Mydas Fly

I captured a picture of this large fly last week. I wanted to be able to ask my entomologist friend what kind of bug this was. I have a friend that goes to Church with us who is a real entomologist. 

So there we were, two church ladies geeking out over a picture of a bug. It is a little comical in my mind. :)

She said I had captured a really nice picture. The insect was definitely not a wasp.  She didn't know the common name, but she told me it was a type of pollinator fly. You can even seen pollon or perhaps flower petals stuck to the fly's feet.

After some Google searching I found that this fly is a Mydas fly. They lay their eggs around dead wood and stumps. The larva eat grubs and larvae of other bugs that feed on rotting wood, including June Bug grubs. Which makes sense of why I found this fly by a tree stump. It was quite determined to stay by that stump. Every time a I frightened it away it came back in a short time.

Mydas flies are believed to feed only on nectar as adults. 

They are very large, for a fly. The one I saw was about and 1 1/4" I am guessing. They have unusually shaped antenna, for a fly. I noticed how the antenna have a little lump at the tip, like a butterfly antenna.

Further reading on Mydas flies:

Missouri Department of Conservation 

MSU Extension 

Bug Guide.net

Woolly Aphids

 

Have you ever seen these tiny tufts of fluff floating on the wind? I have, but I never knew that they were alive until a couple weeks ago. My son snatched one out of the air. He looked at what he collected and then said, "Hey, this is a bug!"

Yes, indeed, it was a bug. It looked like a tiny flyfishing lure.

This bug is called a Woolly Aphid. They suck tree sap. As a group they can look like mold or lichen on a tree. When they are adults they grow wings and fly/float to other trees.

They are know by the cutest common names:

‘flying mice,’ ‘cotton fairies,’ ‘fluff bugs,’ ‘poodle flies,’ and ‘fluffy gnats.’

And they are a really cute!

For further reading and more pictures of Woolly Aphids check this page out:

Leafy Place

I Saw A Variegated Fritillary!

 I was working on our garden at our new property and saw this butterfly.

This is the first Fritillary that I have seen. Maybe not the first one that I have seen in my life, but it is the first Fritillary that I have seen since I learned to identify some butterflies several years ago.

I was excited to see this one. It seemed like it was close to the end of it's life. It was very weak, which is why we were able to catch it and handle it.

Fritillary caterpillars eat mainly plants in the violet family, and passion vines. Other hosts include purslane, mayapple, and flax.

Fritillary's over winter as larvae. The butterfly egg hatches and the caterpillar hibernates even before eating sometimes. 

In the spring they wake up about the time violets start growing.

Further reading about Variegated Fritillary:

Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Butterflies at Home

USDA Forest Service 

All Creatures Small

 Toad, Dragonfly, and Robin Eggs

We caught this lumpy little toad this month. We were able to take a few close up pictures and then turn him loose.

I believe this is and American Toad. In our area it could be a Fowler's Toad or American Toad and from what I have learned about the distinguishing features, I believe this is an American Toad.

Toad's eyes are so pretty. They look like they have glittering specks of gold in them.

I read that people long ago thought toads had jewels in their heads. I don't know who or when but I can see why they thought that.

Toads dig into the ground moving backwards with a specialized claw on their back feet. They burrow about 3 feet under the ground to hibernate. 

Toads are carnivores. Their diets contains crickets flies, slugs, worms, and basically any moving bug. Their prey has to be caught live. It is the movement that attracts their attention.

Toads tend to be more active at night and shelter during the day.

Toads can live about 10 years in the wild if they avoid predation and hazards. In captivity toads have lived past 30 years! I have read that they make good pets. They are easy to take care of and handle. They seem to have a certain level of character, too.

Bye Mr. Toad. Have a good life!

My son caught this amazing dragon fly on a chilly day at the park last month. 

It's colors were so brilliant and it's wings were so intricate.

