A Marble-ous, Araneus Day!

I was excited about this one.  A spider more difficult to I.D. than I expected.  It’s a different genus than our other large Orb Weaver, which is genus Neoscona, posted here Sept. 7.   I searched around internet, went to List of Ohio Spiders - by OSU - to confirm occurrence, then back to BugGuide.net  ~ This appears to be Araneus marmoreus - a Marbled Orbweaver ~

This species is incredibly variable in coloring, from typical orange, to bright yellow, pale to white, even white with black. I think mine is the most beautiful ~ the abdomen is like a Ukrainian painted egg! Or a hermit crab with a custard swirled shell!  My photo doesn't do it justice…

Her web was like a sheer sail in the wind, and she moved about, hurriedly repairing the strands. And there I was, backed against a pine tree with needles dropping down my shirt, as I tried to compose a photo.

I’d say I’m tickled, but I’m really itchy. It was like suicide by encephalitis out there today!  Mosquito shift change overlap.  Maybe I was one last buffet before the mosquitoes were blown away by the cool wind.  I'm still counting the bumps ~

I’ll stop now… We have at least two of these large Marbled Orbweavers. The other snuck back up under an overhang while I was getting my camera. We also have at least four Neoscona (crucifera?) barn spiders surrounding the house, in addition to a dozen funnel web spiders, and company.

Anyone have an arachnophobe you would like to torture?

False Potato Beetle

The following subject is seasonally inappropriate, but I came across my mystery moon-grub photo and finally looked it up at BugGuide.net. And - pleasant surprise - it led me to properly I.D. a beetle I also photographed this summer:

This is the larva of a False Potato Beetle, Leptinotarsa juncta, in the Leaf Beetle family. It reminds me of the moon, above, which I photographed the same evening that I found this little blob under the arbor.

These feed on horse-nettle, Solanum carolinense, other solanaceous (?) plants, such as species of ground cherry or husk tomato, Physalis spp., and common nightshade, Solanum dulcamara. (Mine must have been going for nightshade.)

Below is the adult, which looks very similar to the misnamed Colorado Potato Beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, but the False has some brown striping on the wings that the Colorado does not. (Sorry about the less than sharp photo, but he was scurrying up and down the ninebark shrub as if I had a jar of ether for him.)

A bit of advice for other beginning naturalists: check at least two, maybe three different guides or resources before you determine identification of most creatures, especially invertebrates.
Be alert, of course, and don't let anyone tell you a turkey vulture is a red-tailed hawk.  ; - ]

Song for this day: The Jam “Bitterest Pill”

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

There will be no more pathetic poems nor 'Odes' at this site - hopefully - except some dragonflies. (order Odonata)…
~ Unless I go quite far northwest, and then perhaps “Ode on an Aleutian Tern,” (using pen name John Tweets?)
Thank you, I’m here all year.
This is a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Pheucticus ludovicianus (I’m wishing I’d taken Latin instead of French in school. I do know “gros-” indicates the large or heavy bill of the bird.)

The female grosbeak looks kind of like a very large sparrow.

This species only passes through our area during migration, summering in northern Ohio, surrounding states (to summarize) and into Canada. My photos are from May, but I brought them up because I’m sure I heard a rose-breasted grosbeak in the yard this morning. They have a subtle yet distinctive (He does make me think of red wine) sharp, squeaky call “like sneakers on a gym floor” as Sibley describes it. Works for me! That’s exactly how I located the male in our tree this past spring.
This morning though - come to think of it - might have been the neighbors’ swing set that was squeaking.

Bombyli the Day Away

This insect is in family Bombyliidae, a Bee Fly. It doesn’t resemble a bee to me - kind of cuddly looking, though I suppose not to other insects the larvae of this would feed upon.  And it zips around like a furry fighter jet.

Specifically, this is Sparnopolius confusus - the only species in this genus that occurs in the Eastern United States, according to BugGuide.net.

How about the bee fly as a new design for a boot brush! instead of a hedgehog?  I would put it next to a “Welcome” mat that says Run Away!

I’m itchy from looking at bugs, and reading about bugs… I’m going to post birds next, whether they want to cooperate or not! (a thrush that evidently hit neighbor’s van)

Sad, Sad Summer

This year was not so good. My next door neighbor died. Our usually reliable hummingbird disappeared very early.  The European paper wasps expanded their nest too close to my observatory hammock, and evidently also pushed the native paper wasps out of a favorite spot, (the grill), so they then huddled up against the greenhouse.

European Paper Wasps, Polistes dominula

I’m not even going to discuss the mosquitoes!  Poison ivy popped up all over the place. (There is an upside to that - It's native and spread by berry-eating birds.)
I lost my muse (or something) and took a fraction the number of photos I usually take.

And various insects used the swimming pool way more than we did!

Tiger Moth Didn't Harness the Night, but Katydid

Two mornings ago I discovered an odd pair of insects in front of the garage.  (And we don't leave porch lights on.)  Unfortunately, it was soon apparent that the unusually cooperative moth hadn't survived the chilly night.  (Most of these insects have to give up the post pretty soon anyway.) 

The deceased appears to be a Harnessed Tiger Moth, Apantesis phalerata, though that species i.d. is flappable.  And according to National Audubon Society Guide to Insects, regarding tiger moths: "Male moths are attracted to artificial lights..., but females generally remain close to breeding areas and food plants." (Take from that what you will.)

The katydid seemed plenty alert and wary upon my approach.  I believe this is a Greater Anglewing, Microcentrum rhombifolium (I confess to moving my lips as I spelled out that one.)

When listening to night-singing insects in the yard, I find some comfort in my ability to concentrate for a few seconds, and isolate four - sometimes five - different insect songs participating in the "mix." (I gave up trying to find spelling of brouhaha in the dictionary - Oh, there it is...)

