cm [8 inch] in diameter, with no other species except some Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) in the understory. I carefully looked for other plant species but found none.

It is always an adventure to look at an area unknown to me. I never thought I would see an early grasshopper, a carrion beetle, or a hawthorn grove on this trip. I need to get out and experience unfamiliar sights and new sites in the natural world.

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Finding a Cecropia Cocoon

Posted on April 14, 2020 by admin

My wandering is reduced now that I am socially distancing for the good of humanity or as I prefer to think of it “exiled for the sake of the realm.” However, nature still surrounds me. I spotted a Cecropia Moth (Hyalophora cecropia) cocoon in a neighbor’s Red Maple. I left it in place. Cecropia cocoons are tapered on both ends and spun along a twig. Leaves are frequently incorporated into the cocoon, giving it better camouflage. The cocoon encloses the moth’s pupa.

Newly emerged female Cecropia L Mating pair R

Cecropias emerge in southern Michigan at the end of May or the beginning of June. The adult moths do not eat. They live no more than two weeks. Females usually die shortly after laying their eggs. Cecropia Moths are one of Michigan’s largest moths having a wingspan of 10 to 15 cm [4 to 6 inches].

The larvae develop through five instars. In Cecropia larvae the markings of the instar changes during the instar’s development and not just at the molting. “Hyalophora cecropia: A Life Cycle Photo Journal” webpage shows the development of a larva (See link below). The larvae feed on a wide assortment of plants including: Box-elder, Red Maple, Wild Cherry, Basswood, Elm, Willow, Apple, and Poplar. A friend once gave me four larvae that I reared on Lilac.

When I was growing up, I would find a dozen or more Cecropia cocoons each winter. They are harder to find now, so it is nice to know that a few are still around.

Link to “Hyalophora cecropia: A Life Cycle Photo Journal” webpage.

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What are these lumps on Goldenrod?

Posted on March 18, 2019 by admin

Eurosta solidaginis — Goldenrod Spherical Gall

The Goldenrod Spherical Gall is caused by the Tephritid Fly also called the Goldenrod Spherical Gall Fly (Eurosta solidagunis). In late spring the Tephritid Fly lays eggs on the surface of the stem of a Goldenrod (Solidago spp.). When the egg hatches the larva burrows into the stem and its saliva causes the goldenrod to grow a spherical mass of tissue that protects the larva and provides it with food. The larva passes through three stages until it reaches full size. In the fall it chews a tunnel that the adult fly will use to exit the gall in late spring. This tunnel is just short of the outer skin of the gall. The debris from this tunnel is not eaten and if you cut open a gall you will often find this “sawdust.” When the weather warms, the larva pupates and the adult flies emerge in late spring.

Chickadees and Downy Woodpeckers feed on the larva in the winter. Chickadees peck the gall and attempt to locate the exit tunnel. They break through the skin and grab the larva. Downy Woodpeckers will peck through the gall if the Goldenrod’s stem is heavy enough or enlarge the exit tunnel if they can find it.

In the Royal Oak Arboretum the galls are found on mostly on Late Goldenrod (Solidago gigantea) and occasionally on Canada Goldenrod (S. canadensis) but this fly will use other large goldenrods.

Spindle Gall (Gnorimoschema gallaesolidaginis) is a similar. It is an elongated gall also found on Goldenrod. The Goldenrod Elliptical-Gall Moth forms this gall. It overwinters as eggs on dried leaves. The larva hatch in the spring, chew into the Goldenrod’s stem, and the moths emerge in the fall. This gall is reported only on Late Goldenrod and Tall Goldenrod (Solidago altissima). Some studies indicate that the moth might actually be two species that look identical but feed on different goldenrod species.

My naturalist friend Mary Kleiss, asked me about this gall. As a girl she went ice fishing with her dad using the larva from the Goldenrod Spherical Gall as bait. Mary died recently and I miss her. She had a keen eye and an unending curiosity. She knew the uses of wild plants: whether it was edible, a dye plant, or had other uses. I enjoyed touring her garden and several blog posts are a result of these trips or conversations with her. I dedicate this blog to her and to her sense of wonder.

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A Cockroach, a Beetle, and a Fly

Posted on August 20, 2018 by admin

Wood Cockroach on Cup-plant

Yesterday, I made a quick stop at the Royal Oak Arboretum to check on the progress of our Canada Thistle control. I took my camera along. I spotted a Wood Cockroach (Parcoblatta sp.) feeding on the wilting flowers of a Cup-plant (Silphium perfoliatum). I took a few quick photos.

Cup-plant

Wood Cockroaches are in the same family as the German Cockroach (Blattella germanica). German Cockroaches are the night marauding, indoor living pests. Wood Cockroaches are day active and seldom seen indoors. If they get into a house, they cannot survive in the environment and as a result are short-lived. They feed on decaying organic matter.

