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Trash Line Orb Weaver (Cyclosa conica)

Posted on April 13, 2026 by BUGGING YOU FROM San Juan Island Leave a comment

I feel like my posts have been a bit random. There are so many things I want to share and yet, I find myself getting distracted by something, saying “I’ll come back,” but then something else comes along. Isn’t that called LIFE?

Well, I don’t want you to miss seeing this very cool spider I found (April 11, 2026). I had not seen one of these in a while – over a year. This one was in a perfect place for me to get a few photos and I was happy with how they turned out.

Meet the Trash Line Orb Weaver in the family Araneidae. The species is Cyclosa conica. I believe it’s a “he.” The debris along the web mimics bird droppings. When you look closer, you can usually see remnants of prey left in the line. This looks to have a Painted Lady Bug (Mulsantina picta) saved for a meal.

I believe the yellow bits on the line are pollen. It’s coating everything out here these days. In case you didn’t know, some spiders will actually consume pollen (and even supplement with nectar) when other food sources may be limited or they are too small to catch other invertebrates.

I’ve linked an earlier blog post I wrote up about this spider back in 2023 here https://buggingyoufromsanjuanisland.com/tag/cyclosa-conica/ and you can read a bit about spiders consuming pollen when you check out this blog post https://buggingyoufromsanjuanisland.com/2022/04/29/ill-have-some-salad-said-the-spider/

If you are interested in a deeper dive about Cyclosa spiders or spiders and pollen, check out the reference section below.

Thanks for reading!

References

Brast, Cynthia. 2021. THE TEENY TINY “TRASHLINE ORB WEAVER” – YES, THAT’S REALLY THE NAME! Bugging You From San Juan Island. https://buggingyoufromsanjuanisland.com/tag/cyclosa-conica/

Brast, Cynthia. 2022. I’ll Have Some Salad Said the Spider. Bugging You From San Juan Island. https://buggingyoufromsanjuanisland.com/2022/04/29/ill-have-some-salad-said-the-spider/

Bugguide.net. 2021. Genus Cyclosa – Trashline Orb Weavers. https://bugguide.net/node/view/1989

Eaton, E. 2012. Spider Sunday: Trashline Orb Weavers. Bug Eric Blogspot. http://bugeric.blogspot.com/2012/06/spider-sunday-trashline-orb-weavers.html

Eggs B, Sanders D (2013) Herbivory in Spiders: The Importance of Pollen for Orb-Weavers. PLoS ONE 8(11): e82637. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0082637

Nahas, L., Gonzaga, M.O. and Del-Claro, K. (2017), Wandering and web spiders feeding on the nectar from extrafloral nectaries in neotropical savanna. J Zool, 301: 125-132. https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12400

Peterson, J.A. Obrycki, J. J. Harwood, J.D. 2016. Spiders from multiple functional guilds are exposed to Bt-endotoxins in transgenic corn fields via prey and pollen consumption. Biocontrol Science and Technology 26:9 (2016), pp 1230–1248. doi 10.1080/09583157.2016.1193591 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/entomologyfacpub/466/#:~:text=formica%2C%20and%20Cyclosa%20turbinata%20(Araneidae,factored%20into%20future%20risk%20assessment.

Trashline Orb Weavers. Missouri Department of Conservation. https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/trashline-orbweavers

Spider Sack Sneakers

Posted on March 24, 2026 by BUGGING YOU FROM San Juan Island One comment

I wanted to show you something I noticed the other morning when I went out to check my moth light. When I was trying to photograph a moth on one of the beams of our covered deck, I noticed something else had been disturbed. If you follow along with my blog and social media posts, you may have seen photos and video I posted on YouTube https://youtu.be/vUlu32SyvZg?si=Z8TrNSzt29tJidkd back in December of 2025. This video features a female Cross Orb Weaver (Araneus diadematus) constructing her egg sack. It’s pretty cool, so watch it if you get a chance.

Araneus diadematus egg sack construction, San Juan Island, WA

Araneus diadematus with egg sack – December 12 2025

The female spider stayed on her egg sack, guarding it and probably resting from all of her hard work. She was there for more than a week. Maybe two. I noticed one morning after the temperatures had become quite cold, that she was no longer in her spot. Perhaps she dropped to the deck floor in the night and was picked up by one of our resident Juncos for breakfast. I had grown quite fond of watching her, so it was sad to find her missing. Yes, I was also a fan of Charlotte so long ago.

