My short post for the day brings you these interesting little critters that are technically not insects. Taxonomically, they are Arthopods (Phyla) in the Subphylum Hexapoda. If you’re into Etymology, “hex” = 6, and “pod” = foot or leg.
Within the Hexapod group, you will find 3 smaller groups of these wingless organisms: Protura, Diplura, and Collembola. These are Collembolans, the springtails. This particular group of Springtails is in the family Entomobryidae, and I believe most of the species you see here are Entomobrya clitellaria forma albocincta, a name revision suggested per Frans Janssens as found on Bugguide.net https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/272565 There is one Globular Springtail (Ptenothrix beta) that shows up at about 00:43 and the large Slender Springtail showing up about 2:44 is a different species of Entomobrya (Entomobrya triangularis).
I didn’t really want to deep dive much into taxonomy though. Mostly, I wanted you to enjoy watching them as I did. I suspect they are all together here in this varied group to share the food resource, which looks like bird poo to me.
If you watch the video, I think you’ll see the group isn’t always a Hexapod of Hexapods either. At some points, there is a Quartet of Hexapods and at others, you’ll see an Octad of Hexapods. They are quite cute when they thump their antennae in an attempt to move their dining partners enough to edge up to the buffet.
Here’s a unique specimen I have to show you. I found this fly on Wednesday after lunch when I went to look for a different species of fly around our above ground pool. I was actually looking for Woodpecker Flies when I found this one. Since I’ve committed to doing a presentation about them for the Scarab Society in September, I’m hoping to observe these weird Woodpecker flies again in the wild and take additional photos and videos to add to what I have collected already.
I didn’t expect to see anything IN the pool. Mostly, I was looking at vertical surfaces, like the sides of the pool and the sides of a nearby tree. When I glanced across the surface of the water, this little one stood out right away. I got a paper bowl to gently scoop it out, expecting it was deceased. It surprised me when it moved just a bit, then wiggled and flipped off the bowl onto the ground.
Chetostoma californicum
I bent down to inspect it, and when I touched it, it flipped around again like a fish out of water. Strange.
I had a plastic cup, so I managed to recapture the fly, wet and bedraggled as it was. I took it back into the house long enough for me to get my other camera. The lighting was better outside, so back out we went.
In case you are wondering, this is one of the Picture Wing Flies in the family Tephrididae. Also known as Fruit Flies. “Picture” references the patterned spots or stripes on the wings. There are other flies, like Drosophila sp., called fruit flies that aren’t actually fruit flies at all. THIS is a true fruit fly.
Many species of fruit flies are known for their pest status, however, there are over 4,300 described species in this family and the great majority of them are not pestiferous at all. They are merely a part of the local, natural ecosystem at large.
I used a key and geographic distribution records to determine the species for this one and believe it to be Chetostoma californicum. Trying to find host plant information led to me to do some deeper digging and to actually order a few more reference books on Tephridid flies. I have another fruit fly specimen I found when we were in Mexico, and plan to share that one with you next Friday. As I learn more about this particular one though, I will update my blog post accordingly.
The reference material I did find about Chetostoma californicum was largely from California and Arizona. Inferring from the documented host plant relationships recorded, it is likely one relationship possible in our immediate area is with native honeysuckle (Lonicera sp.). I also read adults of this species have been collected from Pines (Pinus sp.). We have a Pine tree just next to our above ground pool where the fly was collected.
Chetostoma californicum, identified by the oral edge of bucca (cheek) with a row of about 10 coarse, black bristles with a few finer black setae at the posterior end of the row. (LeBlanc, 1959)
The only additional personal record I have of this fly on San Juan Island is from February 16, 2024. I would conclude, based on my own observations, that this fly is not particularly an abundant species here. In checking for reports of the species on San Juan, my two posted observations are two of three total for the county.
Now if I can just find out what’s behind the fish flippy behavior…..stay tuned!
Chetostoma californicum (with pollen stuck to it after I accidentally dropped it into a Crocus flower)
Cole, F. 1969. The Flies of Western North America. University of California Press. Berkeley and Los Angeles.
Foote, R.H. and Blanc. F.L. 1963. The Fruit Flies or Tephritidae of California. Bulletin of the California Insect Survey. University of California Press. Berkeley and Los Angeles. https://essig.berkeley.edu/documents/cis/cis07.pdf
LeBlanc, 1959. A new species of Chaetostoma from California (Diptera: Tephritidae). Pan-Pacific Entomologist. 35:201-204. https://biostor.org/reference/225819
Wasbauer MS. 1972. An annotated host catalog of the fruit flies of America north of Mexico (Diptera: Tephritidae). Occas. Pap. Calif. Dep. Agric. Bur. Entomol. 19:1–172.
