I had my moth light up last night and found a handful of specimens still hanging out this morning at 06:30 when I got up, grabbed my coffee and went to check the station since the birds tend to start counting my specimens if I don’t beat them to the job. The problem with the birds counting is they EAT as they count. It’s even more irritating when the Yellowjackets are competing for tally rights.
Here’s a moth that was new to me. This is the Apical Prominent moth (Clostera apicalis). It is in the family Notodontidae (Prominent Moths),Subfamily Pygaerinae.
Clostera apicalis uses birch, poplar, and willow as host plants for larval development and sometimes the larvae form communal nests woven of silk threads.
The geographic range of this species is recorded from the northeastern and western U.S., across Canada, and north into the Northwest Territories. In the North, the species is univoltine ( one generation per year), and in the south, bivoltine (two generations per year). You will find adults flying from the months of May to August and larvae developing in August and September.
Lots of folks are asking, “Where are the pollinators?” I’m getting comments and questions about the absence of bees. Should we be concerned? Probably.
It’s been a weird spring/summer with lots of temperature fluctuations. That impacts when things bloom and what food is available. Bumble bees can fly when the temperatures are lower and I did see and hear them when our Golden Chain tree was in full bloom about two weeks ago. They may be on other blooming florals right now – like blackberries. If you have Catmint (Nepeta), Lavender, and Tomatoes or Nasturtiums about, the bumble bees should find these in another week or so. Usually I see them on Foxglove (Digitalis) and also in our Rhododendrons, but Foxglove is biennial and we don’t have any blooming this year, and I believe the Rhododendrons are already done blooming for the season.
In general though, I am noticing an overall decline in abundance of many insect species. We have two above ground, freshwater pools for water catchment and in years past, there have been lots and lots of insects needing rescue because they fell in and couldn’t get out. I was skimming bugs twice a day and this year, I might have found 4 or 5 needing rescue. That’s 4 or 5 total – when I used to find 20-30 floating in the morning.
That said, there are a few species where populations seem quite abundant. I’ve found lots of the tiny and very cute Broom Seed Beetles (Genus Bruchidius) everywhere in the yard. If you see these little black peppercorn-sized beetles, they are friends (a biocontrol for scotch broom).
Broom seed beetles on Nasturtium
So, is the overall decline in invertebrate populations because of climate change or something else? I think the decline of invertebrate species is due to a multitude of factors: habitat loss due to land use changes, weather fluctuations/climate change, introduction of pathogens as species move into previously unoccupied territory (due to climate shifts), but especially from pollution and contamination by all the products we use. These are additive and include anything and everything that leaves trace residues behind. It’s multifactorial and complex. Humans and our practices are altering ecosystems.
How to help? I don’t have any great answers. Can the few who actually care initiate changes and change the minds of the masses of people who don’t care and don’t want to change? Our education system isn’t helping. We continue to promote attitudes (even as adults who should know better) that evoke fear responses around insects, spiders, (and don’t even get me started on snakes) in our children. Instead of teaching children about ecology, biology, and life sciences, we shriek when we see a spider or a roach or mosquito and grab the can of raid. We want to garden and seek out gardening advice, but historically, even the extension communities have been pretty un-environmental in their approach to insects. For that matter, most of our Land Grant Universities’ agricultural and entomology departments have been funded by the large agrochemical industry. They have promoted use of pesticides over cultural practices. The agrochemical industry makes tons of pesticides that are applied all over the world every year. It’s a huge part of our economy. MONEY trumps nature.
My advice? Be curious about what you are using. Learn about ecology and food webs. OBSERVE nature. Investigate where your food comes from. When you buy garden or landscape plants, ask the company about what practices they are using to grow these plants. Choose native plants for landscaping. Look around your home and read the labels on what products you are using – especially for any products going down the drain. If you have pets, look up the ingredients on the products you use for treating fleas and ticks. Flea and tick treatments have neonicotinoids that are excreted in urine and poo. Ask your vet about alternatives. We all need to think about the implications of this. Neonicotinoids are killing our pollinators and other invertebrates.