I have been keeping an eye on MY Charlotte’s incubating little ones since then, and was surprised to see that some of the beautifully woven fibers of her baby bassinet had been plucked away.

It’s not a huge surprise. This beautiful silk is likely the perfect lining for a tiny hummingbird nest. My hunch is one of our little Anna’s hummingbirds plucked from the spider sac to cushion her own eggs.

I don’t know if the spiderlings developing in the remains of this egg sack are still viable, but I will continue to watch and film them if I see activity.

Fun facts for you ~ Hummingbirds and other birds feed their nestlings spiders because they contain the amino acid, taurine, essential for brain development. Hummingbirds’ diets are actually comprised of approximately 80% insects and spiders. Hummingbirds (especially growing babies) need sources of protein in their diet. Adults rely on sugar water (and plant nectar, and even aphid honeydew) as sources of carbohydrates.

The best way to support hummingbirds and other wildlife in your area is to get rid of your lawn. Leave the leaves in the fall and don’t go overboard cleaning things up in Spring. Leave the moths, flies, native bees, and other insects that are still sleeping, undisturbed. Grow native plants that produce nectar and feed insects, and minimize or eliminate any use of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides around your home. The world will be better for it. 🌎 🕷️🪲🐞🍃

References

Bartlett, P. 2018. Fueling the Hummingbird’s Extreme Biology. Fundamentals. Johns Hopkins University. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/articles/2018/10/fueling-the-hummingbirds-extreme-biology

Choose Natives. 2026. How to Feed a Hummingbird. https://choosenatives.org/articles/how-to-feed-hummingbird-part-i-insects-protein/

Connor, J. 2010. Not All Sweetness And Light: The Real Diet Of Hummingbird. All About Birds. Cornell Lab. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/not-all-sweetness-and-light-the-real-diet-of-hummingbirds/

Kelly, J. W. 1955. History of the Nesting of an Anna Hummingbird. The Condor, 57(6), 347–353. https://doi.org/10.2307/1364792

University of Glasgow. 2007. Super spiders make bolder birds. University of Glasgow. https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/archiveofnews/2007/august/headline_37851_en.html

Williamson, S. 2015. Nesting material for hummingbirds. https://fieldguidetohummingbirds.com/nesting-material-hummingbirds/

Araneus diadematus

Moth Light/Bug Tally for 04.19.2025

Posted on April 20, 2025 by BUGGING YOU FROM San Juan Island One comment

Here are some photos of specimens found from my light trap set up last night. The official tally is listed here as well.

Light Trap Count – 4.19.2025
37 specimens. Moths from 8 different Genera; 11 species. 1 Wasp species, 2 Beetle species, and 1 spider species.

Moths:
Orthosia transparens – 3
Orthosia hibisci – 9
Orthosia praeses – 7
Venusia pearsalli – 2
Eupithecia graefii – 1
Egira rubrica -1
Egira simplex- 1
Egira unknown (possibly one of the other two listed here) – 1
Feralia – 3
Perizoma curvilinea – 2
Behrensia conchiformis – 1
Emmelina mondactyla – 1

Beetles from 2 families (Carabidae and Curculionidae)

Carabidae: Diplotaxis sp. – 3

Curculionidae: Strophosoma melanogrammum – 3

Spider:
Philodromus dispar (male) – 1

Wasp:
Ophion sp. – 1

Location: San Juan Island, WA

A spider with a hump

Posted on April 20, 2025 by BUGGING YOU FROM San Juan Island One comment

I thought I’d take a moment to profile a new-to-me spider found in my kitchen last week. This one was awfully small at about 4-5 mm, and threading the beginning of a web from my kitchen counter to the dishwasher. I needed a cup for my morning coffee, and the kitchen (at least our kitchen) is not a safe place for a free roaming spider. Not with Herman the Persian and his furry duster of a tail.

I collected her gently, took these photos, and released her outdoors on one of my mint plants. My efforts at ID-ing this unusual beauty, beyond family Tetragnathidae and possibly genus (Metellina) necessitated sending the photos to my friend, Rod Crawford at the Burke Museum, for further help.

Rod quickly wrote back with, “Metellina mimetoides, only local species in genus with humped abdomen.”

Metellina mimetoides is a species native to North America and found along the Pacific Coast from Southern California through Northern Washington. I would say these are not particularly abundant though. This was my first ever sighting of one on San Juan Island, WA.

And here she is!

What does Woody eat in the Forest?

Posted on August 15, 2023 by BUGGING YOU FROM San Juan Island One comment

Posting a few photos of our resident Pileated woodpeckers (Dryocopus pileatus) . This is Dad, “Woody,” and “Junior.”