Hemaris thetis moth nectaring at Catmint (Nepeta sp.)
With spring around the corner, I thought it might be a good time to write up a post about bees. For those of you who don’t know me, I’ve been a San Juan Island resident now for over 17 years. When I was finishing my Masters Degree in Entomology and Nematology, I was required to take bee keeping as part of my advanced Apiculture coursework.
My former bee keeping days! 2010
I won’t lie, I did enjoy the bees. I had one of the hives under a bedroom window, and it smelled so wonderful to open that window and smell the bees in the house. In my studies, I learned a lot about social insects. The other thing I learned was bee keeping sure is an expensive endeavor.
Why? Well mostly because the bees had to be replaced every year after they died over the winter from starvation. They didn’t always starve, but in the 6 years or so of keeping bees on the island, I think my longest surviving hive lasted about 4 seasons. That one, I can assure you, only lasted that long because I fed them sugar water. I was feeding the bees a quart of sugar water at least twice a day. They had all of that, and I never took any honey from my hives. All the costs added up. They also sting.
In my experience, I concluded honey bees weren’t exactly the best pollinators here either. As I spent more and more time in my study of insects and moved to a property with an old orchard (plums and apple trees), I saw the insects doing most of the pollination were flies. We have some incredibly cool species of flies too! At night, the insects pollinating these trees included many moths. Just an FYI, flies and moths are particularly attracted to the color white (same color as early flowering fruit trees).
Eristalis tenax fly on Aster
Empididae Dance Fly Covered in PollenEmpis barbatoidesEmpis sp. Golden Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria) Forked Globetail (Sphaerophoria sulphuripes ), a Syrphid Fly Melanostoma mellinum Variable Duskyface Fly, a Syrphid Fly Musca sp. (I believe Musca autumnalis)Sericomyia chalcopyga – Western Pond Fly, A Syrphid FlyPollenia sp. Cluster fly
Honestly, I am not much of a food gardener, but I do love watching for insects in our garden and observing the relationships that exist. Not just between the insects and the plants, but also the relationships between different species of insects (and I’ll lump spiders in here too).
Every year, I watch our resident chickadees and nuthatches glean insects off twigs and branches. Nature’s pest control. The little tree frogs gobble bugs off garden plants. Those same frogs are also food for a species of female mosquito. Yes, you might detest mosquitoes, but even mosquitoes are pollinators. Go out at night with a flashlight and look at those fruit tree flowers!
Culex territans mosquito feeding on tree frogMale mosquito, night time pollinator
Even now, in February, I watch our year round, Anna’s hummingbirds zip along eaves of our home taking spider webbing to glue their nests together. They also eat many small bugs like fungus gnats and other small flies, even spiders!
If you just take a moment to look closely, there are many varied relationships between species at all trophic levels going on around us that have evolved to work in balance in our island ecosystem. Native species usually have multiple roles in the ecosystem. Some are pollinators, but also pest predators. Others we may consider pests, but they are also predators of pests. Most are food for some other organism in the food chain. Remember too, that just as we are healthier with a diverse diet, other organisms also stay healthy from sourcing nutrients from an assortment of food. When we lose diversity, we all suffer. We need a complex working ecosystem, and that comes from nature!
Some of our island native bee pollinators include bumble bees, sweat bees, alkali bees, blood bees, orchard bees, leaf cutter bees, nomad bees, digger bees, fairy bees, and others. These bees may not produce honey, but they are pollinators of immensely great value.
Golden Furrow Bees Subgenus Seladoniaa member of Furrow Bees Genus HalictusNomad BeeNomad BeeTriepeolus Cuckoo BeeMining Bee (Genus Andrena)Lasioglossum bee Sleeping beeAnthidium manicatum European Wool Carder Bee 06.28.2020Agapostemon Sweat beeMegachile bee
In fact, research over the past decade is illuminating just how critical these native bees and other native pollinators are for biodiversity. Biodiversity that is disappearing from our world due to habitat loss, land use changes, agricultural practices, and competition over resources with non-native species (like honey bees). You don’t have to take my word for it though. The Washington Native Bee Society and the Xerces Society will give you similar information.
