Bugs of the San Juan Islands | Bugging You From San Juan Island

Tag Archives: Bugs of the San Juan Islands

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!

In the News! Night-flying moths are better pollinators.

Posted on July 28, 2023 by "BUGGING" YOU FROM San Juan Island Leave a comment

Something out in peer-reviewed science that will interest you for Moth Week 2023! Brazilian researchers found night-flying moths to be more effective than daytime pollinators –https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0281810

#mothweek2023 #MothWeek #bugsofthesanjuanislands #buggingyoufromsanjuanisland

And, here’s a lovely moth I found at my moth light this morning!

Morning-glory Prominent (Schizura ipomaeae), I believe.

San Juan Island, WA

National Moth Week, 2023 – Day 5 in the San Juan Islands

Posted on July 26, 2023 by "BUGGING" YOU FROM San Juan Island Leave a comment

Last night I tried out a black light tube instead of my UVB light or the miserable fail of the switched-off porch light I wrote about yesterday. My thoughts on the black light? Not effective. Either the light was the issue or there just weren’t many moths flying about last night at all. I did find a few moths. Mostly, I found small micro-moths. Some are hardly noticeable at all. At first glance, you could mistake them for a drop of bird poo on the bucket. In a tree or shrub, you might miss them entirely. It takes magnification to see them clearly.

Tonight, I’m going to go back to the UVB tube light. Hopefully with better results. If you’re interested in knowing more about MOTHING or finding out about National Moth Week, feel free to reach out or check out the link here – https://nationalmothweek.org

Here’s my Gallery for Day FIVE. Thanks for stopping by!

National Moth Week, 2023 – Day 4 in the San Juan Islands

Posted on July 25, 2023 by "BUGGING" YOU FROM San Juan Island Leave a comment

Last night’s mothing efforts were a giant FAIL. It rained in the San Juan’s yesterday. When I went to turn on my UV light before bed last night, I discovered it was soaking wet. I didn’t want to be the first known MOTHING casualty by electrocuting myself, so I turned on our porch light instead. 💡

What could possibly go wrong?

My husband got up at 2 AM and turned out my light. GRRRR. Hubby is in the DAWG-HOUSE! 🤣 Woof! 🐶

No moths to post today, but this gives me an opportunity to write up the first of a series of posts I’ve been meaning to work on. Stay tuned for WHAT’S BITING ME?

Thanks for reading. Hopefully, I will be back with some more moths tomorrow.

National Moth Week 2023 runs through July 30. Learn more here – https://nationalmothweek.org

National Moth Week

National Moth Week, 2023 – Day 3 in the San Juan Islands

Posted on July 24, 2023 by "BUGGING" YOU FROM San Juan Island Leave a comment

Here’s today’s grouping of moths from last night’s mothing effort. It’s raining today in the San Juans. We sure do need the rain since it’s been so dry, but I got pretty wet outside this morning trying to sort moths and take photographs. The moisture will definitely be good for insect populations and also keep my flower garden blooming a bit longer this season.

If you’re interested in learning about what species of moths (or other insects and spiders) we have in the San Juans, feel free to reach out. I am always happy to answer questions. For anyone interested in participating in National Moth Week, here’s a link to their website – https://nationalmothweek.org

Moth Gallery

National Moth Week 2023, Day 2

Posted on July 23, 2023 by "BUGGING" YOU FROM San Juan Island Leave a comment

I’m finding it somewhat laborious to sort moths. The part I enjoy most is actually looking at what has visited my light during the night when I get up early in the morning. The aggravation comes with our very SLOW internet speed. Definitely do NOT expect great internet if you’re considering moving to San Juan Island. It’s been awful for the almost-fourteen years I’ve lived here and one time it was out altogether for almost 3 weeks!

I finally finished labeling all of my photos and have them uploaded. If my count is right, I have about 20 different species today, but as I mentioned in my earlier post, I won’t necessarily have all of them identified to species. Some I’ve only been able to ID to tribe or subfamily, others to genus, but a few were easy enough to manage a species ID for. If anyone finds a mistake, kindly point it out and I will make the necessary corrections. There were lots of micro moths this morning and those are tough for me. But they are fascinating. Some look like bird poop. You’d never see them, they are disguised so well in nature.