Junior, 2023 offspring of our Pilated Woodpeckers (*Dryocopus pileatus*)

What do they eat? While they are indeed visiting our suet blocks during their reproductive season and will also come by in the winter when food is scarce, the actual diets of a Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) or other species of woodpeckers are comprised of many of the wood-boring, tunneling, and wood-eating invertebrates that help forests stay healthy.

How could an insect (or an insect-eating bird) that bores into trees be good for a tree? As the saying goes, “sometimes it is hard to see the forest for the trees.” While this is complicated due to climate change, our narrow views tend to see herbivory or holes in a tree, and even a dying tree as a bad thing.

We have to step back to understand the whole picture – which is – a dynamic process. A healthy ecosystem is not static, but one of renewal and regeneration, always changing. The wood boring bugs that are eating inside a tree are (typically) part of the early breakdown stages of a tree that is already dying. As they tunnel and bore though the dying tree, they help decompose the dying parts, releasing nutrients back into the system for new trees and other organisms to grow.

Compared to a human lifespan, this is not a rapid process, but an ongoing, multi-generational one that sustains many other organisms over a vast period of time. In a nutshell, the birds, like these woodpeckers, take advantage of the dying trees hosting wood boring beetle larvae and other wood-eating or wood-tunneling bugs. As the beetles, and ants, or termites tunnel, chew, or eat through a tree, they attract and feeds other organisms that feed on the insects. The insects and the birds leave behind sawdust and frass which is, in turn, broken down by other organisms – earthworms, millipedes, centipedes, etc. In actuality, the processes at hand are far more complicated, but in a nutshell, healthy ecosystems include death.

When you walk out onto your property and see a dying tree, don’t necessarily see it as a bad thing. Watch for a while. Are the woodpeckers pecking holes? The tree may not fall over for many, many years. As it dies, it will host so many various lives: from spiders in tiny crevices, beautiful moths (often unseen, but important pollinators), iridescent beetles that will emerge from some of those tunnels, woodpeckers, cavity nesting birds, including owls that need a sheltered place to rest and rear young. Just maybe, if you consider these things, you will refrain from taking down and chipping or burning that “dying” or “dead” tree and leave it to stand many years instead. When it does finally fall, perhaps you will consider leaving it to decompose on the forest floor where it will continue to host the lives of many organisms that are necessary and good for a healthy and balanced ecosystem. Nature will thank you. The San Juan Islands are a special place. Let’s not turn our home into a mainland suburbia.

*Fun fact: The diets of Pileated Woodpeckers are known to be comprised of 85% carpenter ants. Re-think your decision to put insecticidal baits out around your property. Those stumps are the equivalent of a grocery store or local co-op for these birds. Leave them to decompose naturally.

References

Bull, E. L. (1987). Ecology of the pileated woodpecker in northeastern Oregon. The Journal of wildlife management, 472-481.

Raley, C.M. and Aubry, K.B. 2006, Foraging Ecology of Pileated Woodpeckers in Coastal Forests of Washington. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 70: 1266-1275. https://doi.org/10.2193/0022-541X(2006)70%5B1266:FEOPWI%5D2.0.CO;2

Funnel Weaver Friend

Posted on August 13, 2023 by BUGGING YOU FROM San Juan Island 3 comments

Some folks run screaming from spiders, but I am enjoying getting to know the ones that live around our home. They are all friendly and harmless and such. Spiders are more likely to be intimidated by a human, but some of them seem to be getting over their fear and might actually even recognize me. This morning I got this little one to agree to pose so you can see the uniqueness of his palp (scroll through the photos to find the red arrow). It’s unique because of the extra long embolus (read some interesting stuff about this linked below). This is a male funnel weaver (Agelenopsis oregonensis). I had help from Rod Crawford identifying him when I first spied him at my bug light a few weeks ago. Now, we are having daily morning meetups and this little spider is getting over his shyness.

Location: San Juan Island, WA

Species ID: Agelenopsis oregonensis

https://bugguide.net/node/view/698738

More info.: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6813115/

You Have to Be More Careful With an Island – Please reconsider using those pesticides. They aren’t necessary.

Posted on August 1, 2023 by BUGGING YOU FROM San Juan Island 2 comments

Button Designed and Produced by Nancy May Knapp of Orcas Island, WA

If you live in San Juan County, WA, my blog topic today is for you. I’m seeing some posts on social media lately about pest control that I’m not too crazy about. We have so many people moving to our island now, many bringing with them the mainland suburbia mentality of spraying insecticides all over their yards and homes. Can we help folks understand the slogan, “You Have To Be More Careful With an Island?”