Try Googling a bit on your own and you might find some pretty cool statistics about how native bees are actually better pollinators than honey bees, AND that their pollination services can yield larger, healthier fruits (like blueberries and strawberries for example). Competition over resources and displacement of native bees due to honey bee keeping isn’t limited to our island or our state. It’s been something happening world wide where honey bees are used for agricultural practices, whether for pollination or honey production. The encouraging news is that supporting native pollinators is gaining momentum. I’ve compiled a resource list for you to look at, read, and share if you are inclined.
Ceratina bee
If you are still dead set on setting up a honey bee hive, I’m happy to walk you through it. I can give you a list of everything you’ll need, provide the cost of all those supplies, and advise you on how not to get stung, why you should never eat a banana near your bee hive, what problems you can anticipate with pests and pathogens, and how to avoid losing your bees due to swarming. I will also tell you that if you set up a honey bee hive, you must file and register your colony with WSDA per state law. Hopefully, you will make your way to the same conclusion as I have. It’s cheaper and also ethically responsible to support native pollinators and conserve habitat in your own yard for pollinator diversity. It’s also quite fun and rewarding to watch and learn about native bees and the bugs you probably never even knew existed.
KEARNS, C. A. 2001. North American dipteran pollinators: assessing their value and conservation status. Conservation Ecology 5(1): 5. [online] URL: http://www.consecol.org/vol5/iss1/art5/
MacInnis, G, Forrest, JRK. 2019. Pollination by wild bees yields larger strawberries than pollination by honey bees. J Appl Ecol. 56: 824– 832. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13344
Mallinger, R.E. and Gratton, C., 2015. Species richness of wild bees, but not the use of managed honeybees, increases fruit set of a pollinator-dependent crop. J Appl Ecol. 52: 323-330. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12377
Angelella GM, McCullough CT, O’Rourke ME. 2021. Honey bee hives decrease wild bee abundance, species richness, and fruit count on farms regardless of wildflower strips. Sci Rep. Feb 5;11(1):3202. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-81967-1. Erratum in: Sci Rep. 2021 Aug 17;11(1):17043. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-95368-x. PMID: 33547371; PMCID: PMC7865060. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7865060/
Page, Maureen L., and Neal M. Williams. 2023. “ Honey Bee Introductions Displace Native Bees and Decrease Pollination of a Native Wildflower.” Ecology 104(2): e3939. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3939
Lorenzo Pasquali, Claudia Bruschini, Fulvia Benetello, Marco Bonifacino, Francesca Giannini, Elisa Monterastelli, Marco Penco, Sabrina Pesarini, Vania Salvati, Giulia Simbula, Marta Skowron Volponi, Stefania Smargiassi, Elia van Tongeren, Giorgio Vicari, Alessandro Cini, Leonardo Dapporto. 2025. Island-wide removal of honeybees reveals exploitative trophic competition with strongly declining wild bee populations. Current Biology. 35(7) : 1576-1590.e12, ISSN 0960-9822, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.02.048https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982225002623
Thomson, D. (2004), COMPETITIVE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE INVASIVE EUROPEAN HONEY BEE AND NATIVE BUMBLE BEES. Ecology, 85: 458-470. https://doi.org/10.1890/02-0626
Last week, I went out to poke around in the yard. The weather has been so dismal and gray. Bug watching is typically an uplifting activity for me. It gives me a chance to escape the troubling news in the world of late. I keep telling myself things will be okay, but I have doubts all the time these days.
I saw this tiny critter scurry across the rotted log I turned over in our driveway last week. It was HAIRY. I’d never seen one of these before. Hurriedly, I ran inside to grab my light and camera, hoping I would spot it again when I returned. Lucky me. It was still there, but the first photos I took were just really terrible. Terrible, but enough to tentatively ID this critter as one of the scaled barklice.
Barklice are sometimes called barkflies. Even though they have wings, they are not known to be very good fliers. Taxonomically, they aren’t flies at all. Formerly classified in the insect order Psocoptera, they are now categorized as Psocodea (Barklice, Booklice, and Parasitic Lice). Taxonomic revision information can be found here – https://genent.cals.ncsu.edu/insect-identification/order-psocodea/ .
Much of the literature I found about barklice in North America was by one primary author, a man named L.E. Mockford. I was quite sorry to learn he is deceased. I would have enjoyed reaching out to him directly. I wanted to learn more. I’m going to refer to the barklouse as a “friend.” I found no records indicating it does any harm. It seems harmless to anything or anyone. In fact, calling it a louse seems rather derogatory.