My son was gentle with the dragon fly. Once we were done observing the little guy he was released and zipped away. What an amazing creature!

This year a robin couple built their nest in a lilac bush in our yard. The nest is so close to the ground. I was surprised that they chose that nesting spot. The children were able to watch the robins at work from the living room window.

Now the female is sitting on eggs. It will be exciting once they hatch!

Spring is a wonderful time of year! Seeing creation testify of God greatness is wonderful, too!

Creation Close-Up: Spider Silk

 

Spider Silk is quite remarkable! I am sure everyone here has heard that spider silk is stronger than steel and this is a fact that has been demonstrated by careful experiments. 

But, have you heard that spider silk can be harvested and woven into fabric? 

I recently watched a video highlighting a beautiful tapestry woven from spider silk. This led me to learn more about the history of Spider Silk Harvesting.

Over the centuries many attempts have been made to expedite the harvesting of spider silk. 

Spider silk has antibacterial and coagulant properties. I have read that, as far back as the middle ages, midwives would gather spider webs for medicinal purposes. They collected spider silk in an unsophisticated way by scooping together spider webs from the wild.

But, a cost efficient way of producing spider silk has proved elusive. In the late 1800's Paul Camboué found a way to effectively milk spider silk.

Spiders can produce several types of silk. The type of silk desirable for weaving is known as drag line. It is the type of silk that a spider uses to drop to the ground not to build a web. As long as there is a pull on the line the spider will continue to produce silk.

Video of Spider Silk Harvesting:

Paul Camboué devised a contraption that harnessed a spider and kept it in position.* A strand of silk can then be pulled from the spider's spinnerets and wound onto a spool. A single strand of spider silk can be up to 600 meters** long!

Once enough strands have been collected they can be twisted into thread and woven into fabric.

The kind of spiders that have been most useful in this process have been golden orb weavers on the island of Madagascar. Thier silk is a stunning golden hue. The resulting tapestry is a beautiful golden color without any dye.

Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley have undertaken the project of creating Spider Silk Tapestries. They have produced a few pieces. The latest and most remarkable is a cape that has been displayed in several museums around the world. I can only imagine what this material would feel like to wear. The women that were fortunate enough to model this cape really had a once in a lifetime experience!

How Peers and Godley conducted the making of the Spider Silk Cape:

Isn't this fascinating? I was amazed by this information. I wanted to share it here for your enjoyment, too. Had you heard about spider silk being used in this way before?

Psalms 9:1 
 I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.

Sources:

Medical Uses of Spider Silk: https://www.materialstoday.com/biomaterials/news/spider-silk-the-future-of-antimicrobial-materials/

*Picture of Camboué's invention: https://daily.jstor.org/the-tangled-history-of-weaving-with-spider-silk/

**https://www.jstor.org/stable/26006154?mag=the-tangled-history-of-weaving-with-spider-silk&seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

Did You Know, Whales Need Fresh Water?

 

I was surprised to learn that whales can not drink ocean water. What do they do? Drink rain water?

The answer: Whales receive all their hydration through the sea creatures they eat. If they don't eat they will die from thirst before they die from hunger. 

Isn't that a fun little fact? 

I learned it in this video about a Pilot Whale rescue. This story is pretty fascinating! I hope you enjoy watching it, too!

https://youtu.be/wXZio54CSbI

This Pilot Whale became lost close to shore. A research team was sent to investigate. They had to give the whale water because it was severely dehydrated. They tried several times to lead it out to the open ocean, but everytime it came back to the shore area. After some testing the researchers concluded that the whale had a problem with it's sonar system and was unable to locate any prey. Without being able to eat the whale would eventually die. Fortunately, for the whale, Sea World in California was able, and willing to transport the suffering whale to their location. They put this whale on an airplane and flew it to California! Can you believe that? Anyway, that is where the poor Pilot Whale was able to live out his days. He died in 2012.