If you know someone who is concerned about caterpillars, ants, termites, wasps, mosquitoes, or spiders, and they are willing to talk to someone (me), I am more than happy to take a phone call or email to answer questions on how to AVOID use of unnecessary chemicals that can pose health risks to humans, pets, wildlife, and contaminate soil and water. Most , if not all, use of pest control services are completely unnecessary. Instead, learning about these organisms can go a long way to reducing fear and being able to coexist and/or tolerate living with them around our homes and properties. Some species of bugs are extremely critical to keeping our ecosystem healthy and balanced. ALL of them are part of the greater food web. With the intense development and land use changes happening in the islands, we need to remember to landscape with intentionality towards keeping our island healthy and oriented towards providing habitat for native species instead of displacing everything.

How to spread the word? You can message me here. I will respond. You may also reach me on Facebook at Bugs of the San Juan Islands. It’s a great spot to learn about the amazing bugs we have living alongside us.

Thanks for reading!

The Spider Has…A Sticky Lasso in Her Fishing Tackle Box

Posted on November 11, 2022 by BUGGING YOU FROM San Juan Island Leave a comment

1903. Hutchinson, C.E. A bolas-throwing spider. Sci. Amer., vol.89,no.10,p.172,figs.

Well, I am home on the couch, still sick and running fever. It was a miserable night. I don’t really feel much like reading or watching TV or anything. If I lie down to try and sleep, my nose gets so stuffy I can’t breathe. If you have a few minutes, I will share something fascinating about one of the cool spiders I’m reading about in Chapter 1 of my book, The Spider by John Crompton.

John admits in his book that taxonomy isn’t really his thing. His focus is on behaviors. The behaviors of invertebrates is truly intriguing to me. I will forever be curious about these creatures, how they live, what their lives are like, and such. I’m having to work a bit, googling as I read, as the scientific names of many of these spiders have changed over the years – with reclassifications and updates that will sort of make you crazy trying to figure out what they might be called NOW.

The spider I want to share about is an Australian Orb Weaver spider, formerly called Dicrostichus magnificus, now re-named Ordgarius magnificus. The common name for this spider is the Magnificent spider or Bolas spider, a very suitable common name indeed. Keep reading and you’ll see why!

During the daytime, this spider hangs out in cryptic retreats. Usually these are little tents constructed from silk-tied leaves of eucalyptus trees. At night, the spider will come out to hunt and this is where things become fascinating.

At dusk, the Bolas spider sits on a twig and gathers her tools or perhaps more appropriately, her tackle. She spins a short silk threat about 2 inches long and at the end of this “line” attaches a sticky globule. The name Bolas actually comes from a South American throwing weapon with a weight on the end.

When everything is ready, Ms. Bolas sits with this line dangling from one of her front legs and waits. Amazingly, she also has coated the “lure” of her line with a pheromone mimicking her intended prey. The pheromone is said to replicate the scent of a certain female moth in the Noctuid group, attracting unsuspecting males of the species into range.

Ms. Bolas is triggered into action when she senses the wing beats of unwary moths nearing her line. According to Crompton, she actually lifts her weighted line and whirls it around her head. As the moth comes closer, into lassooing distance, she casts her line. If luck has it, the lure (globule) sticks to the target.

Even more incredible is the discovery of yet another spider species) Cladomelea akermaini, an African species of Orbweaver who also hunts using a bolas. Crompton states that this species is able to cut off her lure and replace it with a fresh one when, during a fishing expedition similar to the Australian Ordgarius magnificus, the lure dries out.

I will leave you to read more of Crompton’s account of these spiders on your own. It is truly fascinating – the idea of spiders creating and using tools. We underestimate what we cannot see. For in observing these creatures, our eyes are opened and we are amazed.