This barklouse is in the family Lepidopscocidae. Etymology is fascinating to me. Let me translate this one for you as well. Lepido means scales. Psocus comes from Ancient Greek psōkhos (ψῶχος) or the verb psōchein (ψώχειν). It means “gnawed,” “rubbed,” or “ground.” This describes the chewing mouthparts psocids use to grind fine organic matter like lichen, fungi, and detritus. In layman’s jargon, A scaly gnawer.
Pteroxanium kelloggi
The Latin binomial name for this little one should be Pteroxanium kelloggi. Translation: Pteros = wing. I looked up xanium in A Dictionary of Entomology by Gordh and Headrick (2011). I found that “xanthos” in Greek translates to yellow. I believe it refers to the golden shimmer of the hairs.
At maybe 2mm in size, it was difficult to photograph. The dark and gloom of the PNW in winter added to the challenge. Even with a handheld light, I was still not satisfied with the images I managed to get. I went back the next day, turned the log over, and I found my friend again.
The second set of images were improved, but still not great. I noticed the underside of the log had growing patches of a crust fungi in the family Meruliacae (Genus Phlebia). There was also a little patch of slime molds (Comatricha nigra) in the family Amaurochataceae. The louse seemed to want to stay within these areas of fungi. I observed that it didn’t appreciate the light I was using to illuminate my photo taking. It was negatively phototaxic and would scurry to a shaded spot, out of the light beam.
Pteroxanium kelloggi video footage from San Juan Island, WA
Geographic Distribution
P. kelloggi has been recorded from North America, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand. A few sources included other countries, like Belgium (Lock et al. 2016), and some omitted North America entirely. It was confusing. Geographic distribution records need updating.
Mockford (2012), described this species as having a “cosmopolitan” geographic distribution that includes Western North America. Cosmopolitan means they are found in many areas worldwide. P. kelloggi is most likely an introduced species that has now adapted to living here. Mockford (2012) stated that this species’ mode of dispersal was probably as aerial plankton or long-distance wind transport. Wind currents carry so many things around. Who knows where they’ll land? There is another paper I found about aerial plankton by Lanna Cheng and M. Birch (2008). It’s titled Insect Flotsam. Flotsam is what happens when the insects don’t make it to land.
Life History and Morphology
While geographic distribution records for this insect species call for revision, I’d say the life history and morphology of P. kelloggi also need updates. Wikipedia and iNaturalist describe this species as feeding on “ash, cedar, gorse, ivy, larch, oak, pine, yew, and rhododendrons.” I believe this is incorrect. They do not feed directly on trees or shrubs.
I ended up reviewing studies by Saville (2010), Mockford (2012), and Footit et al. (2018) and found they yielded more helpful information. Saville (2010) studied the feeding and egg-laying preferences of bark dwelling Psocids, and Foottit et al. (2018) provided detail about the feeding behavior. They also offered an in-depth description of the feeding mechanisms (mouthpart anatomy) of Psocids. Saville (2010) documents evidence of P. kelloggi feeding on algae and Mockford (2012) documents the family group as feeding on epiphytic and epigaeic algae and lichens. I believe this information to be most representative of the family Lepidopsocidae. It also fits with the habitat of the individual I found on the rotting log.
Mockford, in Foottit et al. (2018) describes morphology for Lepidopsocidae with adults measuring about 1.5-3 mm in body length. The body typically is covered with scales or dense hairs. Psocoptera (Psocodea) typically have a relatively large, rounded head. They have well-developed, multifaceted compound eyes. An exception to this would be the one record of a blind, cave-dwelling species on St. Helena Island in the Atlantic Ocean.
Antennae are filiform with eleven or more segments. Mouthparts are chewing type, with strong mandibles that generally bear a pointed incisor tip and large, grinding molar region. They have laciniae. These are blade-like or styli-form “pricker” or “chisel.” They are developed as a pair of rods with “splayed, enlarged, often denticulate (tooth-like) tips.” It is believed the laciniae are utilized as stabilizers and thrust into the substrate to secure positioning. This allows the insect to bite or chew into tough material (Footit et al., 2018). The modified hypopharyx is a remarkable apparatus for obtaining water molecules from the atmosphere (Mockford, 2012; Footit et. al, 2018; Rudolph, 1982a; Rudolph, 1982b). I’ve linked both of Rudolph’s papers in the reference section. You can find wonderful microscopic images of the mouthparts in Rulolph (1982b).