Genesis 1:21 

 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Further reading:

https://www.nature.com/news/whale dies from dehydration

https://blog.seattlepi.com/candacewhiting/2012/05/28/seaworlds-pilot-whale-sully-dies-a-story-of-successful-rescue-and-early-death/

Book Report: Peterson Field Guide to Finding Mammals in North America

Peterson Field Guide to Finding Mammals in North America by Vladimir Dinets is a wealth of knowledge on where to find mammals. I don't know how Mr. Dinets has been able to travel to as many places, and get familiar with the areas, as he has. Mammal Watching is not as much of a hobby as Bird Watching, but Mr. Dinets expects that to change in the future.

This book is broken into several sections. In the first part of the book Mr. Dinets goes through the North American content region by region highlighting what parks and and wildlife refuges are in the areas and what mammals you can find there. Mr. Dinets goes into a lot of detail on where he has seen certain mammals and how likely you are to see the same types of mammals.
In the second section Mr. Dinets goes over each type of mammal and where they can be found. There is a short part on trapping animals for observation. The glossary is extensive.
This book can be used in a multitude of ways. If you are planning a trip, for example, and you want to look up the areas you will be visiting to see what type of mammals live there, you can go to the section that address that particular region. Another example is: if you want to see a specific mammal, you can look up that mammal in the section where that mammal is talked about and you can see a list of locations where that mammal lives.

There are not photographs of every animal that is mentioned, but there are a lot of photographs.

I learned a lot about mammals by reading this book. I had no idea there were so many kinds of whales or bats, or what a Coati was or a Marten was or a Pika was, I could go on. This book has fed my curiosity and left me hungering for more knowledge about mammals. I would really like to read an identification guide for these mammals or something that gives more details on the animals life's and habits.

Genesis 1:25

 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Creation Close-Up: Large Blue Butterfly

Maculinea arion

Are butterflies Parasites? Not typically, but in today's post we are going to learn about  a butterfly that requires a relationship with red ants to complete their lifecycle. And, the ants are not the beneficiaries.

The Large Blue butterfly, Maculinea arion, is native in South England, Europe, and parts of Asia. The Large Blue is not a very common butterfly and populations have been declining for quiet some time. It still survives in pockets here and there. Due to its threatened status it has been studied a great deal, and some very interesting things have been discovered about the Large Blue butterfly.

In depth study of the Large Blue goes back to the early 1900's. When entomology hobbyists tried to raise Large Blue butterflies to produce specimens for their display cases. They ran into a troubling problem: the caterpillar always died after the third instar. Why?

Large Blue Caterpillar

Large Blue butterflies live in open fields where the vegetation is short, sheltering in hedge rows and small bushes. Large Blue butterflies lay their eggs on Wild Thyme. Once the caterpillars emerge they eat Wild Thyme blossoms and any other caterpillars that are on the same flower. (Parasites and cannibals!) After the caterpillar reaches the third instar it falls to the ground and waits for red ants to come carry it to their nest. Not any ol' red ants, the Myrmica sabuleti species of red ant. The caterpillar entices the ants to take it back to their nest by secreting a sweet liquid from it's 'honey gland.' Once in the ants nest the Large Blue caterpillar makes it's diet of baby ant larve!  The caterpillar lives in the ant colony for ten months, dining on ant grubs, at which point it makes a crysallis and pupates. The butterfly must crawl out of ant nest to inflate and dry it's new wings.

Isn't that fascinating!

As the twentieth century progressed the Large Blue's population dwindled. It was declared extinct in England in 1979. Some things that diminished the Large Blue's habitat was lack of grazing on pastures and afforestation. With proper management of fields the Large Blue butterfly has been successfully reintroduced in England and there are several healthy populations.