I Am Not a Bum

But this is a bumble, a fuzzy one too.  Eastern... Oh alright, I'm looking up the genus because I remembered these have sweet scientific names . . .
Bombus impatiens, Common Eastern Bumble Bee is probably what  this  is.
Good enough? Thank you ~ Have a nice day ~

Dragon the Line

I’m not identifying my dragons... But how we adore them anyway! 

Dragonfly intrigue is infinite… They seem tough yet delicate, with sturdy bodies but glassine wings that can turn sunlight into opals. They can fly incredibly fast, and then balance on their toes on wisps of vegetation.

They make me think of Gary Larson‘s line: “Birds of Prey Know They’re Cool”

When dragonflies assume this handstand-like posture and point their abdomens skyward it is referred to as the “obelisking position“ or Obelisk Pose. (How often does anyone refer to a monolithic pillar, other than perhaps architects, artists, and author Edward Gorey?) Biologists say dragons do this in order to cool off, by reducing exposure to the sun. (Wish I could do it that way!) Personally, I think they're receiving signals from outer space ~ or at least intentionally interfering with my cell phone signal.

Have you noticed dragonflies hanging around car parking lots? I assume they see light reflecting from cars and are drawn in as if there is water there. I’ve seen dragonflies hover over cars, on very hot afternoons, dabbing the tips of their abdomens onto the tops of the vehicles, confused - I guess - and seeking water. It breaks my heart. They are wasting their energy, and possibly singeing themselves on glaringly barren metal. When I see dragonflies in the city I wish could take them home, give them fresh water and feed them some mosquitoes!

Long night, Long-horn?

These mischievous looking medium-sized bees appear to be a species of the Long-horned bees, Melissodes bimaculata. The only time I ever notice this type of bee is when I find them lallygagging some mornings on oats or dried grass as in my photo. Like I caught them sleeping in and they weren't supposed to be seen like this. ~ oooops

Gnat Ogres: Our Puny Predators

Our smallest Robber Fly, Holcocephala fusca (on plastic in above photo)
I’m really not planning on making this “tiny creatures week.” My knees and eyes can't handle that. But since I saw these near-to-my-heart insects mentioned elsewhere today, I just couldn't hold my Ogres any longer. Unfortunately I have an unsteady hand, and I have yet to learn to acquiesce to a tripod. This is where my self-described “impressionist photography” comes in to play. So just look at the dimensions, shadows, and reflected light. And pay attention next time you see a tiny fly-like bug perched anywhere - It may be a Gnat Ogre on the hunt!

Cuckoo for Sweat Bees

I’d been mistakenly calling these tiny metallic-green bees Cuckoo Wasps, because they look similar to that family. Plus the name cuckoo wasp is just more catchy. I was surprised to see that what I have is evidently Augochlora pura, in the Sweat Bee family. (I thought of sweat bees only as those tiny brown bees that I never forgave for stinging the back of my knee when I crouched in a meadow as a child.)
Cuckoo Wasps lack a stinger and usually curl into a ball when harassed. So if you finger a small green bee and it stings you, it’s probably not a Cuckoo Wasp.

Another surprise (and another poor photo): A Sweat Bee-sized Carpenter Bee? (called Small Carpenter Bee, genus Ceratina) A fraction the size of our ubiquitous Eastern Carpenter Bees, this little bug was evidently enlarging the hollow of a broken bamboo stake in the garden. She kept disappearing down the hole and then working her way back out while pushing bamboo fiber with her rear legs. (click photo for large image)

Spotted Orb Weaver

I'm adding one more spider to yesterday's Web Browsing post. This type is one of our most common, but I've had trouble getting an acceptable photo because they are skittish and generally scurry up the web when approached. As near or as far as I can tell this is a Spotted Orbweaver, Neoscona crucifera, sometimes called a Barn Spider. There's another genus, Araneus, with a similar species also called barn spiders. I think we can tell by the "Longitudinal Groove" (Not a song from Love/Rock Musical Hair) that this is Neoscona.
Because these are fairly hefty spiders, I like to encourage one to hang out on the front porch through Beggars' Night.

Web Browsing

Orchard Spider, Leucauge venusta(?)

I wasn't planning to post spiders next, but I haven't identified my dragons yet, so... Where do I begin with spiders? They're in every corner and crevice of the yard, each one doing great work. Here are a cool few.

Spined Micrathena, Micrathena gracilis. I like the name Micrathena - It makes me think "tiny goddess." The species name gracilis means slender or slight. (click photo for larger image)
Micrathena viewed from underneath web (not so pretty)

crab spider (too many too late to I.D. this one)

Euro bees

This wicked bundle of fuzz (above) is a male Wool Carder Bee, Anthidium manicatum - a European species in the family of resin, leafcutter, and mason bees. A pair of these (the female is significantly smaller than male) are the first bees I see in the garden in spring, always at our foxglove (Digitalis). Later in summer they are hanging about the Agastache and blue Lobelia flowers. The name wool-carder comes from nesting behavior of the female involving collection of “fuzz” from Lambs Ears or other plants. The males are territorial and very aggressive toward other bees. I watched our resident bully repeatedly attack and tumble with a carpenter bee more than twice his size.

Photo below shows the dainty female guzzling from a hyssop blossom. (Click for larger image.)

This blurred action pic demonstrates the size difference between genders (not to mention how mean the male is as the female somersaults out of his way.)

We already have mostly native plants in our yard, in order to support native wildlife. And now that I see this introduced bee dominating the garden around our few non-native flowers, I’m more determined than ever to have native plants across the “border,” and everywhere else.