Barklice may be tiny, but they play an important role in natural ecosystems. They serve as clean up crews eating molds, algae, and fungi and decaying matter. They also are consumed by other organisms. If you’re interested in learning more, please DO check out the reference section. 🙂
Foottit, R.G., H. Adler, P. and Mockford, E.L. 2018. Biodiversity of Psocoptera. In Insect Biodiversity (eds R.G. Foottit and P. H. Adler). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118945582.ch16
Lock, Koen & Wallys, Henk & Claerebout, Stéphane & Soors, Jan. 2016. Pteroxanium kelloggi (Ribaga, 1905) and Mesopsocus fuscifrons Meinander, 1966: two Psocoptera new to Belgium. Bulletin de la Société royale belge d’entomologie. 195-197.
Mockford, L., E. 2012. Aspects of the Biogeography of North American Psocoptera (Insecta). InTech. doi: 10.5772/33413
Pteroxanium kelloggi (Ribaga, 1905) in GBIF Secretariat (2023). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2026-01-08.
Rudolph, D. 1982a. Occurrence, properties, and biological implications of the active uptake of water vapour from the atmosphere in Psocoptera. Journal of Insect Physiology 28: 111–121. https://sci-hub.se/10.1016/0022-1910(82)90118-4
Rudolph, D. 1982b. Site, process and mechanism of active uptake of water vapour from the atmosphere in the Psocoptera. Journal of Insect Physiology 28: 205–212. https://sci-hub.se/10.1016/0022-1910(82)90078-6
Smithers, C. N., 1972. The classification and phylogeny of the Psocoptera. Australian Museum Memoir 14: 1–349. [31 December 1972]. doi:10.3853/j.0067-1967.14.1972.424
Yinghua Su, Ho-Chen Lin, Li Szhen Teh, Fabienne Chevance, Ian James, Clara Mayfield, Kent G. Golic, James A. Gagnon, Ofer Rog, Colin Dale. 2022. Rational engineering of a synthetic insect-bacterial mutualism, Current Biology, Volume 32, Issue 18, pp. 3925-2938.e6 ISSN 0960-9822, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.07.036
For the past few years, I have observed one of our native shrubs to see what pollinators are visiting. Calscape has recorded Ocean Spray (Holodiscus discolor) as a host plant to approximately 14 species of Lepidoptera. Yet, I have actually never seen a single pollinator visiting the cascades of snowy white, delicate blossoms. I’ve also heard from a handful of local folks on San Juan Island. They say Ocean Spray is “invasive” and should be brush-hogged. According to them, it’s a “fire hazard.” This view is disturbing to me. I felt it important to find concrete evidence of this native plant’s value in our ecosystem.
Bombus flavidus ssp. flavidus
Well, the other evening, I documented the first pollinator I’ve ever seen visiting these blossoms. There is a gorgeous Ocean Spray out our bathroom window. I noticed movement in the upper portions of the shrub. It wasn’t windy, so something else was causing the movement. I went out later, around 9:00 pm, to investigate the cause of the disturbances. Can you guess what I found? Bumble bees!
Bombus flavidus ssp. flavidus
I also experienced annoyance from another buzzer. A Cattail mosquito, Coquillettidia perturbans (say co-KEE-luh-tih-dee-uh PURR-tuh-binz) promptly discovered my bare arm. It slipped its hypodermic proboscis into my epidermis with effortless precision, a precision superior to any medical professional’s injection. I didn’t feel it at all.
Cattail mosquito (Coquillettidia perturbans)
I would describe the bites from these mosquitoes as a very mild annoyance. I didn’t have any after-reaction at all. It was certainly not anything like the bites from some of the other insects I’ve experienced here, especially not thrips. I’m definitely not a thrips fan! You can read about thrips here in case you’re interested. https://buggingyoufromsanjuanisland.com/2021/06/29/public-health-alert-and-some-free-advice/
Getting back to the other buzz in the Ocean Spray. The buzz I was so happy to discover is the bumble bee (Bombus flavidus ssp. flavidus). I didn’t make the identification to subspecies on my own. That was with the help of a fellow named John Ascher on iNaturalist. If you’re curious about his work, you can learn more here: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/podcast/pollination-podcast/137-john-ascher-problem-measuring-bee-decline
Bombus flavidus ssp. flavidus
Bombus flavidus is a species of Cuckoo Bumble Bee, and one of the most widespread species in the world. These bees don’t have a worker cast like other species of bumble bees. They find nests of other bumble bees to occupy and invade these nests. The host bumble bee workers then rear the offspring of the cuckoo bumble bee along with their own offspring.