Genesis 1:28  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Humans play an important part in the "natural" world. In this tale it was the lack of people raising livestock and allowing these farm animals to graze on pastures that harmed the Eco system for the Large Blue. As well, as planting trees, ironically. Don't get fooled into believing this planet would be a better place without humans on it. God gave us a role of subduing and having dominion over the beast of the field and over the fowl of the air. He made our planet and He knows what is best for it. My point is that we should be raising and domesticating creatures for our own uses.

If you are interested in reading further about the Large Blue butterfly here are the articles that I read and used as sources;
UK Centre For Ecology And Hydrology- The Large Blue Butterfly
Butterfly Conservation-Large Blue 
Wikipedia- Large Blue Butterfly
Entomology Today- The Curious Case Of The Large Blue Butterfly

Marbled Orb Weaver And Fear Of Spiders

2 Timothy 1:7

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

 

I have an irrational fear of spiders. I scream if I am startled by a spider. I get nightmares after particularly frightening encounters with spiders. I can't even bring myself to touch a picture of a spider! I can't help myself. 
I am terrified of spiders with the exception of jumping spiders. For some reason I see jumping spiders as cute.

On Sunday I discovered a horrifyingly, large, ugly, creepy spider by our front door when we were coming home from church. It gave me quite a scare!  

 I did some google-ing to identify this arachnid. Seeing all of the spider pictures in the results gave me the creepy-crawlies.

I found that this is called a Marbled Orb Weaver. 
Marbled Orb Weavers are usually seen in late summer and fall.
They are not aggressive and are also not considered a threat to humans. 
Bites are rare and are no worse than  bee or wasp stings.
Nocturnal Marble Orb Weavers weave their webs in the evening and then in the morning often take their web down and eat it.
 

After learning about Marbled Orb Weavers I have been trying to appreciate them for what they are, unique creatures that display God's wonderful design and diverse creation.
In Proverbs 30:24 Agur says, "There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:"
Then he lists the ants, coonies, locusts, and finally the spider.

Proverbs 30:28 The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.

I have always taken this verse to mean that we can learn from the spider that even though we may not have status or wealth we can work hard and take hold of opportunities that will lead us to success, but not necessarily fame.

Any thoughts on this verse?
Also, do any of you struggle with spider phobia? (I made that up but I am sure that psychologists have a term for it. They have a label for everything!)

Creation Close-Ups : Leaf Cutter Bees

Leafcutter bees are amazing creatures that testify to God's handiwork! 

 

 

Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.

Nehemiah 9:6

Here are some interesting facts about leafcutter bees:

 > Leafcutter bees are solitary bees, which means they do not live in colonies with other bees.

> Leafcutter bees are very docile and only sting when directly handled.

> Leafcutter bees are important pollinators. According to research certain species of leafcutter         bees can do 20 times more pollinating than honey bees!

>  Leafcutter bees do not make honey.

>  Leafcutter bees nest in tubular shaped cavities 

 

Life Cycle:

Leafcutter bee eggs are laid in tube shaped compartments constructed from leaves by a female leafcutter bee. The female leafcutter bees are able to lay fertilized and unfertilized eggs. Unfertilized eggs grow into male leafcutter bees. Male leafcutter bees have 16 chromosomes and females have 32 chromosomes. An egg will get 16 chromosomes from the female and if it is fertilized it will get 16 chromosomes from the male. Unfertilized eggs are laid at the end closest to the outside of a leaf nest. This means that the males are the first to emerge from the nest. They are ready and waiting to mate with the females once the females emerge from the nest.
  What an amazing design!

Female leafcutter bees do a lot of hard work! They must build the leaf nest, stock it with food for the eggs, and lay eggs! The female leafcutter bee will search for a good location to build her nest. She uses hallow, tube shaped openings in old plant stems, tree bark, even tunnels in the soil, and many man-made objects including leafcutter bee houses made specifically for leafcutter bees.