Shining Flower Beetles

When I viewed my images on a computer monitor, I could see that the black specks I thought were abnormal flowers on the flower disk were tiny black beetles. These were Shining Flower Beetles (Olibrus sp.). Approximately 30 species of this genus occur in the United States and they require a modern treatment so we can better understand them. Adult Shining Flower Beetles feed on the flower-heads of the Aster Family (Asteraceae). Larva develop in the flower-heads of the Aster Family. Each Shining Flower Beetle species appears to use a specific plant species.

I made another quick trip to the arboretum and as I was photographing the tiny beetle an interesting fly of an unknown species came onto the flower.

Fly on Cup-plant, probably a fruit fly in the genus Drosophila

Standing next to this plant for less than five minutes; I wondered what I would have seen if I had hours to study this small area. Get outdoors, find a patch of flowers, stand there, and look for insects. I can’t identify every insect I see but they still fascinate me.

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Boxelder Bugs

Posted on February 28, 2018 by admin

Eastern Boxelder Bug R-closeup showing ocelli eyes

Recently, I found an Eastern Boxelder Bug (Boisea trivittata) in my kitchen. I know the females often seek shelter in homes during the winter but I have never seen one here. They don’t lay eggs inside or destroy anything by eating it, but they can become a nuisance if hundreds or thousands of them invade a home. If this occurs their droppings can stain an area. I have found six of them so far, one at a time. I moved them to my garage.

They also have other common names: Maple Bug, Democrat Bug, Populist Bug, or Politician Bug. Boxelder (Acer negundo) is a true maple also known as Ash-leaved Maple; hence the first common name. Boxelder Bugs lay their eggs on the foliage and seeds of Boxelders and swarms of these insects are sometimes found during late June when the political conventions take place. Hence the latter names. The Eastern Boxelder Bug passes through five instars as it develops. They all look quite different from each other. Only the overwintering adult females invade houses.

Adult Eastern Boxelder Bugs are dull gray with red stripes along the wing edges and on the center of the pronotum. True bugs have a pronotum which is the segment behind their head.

The Eastern Boxelder Bug has two additional smaller eyes on the top of their head. These are ocelli eyes and they have only a single lens. They might only sense light areas and not images. It is difficult to determine their true function.

Adult Large Milkweed Bugs (Oncopeltus fasciatus) look similar to the Boxelder Bug. They have a black band across the middle of the wing, a black diamond toward the head and a black triangle on the tip of the wing. The remainder of the bug is orange or yellow-orange. It rarely invades houses.

Large Milkweed Bug

Another look alike is an adult Small Milkweed Bug (Lygaeus kalmii). It is black or gray with a reddish “x” that does not cross on the wings. It also rarely invades houses.

Small Milkweed Bug

Keep looking at Nature during the winter. You never know what you will find, even in your own home.

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Is it a Butterfly or a Moth?

Posted on September 24, 2017 by admin

Recently I was asked the difference between a butterfly and a moth. They are both in the order Lepidoptera which has 160,000 described species worldwide. Butterflies have 20,000 species and moths make up the rest of the order. North America has 800 species of butterflies and 11,000 species of moths.

Butterflies: Buckeye – L Monarch – R

Butterflies at rest normally hold their wings upright, pressed together, or opened slightly in a V shape. They have clubbed antennae resembling straight pins. Most butterflies are day flying.

Moths: Ailanthus Moth – L Blinded Sphinx Moth – M Gypsy Moth – R

Moths at rest hold their wings flat resembling paper-airplanes. Their forewings are above their hindwings. From above, the wings normally cover their bodies.

Male Ctenucha Moth – L Female Ctenucha Moth – R

Moth antennae are feathery on males and a single undivided filament that tapers to a point on females. Most moths are night flying but several species are day flying moths. Moths also tend to be hairier than butterflies. Many moths do not feed as adults. They emerge, mate, and die in a matter of days. Most adult butterflies eat.

Chrysalises: Black Swallowtail – L Harvester – M Monarch – R

The pupal stage of a butterfly is a chrysalis. The larva sheds its skin and then its outer shell hardens. Moths spin a cocoon of tough fibers.

Cocoon of Polyphemus Moth -L Closeup of fibers of cocoon – R

One of the best internet sources is bugguide.net. It has species pages for all insects not just moths and butterflies. You can submit images for expert identification. I use this site often.

With a little practice it is easy to distinguish a butterfly from a moth. Get out and look before winter sets in.