I hope my discovery leaves you curious about what pollinators visit Ocean Spray in your yard. My next goal is to make nighttime observations. I want to see what is visiting the flowers while they are still in bloom. I suspect they have nocturnal pollinators. If you find any, I hope you’ll report your findings with me. 🙂
To see more of San Juan Island’s invertebrates, please join and follow me on iNaturalist – https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&user_id=cyndibrast&verifiable=any . If you have never used iNaturalist, try it out! I love it because it’s a way to connect with other entomologists. It also helps me organize my findings into appropriate categories for referencing when I want to look something up.
Also, please don’t go crazy with the brush hog. Nature loves messy. Humans cause fires. We can do much on that end to prevent them by changing our behaviors and being more careful. Scraping the earth bare and/or parking out your parcel to be “fire wise” is actually not kind to nature. We need to protect habitat for the wild things, not eradicate it. Even mosquitoes have a role in the food web.
It has taken a bit of time to finally sort out genus and species for this very cool Robber fly with beautiful caramel-brown mottled wings I spied the evening of June 6, 2025. It perched on a dried apple mint stem from last season, no doubt scouting the terrain to see what might be on the menu for dinner. Robber flies (Family Asilidae) are predatory. They catch other small invertebrates to eat, paralyzing them with special salivary digestive enzymes and then sucking up the liquified contents through the proboscis (Cannings, 2013).
Getting to an identification beyond Genus for this one has been incredibly frustrating, and complicating the process is the limitation of the key I was using (Wilcox, 1946), which primarily describes male specimens.
Robert Cannings has studied the Asilidae for many years in British Columbia and states this genus “sorely requires systematic attention.” I finally just gave up and reached out to Rob for help. He wrote me and said, “I’m pretty sure this is Nicocles canadensis. It’s a female, and some females are difficult, even when under a scope, because the Wilcox key, which is the best we have for now, deals with them poorly and concentrates on males. Nicocles canadensis is the species in the genus most often seen on BC’s south coast and, I assume, in your area.”
This is the only Nicocles fly I’ve ever found on our property on San Juan. According to Rob’s 2014 publication (linked in the references below) in Canada, ” Nicocles canadensis is restricted to Garry oak savanna and adjacent dry woodland on southern Vancouver Island (Saanich is the type locality),” so I anticipate this may be similar for our neighboring area.
Check out the attached references if you are interested in learning more about Robber Flies in our region.
Cannings, R.A. 2013. Robber Flies (INSECTA: DIPTERA: ASILIDAE) Of The Montane Cordillera Ecozone.
Cannings, R.A. 1994. Robber Flies (Diptera: Asilidae) new to Canada, British Columbia, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories with notes on distribution and habitat. J. Entomol. Soc. British Columbia: 91: 19-26. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/213777
Cole, F. R. 1969. The Flies of Western North America. University of California Press. Berkeley and Los Angeles.
I’m quite fascinated by the rapid colonization of the very dry soil in the strip where our internet fiber cable was installed this past spring. Because disturbed soils can be great for seeding native wildflowers, I threw out several packets of a Pacific Northwest seed blend to see what might grow and I’ve been checking often to see what is coming up. In spite of the very dry weather we are having, there are some lovely Bird’s-eye Gilia (Gilia tricolor) blooming now.
Bird’s-eye Gilia (Gilia tricolor)
I see some Farewell to Spring (Clarkia sp.) popping up too, though they have not bloomed yet. There are others I have yet to identify. It’s been so hot and dry, I’m hoping the lack of water doesn’t ruin my efforts at re-wilding this spot.
In spite of the dry, cracked earth, there are Andrena sp. mining bees already claiming this strip. There are little holes everywhere.
I also saw one quite unique hole surrounded with round dirt “pebbles,” that looked to have been arranged to mark the entrance.
As I leaned closer to inspect this architectural oddity, I saw something I would never have even noticed without the help of my macro lens. It was a colony of Globular springtails (Fasciosminthurus quinquefasciatus). There were easily about 8 or so. Can you spy the one on one of the “pebbles?”
I was able to get one or two in focus. These springtails are incredibly small – perhaps only 1mm, and recognizable by the 5 transverse bands (jailbird stripes) across the dorsal abdomen. This species is unique among springtails in that while most species require moist habitats to survive, F. quinquefasciatus thrives in arid environments with little to no vegetation in areas with southern or south western exposure.
