I attended my first insect bio blitz last Saturday (26 Jul 2014) at the Erickson Wetlands in Argyle, WI. The Driftless Area Land Conservancy (DALC) is responsible for this fabulous new land legacy which encompasses 220-acres of diverse habitat which contains multiple sloughs and oxbow lakes and over a mile of Pecatonica River frontage. [Read more…] about Bio Blitz-ing
Insects
Day of Insects 2014
Day of Insects is held at Reiman Gardens on the Iowa State University campus in Ames, IA. In the beginning it was an informal group gathering to discuss their current projects. This blossomed into an event that is open to the general public. Attendees include hobbyists, professionals, and academics. The mix of folks is impressive and makes it welcoming to everyone! [Read more…] about Day of Insects 2014
Nymph or Larvae?
What’s the difference between a nymph and a larva? For years, I’ve heard both terms but hadn’t given it much thought. This year, I started photographing insects earlier than I have in the past years and as I was trying to identify some of the grasshoppers, I noticed they didn’t have wings. Call it either an AHA! moment or a DUH! moment, or both – either way, I realized these were nymphs! I was hooked and I wanted to know more. [Read more…] about Nymph or Larvae?
July Fireworks
Happy July 4th!! Who doesn’t love nature’s fireworks, the lighting bugs (or fireflies). We have a prairie full of them, blinking off and on, lighting up the moonless night. It’s awe-inspiring to see! I thought this would be a perfect post for the 4th of July! Although I couldn’t get a picture of this, I was lucky enough to get some great close-ups of the underneath side as well as the top side. [Read more…] about July Fireworks
Insects in the Prairie
One morning I decided the first thing I would do would be to walk around the prairie and photograph the various insects I found. I found a number of them but sadly, there are so many insects that we know little to nothing about, yet they are crucial to our survival and quality of life. Here’s the results of that morning’s walk. [Read more…] about Insects in the Prairie