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Wool Carder Bees

Posted on July 22, 2017 by admin

Mullein Pink

I saw an insect in my yard today that I did not recognize. Hovering as if it were a fly, it darted around a Mullein Pink (Silene coronaria). When it landed I could see it was a bee of some type; however, bees are not normally this jumpy or skittish. It rolled the Mullein Pink’s white, felt-like fuzz into a little ball. Eventually it flew away carrying the ball gripped in four of its legs. If alarmed, it flew off abandoning its little rolled ball.

Abandoned ball of plant fuzz – L Stem of Mullein Pink showing fuzz – R

It was a European Wool Carder Bee (Anthidium manicatum) gathering plant material from a species which naturally grew within its native range. They pack their brood cells with plant hairs, add pollen and nectar, then lay an egg. They nest in a pre-existing cavity or on a building.

Wool Carder Bee collecting plant material from Mullein Pink

This species is black and yellow and could be confused with a Yellowjacket. Wool Carder Bees have more black than a Yellowjacket, orange legs, and tend to hold their wings over their abdomen. Also, they are solitary bees not social nesters like Yellowjackets.

Insects are fascinating to observe. They are diverse and I still find new species in my yard, even after 25-years. I wonder where the nest is.

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Spittlebugs: Nature’s Meringue Makers

Posted on July 9, 2017 by admin

Spittlebug foam masses on host plants

Recently, I was asked what causes the frothy masses on the stems of some plants. They are formed by the nymphs of Froghoppers and are known as Spittlebugs. In North America there are approximately 30 species in seven genera and they are part of the family Aphrophora. Nymphs are 4mm [3/16 inch] long. Adult forms are inconspicuous and if I have seen them I did not identify them.

Spittlebug nymphs with foam removed

Spittlebugs drain fluids from the plant, combine it with a glandular secretion, and then blow it out of their anus. Foam is a combination of bubbles created when this mixture is blown out and added bubbles formed by the flexing of plates along the body of the nymph. Extending its body causes plates to separate, then they are rapidly contracted which whips the solution. This results in a foam that is stiff and difficult to remove. The foam protects them from predators and I believe shields them from sunlight. When under my photographic floodlights the nymph kept moving to the side of the stem opposite the light.

Spittlebug nymph generating foam by extending and contracting its abdomen.

Spittlebugs feed on a wide range of herbaceous plants and also on pines (Pinus spp.) While the stem may become stunted I can see no real damage to the overall plant. Spittlebugs raise only one generation a year in the Great Lakes region. In mid-summer the foamy masses disappear as the nymphs mature.

Spittlebugs should be around for the next few weeks. Get out and look for them. You might find some in your own yard. If you remove the foam from one please do it only once. Nature is fascinating to study but we must do it without causing her harm.

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Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

Posted on March 14, 2017 by admin

I recently found a stink bug in my kitchen. It was a Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys). This invasive insect is native to Japan, Korea and China. The first North America record was from Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1998 and it reached Michigan in 2011.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

The adults overwinter in houses, barns, garages, and outbuildings. Adults are 12-16mm [1/2-5/8 inch] long and shaped like a shield. Their antennae are dark with light bands. Light spots are also found on the edges of their bodies. This is the only species of stink bug commonly found inside a house during our Michigan winter. It can occur by the hundreds in some homes.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs will not bite humans. They can be a major pest on fruit trees and damage the leaves and fruit of apples, pears, peaches, cherries, corn, tomatoes, peppers, soybeans, and others. Luckily they only raise one brood in Michigan.
Copyright 2017 by Donald Drife

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Eastern Ironclad Beetle (Phellopsis obcordata)

Posted on December 27, 2016 by admin

Eastern Ironclad Beetle on shelf fungus

Last August, I found a beetle, resembling a woodchip, sitting on a shelf fungus along the old growth trail in Hartwick Pines State Park. On this field trip I was looking at fungi with a friend or I probably would have overlooked this well camouflaged beetle. It was an Eastern Ironclad Beetle (Phellopsis obcordata). According to bugguide.net they eat “fungi associated with decaying trees in old growth boreal forests.” I love when a beetle reads and follows the rules. The larva burrows inside the fungus eating pathways. The adults feed on the surface of the fungus. I have visited Hartwick Pines several times a year over the last four decades and I still find new things to see. You never know what you are going to find.

Eastern Ironclad Beetle

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The Michigan Nature Guy’s Blog

To get people looking at, enjoying, and understanding the natural world around them.

Category Archives: Michigan Insects

Some Springtime Insects

Finding a Cecropia Cocoon

What are these lumps on Goldenrod?

A Cockroach, a Beetle, and a Fly

Boxelder Bugs

Is it a Butterfly or a Moth?

Wool Carder Bees

Spittlebugs: Nature’s Meringue Makers

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

Eastern Ironclad Beetle (Phellopsis obcordata)