If you follow closely in the video here, you might notice that the individual I was tracking either pooped or laid an egg on that piece of straw (between the 45 and 55 second mark. I will add some still shots clipped from the video as well.
Globular springtail (Fasciosminthurus quinquefasciatus)Globular springtail (Fasciosminthurus quinquefasciatus) leaves behind a small white objectGlobular springtails (Fasciosminthurus quinquefasciatus)
A personal note ~ While our daily lives are often complicated with work and family obligations, as well as anxieties many of us have about climate change and political uncertainties, taking time to notice the natural world around, even in seemingly uninhabitable habitats can bring a bit of hope. There is life around us. We just might have to sit on the ground and get dirty to see it.
Thank you for reading and thank you for caring about nature.
Here’s a quick rundown of what I spied at my bug light when I checked this morning. I did move the bucket and light to a new location across from our house in our open air barn.
There were nine species of moths (31 individuals), two species of Coleoptera (beetles), and one wasp that I believe is Ophion sp.
Moths:
Egira perlubens = 1
Egira (either E. simplex or E. crucialis) = 3
Egira rubrica = 1
Orthosia transparens = 5
Orthosia hibisci = 8
Orthosia praeses = 8
Feralia comstocki = 2
Eupithecia graefii = 2
Melanolophia imitata = 1
Beetles:
Diplotaxis sp. = 2
Strophosoma melanogrammum = 1
Wasps:
Ophion sp. = 1
Melanolophia imitataStrophosoma melanogrammumFeralia comstockiEupithecia graefiiEgira sp. (Either E. simplex or E. crucialis)Orthosia transparensOphion sp. I believeEgira rubricaOrthosia transparens Orthosia presesOrthosia hibisciFeralia comstockiOrthosia praesesDiplotaxis sp. beetle with Orthosia praesesOrthosia hibisiciEgira perlubensEgira sp. Eupithecia graefii
If I may, I’d like to leave you with something to consider. When you rake your leaves and clean your yard – especially if you are burning, chipping, or bagging and removing all those things that fall onto the ground, you are eliminating habitat for native species. If you can refrain the urge to spring clean around your property, you can help support life.
These may be somewhat drab colored moths and you may not even like them, but they sustain other organisms, including plants, because moths are also nighttime pollinators. Each species has a niche, and a role in the ecosystem (and ultimately the food web).
Please take note of nature around you. It’s actually beautiful and mysterious. Whether you like it or not though, nature is life. Nature matters. Little things like leaving the leaves can make a difference. Care.
Last night, I did manage to get my moth light working again and set things up to see what I might find this morning. While I didn’t really want to get out of bed at 7:30, keeping a routine is important to me. I find it tremendously helpful in managing the ups and downs of one’s mental perspective. You’ll have to bear with me a bit though. I will get to the moths, but have to vent about something that upset me. One of my three cats was chattering at the sliding door when I walked towards the kitchen. I looked out to see what he was watching, and there was a little bird on the ground, obviously suffering from some unfortunate injury (most likely from our neighbor’s free roaming cat). That made me feel sad and angry and it wasn’t the best start to my day.
Don’t get me wrong. I love cats, but I don’t agree that it is OK to allow your feline friend to maim and kill wildlife. I do take my kitties outside with me into our fenced area for supervised recess, but I DO NOT ever leave my cats out alone and certainly do not allow the killing of wildlife. Not even bugs. Drago the lizard may get away with bug murder on occasion, but his impact is quite minor compared to the magnitude of damage done by free roaming cats when it comes to decimating wildlife.
We need to get people to change and become more responsible pet owners. If you disagree with me on this, I might add that I also saw someone’s cat was literally ripped apart on their front porch by two unleashed huskies in Friday Harbor yesterday. That also makes me sad and angry. I blame the cat owner AND the dog owner. It was senseless and preventable.
I think humans need a license to own a pet. We also need ANIMAL CONTROL in San Juan County. There is none and these huskies have been loose and killed cats before. However, if the cat owner was allowing the cat to roam outside unsupervised and unprotected, that’s another layer to the incident. What if someone had left their baby in a stroller long enough to run inside for keys, a purse, etc.? No one should own a husky as a pet. They are notorious for getting loose and killing things. But humans are not all that smart are they?