Once the female finds a good location for a nest she will collect leaves to construct the nest cavities. She first cuts several circle shaped leaves the same diameter as the tube and places them in the back of the tunnel. Then she cuts oval shaped pieces of leaves to make a capsule to lay her egg in. Leafcutter bees will also use flower petals to line their nest with sometimes.

 She then sets to gathering food to put in the capsule for her baby to eat as it develops. She collects nectar and pollen from flowers. The nectar she drinks from the flowers with her proboscis and the pollen she collects on her legs and on the hairs on her abdomen. She flies back to the nest and spits out the nectar and brushes the pollen off of her body. Then she mixes the pollen and nectar together. She has to gather more than one load of pollen and nectar.  Each subsequent load has more nectar and less pollen until the last load which is just nectar. This ensures that the egg, once hatched, will have the right diet for each stage of growth.
Again, I am amazed at this perfect design!

Once all of the food is gathered the female leafcutter bee will lay an egg into the nectar. She then goes to cut some more circle shaped leaf pieces to close up the compartment and begin a new compartment.

A female leaf cutter bee will complete one cell a day, on average, depending on weather and available resources. 

The eggs will hatch shortly after they are laid and the larva will begin to grow. They will go through a few stages as they develop. How quickly they develop depends on their temperature. It is possible for an egg to develop quickly enough to be able to emerge later on during that same summer if it was laid early enough in the summer. But, in most cases the fully developed pupa will over-winter in the leaf capsule and emerge in the spring. The next generation of leafcutter bees will start the life cycle all over again, knowing instinctively how to play their part.

Leafcutter Bees Used In Agriculture:

Leafcutter bees are used in agriculture as pollinators. Leafcutter bee are less efficient at gathering pollen and nectar than honey bees. This means they have to make many more trips than the honey bee to gather the same amount of pollen. Therefore, they end up visiting and pollinating many more flowers. Leafcutter bees are also easy to house and manage, making them an ideal pollinator for farmers to use. Leafcutter bees are most widely used for pollinating alfalfa crops and wild blueberry crops.

Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.

 All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.

 For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.

Psalms 86: 8-10 

 

 

 

Creation Close-Ups: Lightning Bugs

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto His name; worship 

the LORD in the beauty of holiness. -Psalm 29:2

       Some interesting facts about lightning bugs:

• There are about 2,000 firefly species.

•  Fireflies are very efficient light producers. An average electric light bulb gives off 90% of its energy as heat, and only 10% as light. Fireflies produce light through an efficient chemical reaction that allows them to glow without wasting heat energy. All 100% of the energy goes into making light. Scientists are not sure how the insects regulate this process to turn their lights on and off. (There are a lot of things than scientists simply "can't explain"... why can't they just give God the glory?!)

• Fireflies (also called lightning bugs) are beetles. They take from one to two years to mature from larvae, but will live as adults for only about 21 days. 

•  Some fireflies synchronize their flash signals. (I found this information very interesting!) Synchronous fireflies are one of at least 19 species of fireflies that live in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. They are the only species in America whose individuals can synchronize their flashing light patterns. The fireflies do not always flash in unison. They may flash in waves across hillsides, and at other times will flash randomly. Synchrony occurs in short bursts that end with abrupt periods of darkness. This simultaneous bioluminescence, as its called by scientists, occurs in just two places in the world: southeast Asia and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, right here in the U.S.A.

What do lightning bugs eat?

While in the larval stage, the insects feed on worms, snails, and other small, soft-bodied creatures. However, interestingly enough, scientists aren't sure what many species of adult fireflies eat. It is possible that adult species of fireflies eat pollen and nectar from plants, other species of bugs, or possibly nothing at all—as their adult lifespans are short.

Do firefly eggs glow?

They sure do! In some species, the larvae and even the eggs emit light. Firefly eggs have been observed to flash in response to stimulus such as gentle tapping or vibrations.

...who is so great a God as our God? Thou art 

the God that doest wonders: Thou hast declared 

Thy strength among the people. Psalm 77:13b-14