Reports from the Field

Bug o’the Week – Bugs in the News XV

Greetings, BugFans,

Here’s another episode from the BugLady’s favorites file (yeah, yeah – Mom shouldn’t have favorites).

When BugFan Mary sent “what-is-it?” pictures from Florida of this wildly handsome grasshopper nymph, the BugLady said “More, please,” sending Mary back out into the palmettos to stalk grasshoppers with her Smartphone.  Thanks, Mary!!!  With luck, the neighbors weren’t watching. 

This is one serious grasshopper!  It’s hard to ignore a grasshopper that’s large enough to trip over and too large to fly.

Big grasshopper?  Big story.  Put your feet up.

03.19.25

Bug o’the Week – Eastern Lubber Grasshopper – a Snowbird Special rerun

Greetings, BugFans,

Here’s another episode from the BugLady’s favorites file (yeah, yeah – Mom shouldn’t have favorites).

When BugFan Mary sent “what-is-it?” pictures from Florida of this wildly handsome grasshopper nymph, the BugLady said “More, please,” sending Mary back out into the palmettos to stalk grasshoppers with her Smartphone.  Thanks, Mary!!!  With luck, the neighbors weren’t watching. 

This is one serious grasshopper!  It’s hard to ignore a grasshopper that’s large enough to trip over and too large to fly.

Big grasshopper?  Big story.  Put your feet up.

03.13.25

Bug o’the Week – Two-spotted Long-horned Bee

Howdy, BugFans,

The BugLady keeps getting solicitations from a large, national conservation/environmental organization whose message is “Save the Bees.”  Alas, the only bees they picture or mention are honey bees.  Heaven knows that honey bees are vital pollinators, and they’re certainly facing big challenges, but the same can be said of our (apparently invisible) native bees. 

Turns out that the unassuming Two-spotted long-horned bee (Melissodes bimaculatus) (bimaculatus means “two spots”) is a Pollinator Extraordinaire.  

02.27.25

Bug o’the Week – Ground Crab Spiders

Howdy, BugFans,

Crab spiders need no introduction to these pages – several genera of delicate, flower crab spiders have appeared in previous episodes.

Well, maybe a quick review:

02.19.25

Bug o’the Week – The Ants of CESA Rerun

Salutations, BugFans,

The BugLady confesses that she has a list of favorites among the 766 BOTWs to date. This is one of them. Lots of fun to research and write, it was originally posted after the 2014 Treasures of Oz celebration/Ecotour. No new words; a few different pictures.

02.12.25

Bug o’the Week – Peachtree Borer Moth

Greetings, BugFans,

This striking little moth was mentioned briefly a few years ago among an array of visitors to water hemlock flowers. Here’s the rest of the story.

02.05.25

Bug o’the Week – Stream Bluets and Rivers

Greetings, BugFans,

The BugLady likes to “bug” (if birders “bird,” can “bug” be a verb for folks who are looking for insects?) along the Milwaukee River at Waubedonia Park because (surprise) it’s great for dragonflies and damselflies – she’s photographed 25 species there. Most productive are the small bays along the shoreline where water lilies and arrowhead grow and the current is negligible.

01.22.25

Bug o’the Week – Wildflower Watch – Cup-Plant Cosmos II

Greetings, BugFans,

The BugLady usually times the Wildflower Watch episodes so that BugFans can rush out and see the flower in bloom with its attendant bugs, but it’s the middle of January, and the BugLady is ready for spring. At least the Technicolor part of it (with apologies to the Cardinals and Blue Jays at the bird feeder but not to the Mourning Doves and Juncos).

01.15.25

Bug o’the Week – Texas Ironclad Beetle rerun

Howdy, BugFans,

It’s New Year’s Eve, and BugFans are probably either partying or watching reruns.  Today’s BOTW is a rerun of one of the BugLady’s favorites – think of it as a Holiday Movie.

01.02.25

Become a Member

Take advantage of all the benefits of a Riveredge membership year round!

Learn More