References and further reading
Bonmatin JM, Giorio C, Girolami V, Goulson D, Kreutzweiser DP, Krupke C, Liess M, Long E, Marzaro M, Mitchell EA, Noome DA, Simon-Delso N, Tapparo A. 2015. Environmental fate and exposure; neonicotinoids and fipronil. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. Jan;22(1):35-67. doi: 10.1007/s11356-014-3332-7. Epub 2014 Aug 7. PMID: 25096486; PMCID: PMC4284396. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25096486/
Webb DT, Zhi H, Kolpin DW, Klaper RD, Iwanowicz LR, LeFevre GH. 2021. Emerging investigator series: municipal wastewater as a year-round point source of neonicotinoid insecticides that persist in an effluent-dominated stream. Environ Sci Process Impacts. May 26;23(5):678-688. doi: 10.1039/d1em00065a. PMID: 33889902; PMCID: PMC8159912. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8159912/
This is one of my “Know your pest predators” posts, featuring one of our PNW flies. Flies are all too often maligned and under-appreciated. We think of flies as spreading disease and being a nuisance, yet many of them perform incredibly important jobs as pollinators and pest predators. Yesterday I was sleuthing flies in the yard and found these metallic green beauties. Here is a Dolichopus (“doe-LICK-uh-pus”) male and female. The “dolicho-“ part means “long”, and the “-pus/-pod” part means “leg” or “foot.”
Some species of Dolichopus males (like this one) have little “flags ” or “mitten” front feet they wave or flap around to woo the ladies. Reading about this very large group of flies has been interesting and you can learn more about their courtship behaviors in Van DuZee et al. (1921).
Dolichopus sp. male fly
These flies are predators of small, soft-bodied invertebrates as adults and during their larval stage. You can thank them for helping keep populations of aphids under control in your garden.
Dolichopus sp. fly (male)
You’ll find these flies in northern latitudes in North America. “Dolichopus species are among the largest and most common members of the family Dolichopodidae in North America. The majority of Dolichopus species prefer humid habitats and some are restricted to saltmarshes,” (Pollet et al. 2004).
MARC A.A. POLLET, SCOTT E. BROOKS, JEFFREY M. CUMMING. 2004. “CATALOG OF THE DOLICHOPODIDAE (DIPTERA) OF AMERICA NORTH OF MEXICO,” Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 283, 1-114,
Van Duzee, M. C., Cole, Fr R., and Aldrich, John Merton. 1921. “The dipterous genus Dolichopus Latreille in North America.” Bulletin of the United States National Museum. i–vi, 1-304, 16 pls. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.03629236.116.i
Today was a day of bird encounters. I saw our poor little cowbird that can’t fly because he’s been injured (likely by our neighbor’s marauding outdoor cat). He’s survived three nights so far even though he seems to have a wing injury and I haven’t figured out yet if I can capture him to check. He’s had his little mate following him around.
Cowbird male
I know it’s a cowbird and cowbirds are brood parasites, but they are actually quite beautiful little birds and I feel sympathy for wildlife that are impacted by our human “pets.” It isn’t fair and we should do much better to keep our pets under control. I don’t know what my response would be if I see this cat attacking our Tanager or one of the Grosbeaks. It is doing what cats do and the problem isn’t the cat, but the owner who evidently doesn’t care and is probably too lazy to clean a litter box and play with the cat and keep it inside. Ok. So, I vented. Sigh…
I was going out to take a walk in nature to unwind when I heard a sad little thunk on our window. We have Acopian Bird Savers https://www.birdsavers.com/make-your-own/ on the largest window, but not the smaller one. That’s gonna change. I’m going to put them on ALL our windows.
Well, I looked out and saw a tiny little nuthatch on the ground, on its back, mouth open, but it was breathing. I ran out to pick it up and when I scooped that little creature into my hand, its feet wrapped around my finger so tightly that I felt hopeful. It was a newly fledged nuthatch. I sat with it quietly in the shade under the suet feeder, my hand stretched out onto my knee into a little cup shape.
