A Bit Distracted

Our 2012 field season was much abbreviated compared to a normal year.  Thus, we've had few (no) posts since July.  This was due to the activities involved with buying a house with acreage in rural Washtenaw County, Michigan. 

The property contains a good variety of habitats: conifers patches, hedgerows, grass lawn, old field, a seeded prairie (as of this fall), wet woods with vernal pools, and upland woods. 

Here's a view of a portion of the wet woods:

Unfortunately, we don't have a stream or large pond, but these features are present in the vicinity.  We did add all small water feature near the house that will likely be more attractive to thirsty or bathing birds.  We'll add some plants and may add a small pond to the feature in 2013.

There was one aquatic insect visitor prior to the frosts of fall.  This backswimmer (Notonecta irrorata)  showed up in October. A locust leave is next to it for a size comparison:

Given the little/no time for dragonfly hunting in the latter half of the summer, we did have one great discovery prior to the final purchase.  Back in June, while doing a walk around the property, we found the exuvia of a male Swamp Darner (Epiaeschna heros).  This is only one of two specimens we know of for Michigan.  It's unknown how often this species can successfully overwinter in our state.

2013 will be a year with more time available for exploring, although we'll do more hunting around our property since we have a great interest in documenting the flora and fauna of all varieties.  Our overall odonata list may be reduced, and we'll post some of the other bugs found around here.

Given the changes, maybe we'll need to change our name to Rural Dragon Hunters? 

Waiting on a "Friend"

On Sunday, July 8th, I decided to add Red Saddlebags (Tramea onusta) for Lenawee County since this is a year when this species has moved north in huge numbers.  Almost anyplace you find Black Saddlebags (T. lacerata) you have a good chance to see the smaller red cousin which acts like it wants to dominate the water's surface.

I ended up at a future business park outside of Tecumseh.  Roads were completed, but no businesses, yet.  The weedy fields provided upland areas for a variety of insects and birds such as: Vesper and Savannah Sparrows.  A large water retention basin provided habitat for a good variety of odes.  Almost immediately upon my arrival a Red Saddlebags (T. onusta) flew past just out of the net's reach.

A breeze was present so I positioned myself on the downwind side of the pond in hopes that sparring dragonflies would get pushed within reach of my net.   Unfortunately, there was no vegetation surrounding the basin so I couldn't conceal my presence... and the odes seemed to know why I was present.  Several individuals of T. onusta flew past, always out of the reach of my net.  Of course, the incline of the pool's edge prevented me from wading in.  The mud and steep slope would be too slippery.

Over the next hour, I walked the entire perimeter at least twice, but the total distance was likely four times that.  The best chances for capture occurred when a coupled pair worked against the breeze and other bachelors wanted in on the action.  However, they always were pushed towards the middle of the pond.

Later in the afternoon, I was making one last trip near the northern edge and an individual "checked me out".  This allowed me to "check him out":

NMW: Red-fringed Emerald

It's National Moth Week, and while Urban Dragon Hunters is primarily about dragonflies, we are keen on many other insect taxa as well. Why not try to feature a cool moth every day this week?

We'll finish off the week with one of the beautiful emeralds. This is a Red-fringed or Two-striped Emerald (Nemoria bistriaria, Hodges #7046). Who doesn't love a green moth? Never mind that this species has a brown spring form. BugGuide even has an interesting intermediate form; the scale colors are apparently influenced by pre-emergence temperatures.

Photo by Darrin O'Brien. All rights reserved.

NMW: Buck moth

It's National Moth Week, and while Urban Dragon Hunters is primarily about dragonflies, we are keen on many other insect taxa as well. Why not try to feature a cool moth every day this week?

Day 6 is yet another diurnal moth, a buck moth (Hemileuca sp., likely H. nevadensis, Hodges#7731, as there were larvae feeding on willows). Buck moths are in the silkworm moth family (Saturniidae), and while not quite a spectacular as many of their relatives, are still quite showy. The caterpillars have urticating spines -- they sting, although the punch varies by species.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has a nice post about the possible origin of the name "buck moth" and the taxonomy morass that occurs in here in the upper Midwest.

Photo by Darrin O'Brien. All rights reserved.

NMW: Carrot Seed Moth

It's National Moth Week, and while Urban Dragon Hunters is primarily about dragonflies, we are keen on many other insect taxa as well. Why not try to feature a cool moth every day this week?

Day 5's moth is one that is not native to North America. The Carrot Seed Moth, a.k.a., Greenish-Yellow Sitochroa Moth (Sitochroa palealis, Hodges #4986.1) is a European/Palearctic moth first recorded on this side of the pond in the Upper Midwest in 2002. The larvae feed on umbellifers, especially the well-established non-native Queen Anne's Lace or wild carrot, Daucus carota. The caterpillars are more conspicuous than the ordinary-looking adults, as they weave themselves into the seed heads of the plants; they can be found by searching for these frass baskets.

Photo by Julie Craves, all rights reserved.