References

Bolas. The Miriam Webster Dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bola

Crompton, J. 1950. The Spider. Nick Lyons Books. New York, NY https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-life-of-the-spider_john-crompton/1083347/item/3090892/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAgribBhDkARIsAASA5btRoz_KVLeu3mpSXWq-9UNK_-UgB3V1Hmcyy5Pa3-p_FIeEXTqoV7gaAgwMEALw_wcB#idiq=3090892&edition=4180835

Haslam, M. 2022. Bolas spider (family Araneidae) web slinging. 1903 California USA. Twig Technology. https://twig.technology/blog/bolas-spider-web-slinging

1903. Hutchinson, C.E. A bolas-throwing spider. Sci. Amer., vol.89,no.10,p.172,figs.

Magnificent spider (Ordgarius magnificus). Australian Museum. https://australian.museum/learn/animals/spiders/magnificent-spider/

Observation.org. Cladomelea akermani. https://observation.org/species/562419/

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Bugging You From Texas, Part deux

Posted on November 8, 2022 by BUGGING YOU FROM San Juan Island One comment

I’ve been home on San Juan Island, WA for 4 days now and clearly I picked up a bug traveling home. Not exactly the sort of bug I wanted, but it was inevitable given the crowded airplane and traveling stress. My husband came down with the BUG first. Then it hopped over to a new host – ME.

So, I’ve spent the afternoon on the couch labeling and sorting photos from one of our nature walks in Texas. This was the first of two hikes we took at the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area Nature Preserve https://www.llela.org/about-llela/mission-and-vision. This area (approximately 2000 acres, I believe) has been conserved in conjunction with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the University of North Texas, the City of Lewisville, Lewisville ISD, the University of Texas in Arlington, and Texas A & M Agrilife Extension. It is a true jewel in the madness of the DFW metropolis where over 6.7 million people are displacing wildlife and native ecosystems are lost in the process. The BEST part of these hikes for me is the fact they do not allow dogs. NOT ANY! I am thrilled that the focus is on wildlife and habitat conservation and preservation instead of human recreation. I could actually be outdoors, enjoying nature AND viewing wildlife.

We’ve been to this preserve in prior trips to Texas. This year, we focused on hiking some trails we hadn’t been on before. Here is the gallery of some of the bugs I photographed, along with a few wonderful landscape scenes we viewed on the Redbud Trail – map here: https://www.llela.org/home/showdocument?id=9417

Please support environmental conservation wherever you are. This habitat may seem large at 2000 acres, but the former Blackland Prairie once covered 12 MILLION acres in the state of Texas. We need to set aside more if we are to weather the changes coming ahead.

Stay tuned for Bugging You From Texas, Part 3. I have more wonderful photos to share with you.

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Bug Diary for October 6, 2022 ~ Metellina Spiders Share a Lunch Wrap, an Unusual Fly, Two Wandering Caterpillars, and “One- Eyed Wanda” Gets Rescued By a Seeing-Eye 👀Human.

Posted on October 7, 2022 by BUGGING YOU FROM San Juan Island Leave a comment

I was eating my lunch outdoors yesterday (October 6, 2022), and considering the end of season, depauperate community of bugs. There are fewer and fewer buzzing about the lingering tiny blossoms on my mint plants, which have been well-visited this season. Many of the winged flyers die out on their own accord. Lives spent – an ending synchronized with leaves falling from the trees. They’ve lived a season, maybe longer depending on the species. As adults, they’ve mated and sewn seeds for a new generation to emerge in spring. Some though, are captured and eaten by other organisms that are fueling stores for their own reproductive event – like these Long-jawed orb weaver spiders (Metallina segmentata) I witnessed, working together to wrap up their “lunch,” a Thick-legged Hoverfly (Syritta pipiens).

*Metellina segmentata* spiders (male and female) with lunch (*Syritta pipiens*) hoverfly

Long Jawed Orb Weavers (*Metellina segmentata*) with prey, a Thick-Legged Hoverfly (*Syritta pipiens*)

I didn’t realize it at the time, but depauperate was not to be the theme of my day!

Shortly after observing and filming the spiders, I noted some buzzing around our fruitless cherry tree. I walked over, thinking to myself, “You’re getting too close to that Yellowjacket!” Well, it wasn’t a yellowjacket at all. It was a Robberfly (Laphria ventralis), I believe – and SHE was ovipositing into our tree.

*Laphria ventralis* Robber Fly – 10.6.22, San Juan Island, WA

Later this evening when I was showing my husband the photos, he asked what the eggs would eat when they hatch. I had to look it up. Well, Robber Fly larvae are known to prey on the eggs, larvae, and pupae of other insects, especially beetle larvae living in decaying trees. Read more about this linked here: https://www.geller-grimm.de/genera07.htm

This Robber fly was an incredible mimic of a Yellowjacket – not only in appearance, but also in the way she flew about the tree. Fascinated, I watched her find a niche under some old bark and begin to oviposit. She did not like my camera or my presence, but tolerated me to a degree. Then she buzzed right into my face with complete confidence her mimicry would chase me away. Guess what? It worked. At least temporarily.