The bird closed its eyes and slept a bit. I talked to it very very softly. An adult nuthatch landed on the feeder above, eyeing me cautiously. I believe it was the parent. I spoke to the adult too, trying to convey my earnest intent not to harm her child. The little one blinked and looked about. Then it closed its eyes and slept a bit again. The parent flew over to the fruitless cherry tree to another feeder, then off, I expect to feed another hungry mouth.
After a good 15 minutes, the little nuthatch was much more alert. It kept eyeing the suet feeder and the adult bird that returned again and again. I rose slowly from sitting, carefully supporting the little one – still gripping my finger. Raising my arm, I chose a small branch just beside the suet feeder and in a breath, the little one hopped off my finger and onto the new perch.
The adult nuthatch flew onto a nearby branch and I saw the fledgling flutter its little wings like baby birds do to get their parents’ attention to be fed. In another breath, it was airborne, flying after the parent. I was so grateful for a happy end to that incident.
My walk down our road was uneventful for the most part. I did see a Clown millipede (Harpahe crossing the wetland area and squatted down to observe its somewhat awkward, but systematic locomotion. It almost looks suspended in motion over the ground. After making sure it was safely out of harm’s way and not in a car path, I continued on.
(Harpahe hayadienana) Clown millipede
My destination was the “soon to open officially” nature preserve. I have walked on this property for about 10 years now. It is an amazing place.
Giant cedars tower overhead through the wetland. Along the seasonal stream, the path I took meanders amidst the primordial assortment of ferns, swamp lanterns, and horsetail. There are creatures there in the forest. If you see them, you will leave feeling a sense of awe.
Twinflowers on the forest floor
Red legged frogs, salamanders, and newts make their homes in the wetland. They dine on the myriad of invertebrates that live in the stream and mud. On the forest floor, you’ll find Night-stalking tiger beetles (Omus dejeanii) with fierce jaws hunting for prey. If you’re really really lucky, you might see the burgundy metallic carabid beetle (Zacotus matthewsii) that I’ve only seen less than a handful of times in the past decade. Overhead, you’ll hear the family of ravens that have a nearby nest. Always in the same place.
The hawks hunt in a small clearing where the stream attracts other animals that come for a drink. There are other birds hidden too. Flycatchers nesting in rotting snags, Pileated Woodpeckers drilling after carpenter ants. And the owl.
The owl has been there for a long time. You can hear it calling in the night – “Who Cooks for You?” It was wonderful before there were too many houses. Now, it is harder and harder to hear the owl over the din of barking dogs. In the woods though, the owl has a baby.
I heard it calling the other day. Screeching is more like it. I heard the noise before saw them. The mother owl was watching me cautiously from high above. A snake dangled from her mouth. In spite of this, I heard her utter sounds of caution to her child. She flew over to feed it as I quietly backed out of the area. I did not want to disrupt them and when I walk, I try always to remember that I am entering the home of others. I walk quietly and respect their spaces.
Momma owl with snake
Today, when I walked back to the place of the owl, I heard the baby again. It was calling repeatedly, but mom was nowhere to be seen. Again, I backed away quietly, hoping the owl was able to find food for her little one. They must hunt through the day and not only at night in order to rear their offspring.
I thought of the owl as I walked back to the trailhead and then I momentarily became distracted as I reached the site where I’d been poking around in a raccoon carcass on the trail. There are some very cool bugs that you find in carrion. Unfortunately, the remains were not to be found.
Stepping off the trail to look in the underbrush for any sign of the carcass, I heard a flutter overhead. I looked up and she was there. It was the mother owl.
She landed on a branch right in front of me. I was too dumbfounded to move. We stayed like that for what seemed like a very long minute. She gazed at me and I watched her in turn, not daring to blink. There was no threat. I felt like she knew me.
The robins were not happy and began to flail at her, creating a cacophony of rebuke. She ignored them. I slowly brought my phone around and took a video of her. She just looked at me.
Then she looked around, gazing through the forest at things unseen. After about five minutes, she reoriented her body, turning away from me, surveying the surrounding area. With a glance back at me, she flew away.