I did go out to check on the bird. It sort of looked like a finch, or maybe even a female cowbird (except it was too small to be a cowbird). Let’s just say the head looked like a female cowbird’s, but the body was more finch like in size.
It can hop. I put a bit of seed out on the ground and left it alone. It would just stress the bird for me to try and capture it. Maybe it will recover.
Please don’t say, it’s just nature, because cats are not native here. Also, my neighbor’s cat dug up all of my garden pea starts last year and pooped in the garden bed. Pea starts are expensive. People need to keep their cats indoors, or in a catio, or just supervise them outside so they don’t cause problems or be killed by dogs that should not be owned by humans as pets.
After I checked on the bird, I did go and look at my moth bucket. There were 7 specimens. Not many, but I went through them and here’s what I found. Six moths and one wasp.
Cerastis enigmatica, the Enigmatic Dart Moth Orthosia hibisci, the Speckled Green Fruitworm MothEgira crucialis , I believe. Egira for certain though Orthosia sp. I am undecided about species for this one. Ophion wasp.
The next moth below looks like it has a little pixie cap on. It’s one of my favorites. The red colors are so pretty. It’s in genus Orthosia like some of the others above, but I believe this one is Orthosia transparens.
I saved the best one for last. I have only seen this moth on two other occasions, but it one so remarkable, you remember it well. This is an owlet moth called Behrensia conchiformis. I would love to discover what makes the interesting metallic colors in the wings. The larvae of this species are foodplant specialists. They feed only on honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.) and snowberry (Symphoricarpos spp.) in the Caprifoliaceae.
Thanks for reading…especially for reading my rambling rants of the day. While I’d like to stick to just bugs, I am finding it somewhat therapeutic to include my feelings here, and to interject some of my opinions. They are mine and yours may be different. I respect that, but I hope perhaps upon reflection, even someone who might initially disagree with my perspective, might have a change of heart.
This afternoon I would rate a 10/10 for entomological adventure. It happened outside, just behind our barn about 3:30pm. I went out to feed our resident raven and took a stroll over to a sunny corner of our property. As I neared an old barbed wire fence line, I noticed an aggregation of flies bobbing around over one of the native Ocean Spray (Holodiscus discolor) shrubs. Moving closer, as stealthily as possible, I saw these were Empis dance flies and I got very excited. There seemed to be about 15-20 in the group.
Empis Dance Fly (male) with Bibionid fly nuptial gift
I watched as I stood in the sun. The sun’s warmth felt really good on my body. Hopefully, we will have more sunshine and some days of vitamin D will infuse my cells and pull me out of this funk I have been wallowing in. The flies dancing in the sun were a sight. I crept forward a bit closer, trying not to slip into the fencing, but enough so as to get some video to share.
You will have to forgive me for the shake in the footage. It is not easy to remain steady and focus on a nervous fly that leaves its perch if you so much as breathe too deeply when you are moving the camera close enough to zoom in for a good macro shot. I think I was holding my breath a lot while I was trying to take pictures.
Empis Dance Fly with nuptial offering
This fly should be classified in the genus Empis. Last year, I found Empis barbatoides in our orchard. You can read an earlier blog post I wrote about them here https://buggingyoufromsanjuanisland.com/category/dance-fly/empis-barbatoides/ I believe these may be the same species, but I say this with a caveat. I am hoping to get my hands on a copy of the revisions by Sinclair, Brooks, and Cumming I have referenced below. It appears I may need this and the updated keys to try and ID my fly beyond genus level, so I’ve emailed the lead author and hopefully will hear something back.
If you look closely, you’ll see in some of the photos the fly is holding a balled up insect. This is a species of March fly in the family Bibionidae. I saw a few hiding around in the tall grass like this one in the photo below.
March fly (Bibionidae) hiding in the grass
Evidently, they were being picked out by the male flies and rolled up into a nice nuptial gift to present to a female Empis fly to entice her to mate. The male Empis fly will carry this balled up dead insect and “dance” around to attract a female. That’s what I found so fascinating to actually watch in person. It isn’t every day you see something like this! Since flies seem to be attracted to certain spots for mating aggregations (it’s called hilltopping), perhaps this is a spot where I might be lucky enough to see this action again.
References and Further Reading:
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
Sinclair BJ, Brooks SE, Cumming JM. Revision of the western Nearctic species of Empis subgenus Enoplempis (Diptera: Empididae). Zootaxa. 2025 Mar 31;5615(1):1-200. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5615.1.1. PMID: 40173481. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40173481/
Bugging You From San Juan Island 