Laphria ventralis Robber fly ovipositing 10.06.22 – San Juan Island, WA

Laphria ventralis 10.6.22 San Juan Island, WA

Buzz Off! Laphria ventralis Robber Fly 10.6.22

The next fun finds in Bug-landia were two caterpillars. I found an Eyed Sphinx Moth caterpillar (Smerinthus opthalmica) making headway down our driveway, undoubtedly wandering off to find a suitable location to pupate.

*Smerinthus opthalmica* (Eyed Sphinx Moth caterpillar) 10.6.22

The second caterpillar I found is my absolute favorite moth species, the Rosy Aemilia moth (Lophocampa roseata). Since it was navigating down the middle of the road, I did gently relocate it to a safer spot so it wouldn’t get smooshed by the giant gravel trucks that fly up and down our once quiet country road.

Lophocampa roseata, the Rosy Amelia Moth caterpillar

Last, but not least is my new “pet.” I found her on my walk and she needed some help, so she’s come home to stay with us for some R&R, and a bit of end of life care. I’ve named her Wanda… One-Eyed Wanda. Wanda had evidently become an assault victim sometime just before I found her. The thought is that she was attacked and bitten by another female mantis – who evidently fled the scene before I got there. Poor wounded Wanda was not in great shape when I picked her up. She is missing an eye. It was not a pretty sight, but I couldn’t just leave her in the road.

*Mantis religiosa* (European mantis) and, “One-eyed Wanda”

She’s hanging out in the dining room tonight in a bug habitat/safe room so my indoor cats don’t batter her. I think she’s had enough battering in this life. I’m hoping she will still be able to lay an egg sack for me before she expires. Definitely plan to try and feed her tomorrow. I doctored her eye as best as I could. She can still see with the other one. Poor Wanda. 😦

Next up – Look for my post and forthcoming PowerPoint slide show about What’s Bugging Gary! Even better, check out the event (Garry Oak Conservation Symposium) in person if you’re on San Juan Island. It’s this Sunday at the Grange.

References and More Good Stuff to Check Out

Brast, C.L. 2018. Lophocampa roseata (ROSY AEMILIA). Bugging You From San Juan Island. https://buggingyoufromsanjuanisland.com/2018/10/02/lophocampa-roseata-rosy-aemilia/

Bugguide.net. 2022. Lophocampa roseata. https://bugguide.net/node/view/247272

Bugguide.net. 2022. Metellina segmentata. https://bugguide.net/node/view/153661

Cannings, R. A. 2014. The Robber Flies (Diptera: Asilidae) of Western Canadian Grasslands. Chapter 7.10.3752/9780968932179. http://staff.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Cannings-Asilidae-BSC-003-Vol4-Ch7-2014-.pdf

Cannings, R.A. 2007. Recent range expansion of the Praying Mantis, Mantis religiosa Linnaeus (Mantodeaz Mantidae), in British Columbia. Journal of the Entomological Society of British Columbia, 104, 73-80. https://journal.entsocbc.ca/index.php/journal/article/view/101

Geller-Grimm, F. Information on Robber Flies. https://www.geller-grimm.de/genera07.htm

McAtee, W.L. 1918. Key to the Nearctic Species of the Genus Laphria (Diptera, Asilidae). The Ohio Journal of Science. v19 n2 (December, 1918), 143-172. https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/2019

Nelson, D. 2022 Laphria Ventralis. 10,000 Things of the Pacific Northwest. Adventures of a Recreation Naturalist. http://10000thingsofthepnw.com/2021/07/31/laphria-ventralis/

Nelson, D. 2022. Metellina segmentata. 10,000 Things of the Pacific Northwest. Adventures of a Recreation Naturalist. http://10000thingsofthepnw.com/2020/10/25/metellina-segmentata/

Nelson, D. 2022. Smerinthus opthalmica. 10,000 Things of the Pacific Northwest. Adventures of a Recreation Naturalist. http://10000thingsofthepnw.com/2022/06/27/smerinthus-opthalmica/

PNW Moths. 2022. Lophocampa roseata. http://pnwmoths.biol.wwu.edu/browse/family-erebidae/subfamily-arctiinae/tribe-arctiini/lophocampa/lophocampa-roseata/

PNW Moths. 2022. Smerinthus opthalmica. http://pnwmoths.biol.wwu.edu/browse/family-sphingidae/subfamily-smerinthinae/smerinthus/smerinthus-ophthalmica/

Thanks for Reading! 🐛