This encounter is why saving spaces for WILDLIFE is so incredibly important to me. These places should belong to them. When we visit a preserve, remember that. It is their home.
I hope others will reflect on what I’ve shared, and maybe there will be one less person who lets their dog off leash or one less person who throws trash onto the forest floor. Think about the creatures that call these places home. Walk softly and be respectful of their need and struggle to survive in ever-shrinking spaces.
Thank you for reading. Support Conservation. Save Spaces for Nature.
Something happened in the yard yesterday afternoon. We have a fruitless cherry tree in a cage that I didn’t plant. At least I think it’s a fruitless cherry tree. It sort of popped up on its own.
In the beginning, I didn’t really want it there, so I cut it down – a few times. It kept coming back, intent on sticking around. A couple of years ago, I just stopped trying to get rid of it. I even put a little cage around it. That was actually for the juncos that built a nest in the grass below that little tree though, to keep them safe from the mower.
Aside from me personally whacking it down a few times, the little tree has suffered other adversities. It has been attacked by cherry slugs (sawfly larvae). They ate its leaves.
Sawfly larva or Cherry Slug
It has had a few tent caterpillars munching too. One year that it was super dry, it lost its leaves and I thought it was dead. Only it came back again. I started to pay more attention to this little tree, even watering it in the summer. It’s not very tall, but this year it looks more healthy than ever before.
Last year, I noticed in the spring that it put out these cool little red bumps on the stem just above the leaf.
extrafloral nectariesFormica ascerva ant at extrafloral nectaries
Those little bumps soon had little red and black ants visiting. I learned the red bumps are extrafloral nectaries. They produce nectar that attracts pollinators to the tree. I haven’t seen any flowers, so I’m not sure what would be pollinated. Maybe the tree isn’t old enough yet. I’m still learning. I sure need to figure out if I’m right that it’s a fruitless cherry.
Well, the other thing that is interesting is shortly after the little red bumps attract the red and black ants, there are little black aphids. I’ve seen this for 2 years in a row now. The ants tend those little aphid flocks like sheep. They are guarding them in exchange for the sugary honey dew the aphids produce.
The aphids and the ants seem to multiply. I have seen 2 or 3 ants per leaf with aphids. Not all the leaves have aphids, but maybe 1/3 of the tree does, and each guarded by the ants. The ants are Formica ascerva species.
They are interesting in their own right because aside from guarding the “sheep,” they also are fierce warriors, driving away (and killing) the large Camponotus sp. carpenter ants that try to invade every spring.
This colony of Formica ants lives under a bedroom of our home. They are welcome to stay since they don’t eat wood.
Today, when I looked out the window though, I saw something challenging the fearsome Formica ants. There were birds inside the tree caging and they were hungrily pecking and even tearing at the leaves with aphids. I grabbed and clumsily set up my camera to video the scene.
Birds attacking aphids farmed by Formica ascerva ants
I saw finches first, then there was a chickadee, and even a hummingbird. I thought I saw bumble bees, but they wouldn’t have been eating the aphids. Perhaps they were visiting the extrafloral nectaries or maybe even sipping honeydew produced by the aphids, but I wasn’t close enough to be certain.
Afterwards, I went out to survey the damage. I saw one leaf with lots of shreds. Aphid parts scattered about. Ants wandering somewhat aimlessly. Another leaf had an ant that died courageously in battle protecting his little flock.
I wanted to share my observations with you because a lot of folks really dislike aphids. Others also dislike ants and don’t understand their role in nature’s ecosystems. Maybe this will help others to understand there are a lot of hungry birds that eat aphids (and ants). Without them, the birds might not find enough food to feed their nestlings. It’s all part of the cycle of life.
If you see aphids your garden that you are worried about, you can mitigate some of their feeding damage by hanging a hummingbird feeder nearby. The hummingbirds have to have protein along with all that carbohydrate sugar water and they will most certainly find your aphids delicious. In fact, insects and spiders make up about 85 % of the diet of hummingbirds. Birds need bugs. And not all ants are pests. Some are extremely beneficial. I challenge you to take up bird and bug watching. You will not be disappointed!
