nature photography / natural history / misc
Last fall I collected several hundred redbud seeds and crammed them into gel caps so that I could document the wasps that emerged in the spring. This is a continuation of my 2025 post that described some of the species that were associated with the tree in the fall when the seedpods were still attached. [ ]
Although scientists have known for decades that bug zappers do not control mosquitoes, gullible Americans buy 1.75 million of them every year. To help get the word out I thought I d create a more exhaustive listing of why they are a waste of money. Do the ones with octenol packets control mosquitoes? No, there s zero [ ]
Per posts on Reddit and Facebook, jars baited with malbec can trap Houdini flies (Cacoxenus indagator), an invasive kleptoparasite of solitary bees in the genus Osmia. The species was first reported in New York in 2011 and has since appeared in Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, and British Columbia. For anyone with [ ]
The cold and snow this winter have prevented me from taking many nature photographs, so it was a treat to have a look inside my two insect hotels. The one below is in the front yard. As you can see, it has a mix of hollow stems and wood blocks that have holes lined with [ ]
Now that my eastern redbuds (Cercis canadensis) are pumping out thousands of pods each fall, I thought I d start photographing the wasps that show up to parasitize the redbud bruchids (Gibbobruchus mimus) developing inside the seeds. Eupelmus pulchriceps (Eupelmidae) I m starting with this species because it s the only one I ve photographed that is currently identified [ ]
There s an eastern black walnut (Juglans nigra) on my neighbor s property that rains down fruit every fall, and I finally got curious about what species might be inside. So far I ve found four flies, five beetles, two mites, and a parasitic wasp. I m a little disappointed with the number of wasps but am hopeful that [ ]
In case you never get to visit The Canadian Potato Museum on Prince Edward Island, here are photographs from the excellent exhibit on diseases and pests of potatoes. I ve included all the accompanying interpretive signs in case you want the gruesome details but it s really all about the adorable coffins. Poor little spuds. RIP. Bacterial [ ]
Here are some photographs from a 2024 trip to Prince Edward Island. Plus assorted blurbs because I try to learn something about the species I come across. At the very end are three mystery organisms that have stumped me. Crustaceans Atlantic rock crab (Cancer irroratus). It looked sad. Also of minor note: all the tiny [ ]
Here are some of my favorite photographs from a recent stay at Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, New York. I also have a few non-macro pics at the end in case you re curious what the place looks like. This is Loxocera cylindrica (Psilidae). They puncture and hoover up fluids from leaves, resulting in patches [ ]
I tested the Mosquito TNT in my Pennsylvania yard and concluded that it does not control mosquitoes. Moreover, they kill a considerable number of non-target organisms, including pollinators, provide an ideal habitat for fly larvae that feed on the decaying carcasses of previous victims, and smell bad. My full review is below. If you just [ ]