Thanks for reading!
Below are more images of the birds feeding on the aphids inside the caged tree.
References and further reading
Bentley, B. L. (1977). Extrafloral Nectaries and Protection by Pugnacious Bodyguards. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 8, 407–427. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2096735
I found this interesting beetle on the side of our pool the other afternoon and realized I’d actually seen one like it about a week earlier, so I did some digging to figure out what it was. This is a Spider Beetle (subfamily Ptininae), and the species is Ptinus sexpunctatus or Six Spotted Spider Beetle.
These beetles are quite small at about 2.8-4.2 mm. I used my clip-on Apexel macro lens to get these photos. What I found about this beetle’s life history is that the species is not native to North America. The very first record I found was in Pennsylvania in 1915 where the beetle entered via an imported English Walnut, but subsequent discoveries of populations are as recent as 2003 in Nova Scotia, and 2004 in Utah (Majka et al. 2007). I have not found any data as to how recently they may have arrived in the PNW, and found only 1 other record in WA state, aside from my own, when I searched on iNaturalist
Records of Ptinus sexpunctatus – iNaturalist (as of 05.25.2024)
Within its native range, Ptinus sexpunctatus, is a known associate of cavity- nesting solitary bees. These include bees in the genera Osmia and Megachile. It has also been collected in the galleries of longhorned beetles (Cerambycidae) in oak (Quercus) forests (Majka et al. 2007). Because of these associations, it is possible that Ptinus sexpunctatus was accidentally imported when two Osmia bee species, Osmia cornuta (Latreille) from Spain and O. cornifrons (Radosz- kowski) from Japan, were introduced into the United States for research and evaluation as pollinators of tree fruits (Cane 2003; Majka et al. 2007). Majka et al. (2007) believe that after arriving in the U.S., Ptinus sexpunctatus colonized the nests of our native Osmia bee, (Osmia lignaria).
The relationship and impact of the nest association between Ptinus sexpunctatus and Osmia lignaria needs further study. Some observations of these associations in Europe describe the beetle as being destructive to Osmia nests, preying on bee larvae and pupae (Majka et al 2007).
Cane, J. H. 2003. Exotic nonsocial bees (Hymenoptera: Apiformes) in North America: Ecological implications. pp. 113–126. In, K. Strickler and J. H. Cane (Editors). For Nonnative crops, Whence Pollinators of the Future? Thomas Say Publications in Entomology: Proceedings. Entomological Society of America. Lanham, Maryland, U.S.A. 204 pp.
Majka C.G., Philips T.K., Sheffield C. (2007) Ptinus sexpunctatus Panzer (Coleoptera: Anobiidae, Ptininae) newly recorded in North America. Entomological News 118: 73-76 (Full text)
It’s a short clip, and you’ll have to check out the end to see this little beetle take flight. I fished this one out of the pool and it’s the 2nd one I’ve seen this week, albeit a new one for me to observe. I believe this is Hylastes macer, but hoping a friend will take a look for me to confirm. I have tentatively based my ID on size (approx 5mm) and locale being under our Shore Pine trees, but I wasn’t confident using Wood’s key with only my photo and video in lieu of an actual specimen under the microscope. At minimum, Hylastes should be correct for Genus. These beetles are in the family Curculionidae and subfamily Scolytinae, one of the Bark and Ambrosia beetle species.
As to their life history, they construct galleries in phloem tissues of roots and stumps of Pinus or Pine trees and occasionally Picea or Spruce trees. According to Atkinson (2024), there are six species of Hylastes known in Washington State. Some of the species in this genus range from BC to CA. For more on distribution, take a look at Wood, 1982.
While identifying a bug is part of the process, the most fun for me is observing their behaviors. I knew when I saw the march of those little front feet, that the launch was about to take place.
Evans, A. 2021. Beetles of Western North America. Princeton University Press.
Wood, S.L. 1982. The bark and ambrosia beetles of North and Central America (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), a taxonomic monograph. Great Basin Nat. Mem. 6: 1-1356.
I’m doing a short write up of this fly just to get you thinking a bit. It was observed April 29, 2024 on San Juan Island, WA. While identification to Genus/Species may not be possible until I can actually catch a specimen to be keyed out, it is Family Tachinidae and Tribe Goniini. Hoping to come back with at least a Genus update at some point.
What I want to SHARE is the life history of this tribe of flies. The Goniini flies are parasites of various Lepidoptera, mostly Noctuids, Arctiids, and Lymantriids. Translating this for you a bit, it would be cutworms (if you’re a gardener) , tiger moths, and tussock moths.
How does this play out?
The female Goniini fly lays a “black microtype,” usually ovate and flattened egg, varying in size from very small to medium, on foliage utilized by the feeding host caterpillar. The caterpillar (usually Noctuids) munch the foliage, ingesting the fly egg. The caterpillar will continue feeding and then wander off to complete its life cycle as a pupa. At some point after ingestion by the caterpillar, the fly egg hatches and the fly larva develops inside the body of the pupating moth that is inside its chrysalis.
A myriad of ecological relationships exist in nature that are often unobserved. Many remain undescribed or unknown. Sometimes, they are disrupted by humans who intervene out of ignorance. If you’re one of those folks who squish what you believe are cutworm pupae in your garden bed, you might be smooshing the pest predator developing inside.
I had an amazing BUG day! It’s always amazing when you find one as interesting as this one. Check out the proboscis.
This is Empis barbatoides, I believe, a species of Dance fly in the family Empididae. SHE (you can see her ovipositor at the end), was in the back of my truck on some cardboard I am using for landscaping.
I find the behavior of these flies to be so interesting. When they are in mating swarms, the male flies will dance about to entice the female. The most fascinating part is they often are carrying a captured insect, usually a Bibionid fly, wrapped in silk, as an offering or nuptial gift.
Females seem to prefer a male with the most enticing balloon. Some males only carry an empty ball of silk. My guess is they get whoever is leftover. 😉
These flies and their developing larvae are found in moist wooded habitats (mixed deciduous and coniferous) with many clearings and open patches.
Larvae are often in decaying vegetation, or even under the bark of trees.
Adult flies are approx 9-10mm
For some fantastic (not mine) photos of the males carrying balloons, check out the bugguide link below.
References
Alcock , John. 1973. The mating behaviour of Empis barbatoides Melander and Empis poplitea Loew (Diptera: Empididae), Journal of Natural History, 7:4, 411-420, DOI: 10.1080/00222937300770301
Salal patch in forested area – San Juan Island, WA
I feel compelled to write up a short blog piece this morning before I move on to other tasks of the day. Last week, I tried to address some disturbing misinformation on social media about a native plant in the Pacific Northwest. The plant is a woody evergreen shrub, Gaultheria shallon or Salal. The misinformation is coming from a few folks insisting that Salal burns easily and should be removed in “fire-wising” around your home.
I have some genuine issues around the extreme measures some folks take in fire-wising, as well as the lack of knowledge around the impact these extreme measures have on ecological relationships. The fire-wise practices of removing all forest understory are incredibly destructive.
Removing the understory impacts your forest trees by exposing the soil to drying out much faster, it also removes habitat (shelter and food) for many many species of birds, lizards, flying squirrels, and others. When you pull out Salal, you are taking away an important winter food resource deer browse upon, the berries that feed birds, and the leaves that support the development of our native Brown Elfin Butterly (Callophrys augustinus).
Callophrys augustinus – May 27, 2023
But don’t just take my word on the importance of this native shrub. If you are still concerned about protecting your property, be resourceful and smart about what actions you take. Figure out how to cache enough water over the winter to irrigate around your property and keep things from drying out. Follow local guidelines during burn bans. Use common sense when things start to dry out more in summer/fall. Care a bit about the creatures (including the trees, shrubs, and plants) that call our island home.
For more assistance, see the various resources below. If you don’t still don’t find what you need, our local county conservation district is one of the best places to go for additional help.
Bugging You From San Juan Island 