If you’re interested in participating in National Moth Week, it’s not too late. Check out their website here – https://nationalmothweek.org

Here’s my gallery. Enjoy!

Oblique-banded Leafroller Moth (Choristoneura rosaceana)

Gray Spruce Looper Moth (Caripeta divisata)

Crambidae, subfamily Scopariinae (Moss-eating Crambid Snout moths)

Eudonia echo, a member of Moss-eating Crambid Snout Moths Subfamily Scopariinae

Dusky Raisin Moth (Ephestiods gilvescentella)

Horned Spanworm Moth (Nematocampa resistaria)

Ceratodalia guenea (Guenee’s Carpet Moth)

Maple Leaftier moth (Ascleris foreskaleana)

Western Tent moth (Malocosoma californicum pluviale)

Headless Gnasher

Posted on July 22, 2023 by "BUGGING" YOU FROM San Juan Island Leave a comment

Matthew’s Angry Gnashing Beetle (*Zacotus matthewsii)*

Boy was I disappointed today when I found this beetle on the path near my home and it was HEADLESS!

This is one of my favorite San Juan Island beetles. It is the ground beetle Zacotus matthewsii, also known by the common name Matthew’s Angry Gnashing Beetle. “Zacotus” translates from Greek into “Very Angry” in English. I’m certain I’ve never seen one angry, but this one may indeed have been angry right before it lost its head. Or perhaps the predator that removed it took this beetle entirely by surprise.

I can tell you the EXACT date I last saw one of these beetles. They are reported as “rare.” It was February 16, 2020. Also in roughly the same spot. The beetles are associated with conifer forests and believed to prefer old-growth areas. There are some old trees near our home, but I believe San Juan is losing many, many trees. Lots to new home construction (happening at a rate that I never imagined), and some to the impact of a warming climate – likely accelerated by all the land use changes in the region. Many times I feel extremely saddened by the loss of nature. It is happening so fast. We are becoming suburbia.

If you would like to see a photo of this beetle intact, meaning a non-headless version. Check out my previous blog post from 2020 here – https://buggingyoufromsanjuanisland.com/2020/02/17/forest-co-habitating-microfauna/

Thanks for reading!

National Moth Week 2023, Day 1 – San Juan Island, WA

Posted on July 22, 2023 by "BUGGING" YOU FROM San Juan Island One comment

Today (June 22) marks the start of National Moth Week, 2023. For anyone interested in participating or learning more about how to “MOTH,” check out the National Moth Week website here: https://nationalmothweek.org.

I’ll be brief, but start by introducing myself. I’m Cynthia (Brast-Bormann) and I am an entomologist who lives on San Juan Island. My “work” is on a volunteer basis. Because of my love for insects, spiders, and the natural world, I endeavor to share my enthusiasm and knowledge with our community and anyone else who would like to know more about these charismatic critters that are all too often targeted for eating leaves, buzzing, sometimes biting or stinging, but mostly for merely existing. We stop short of recognizing they are food for other organisms, work to control pest populations (without noxious chemicals), and they help us to have food (pollination). Without insects and spiders, we would be in a deep heap of doo! Pardon my French.

Each day of National Moth Week – which runs through July 30, 2023, I will be posting a gallery of what shows up at my light trap each night, hopefully with an ID along with the photos I post. Please feel free to let me know if you see something misidentified. 🙂

If you’re interested in Mothing, or learning more about other bugs, you may contact me with questions via email or join the Facebook Group, Bugs of the San Juan Islands at https://www.facebook.com/groups/3594158544144419

California Pyrausta Moth (*Pyrausta californicalis*)

National Moth Week

Bug Bucket Friday

Posted on July 14, 2023 by "BUGGING" YOU FROM San Juan Island 2 comments

We are getting closer to National Moth Week 2023 (July 22-30). I am continuing my head start. If you’ve been following along, you’ll see I am posting a daily gallery of what I’ve collected in my bug bucket with UVB light each night when I check the next morning.

It took me a good while today to sit down and try to work out ID’s for my specimens. ALL specimens found in the bucket are handled with gentle care and safely released back into cryptic hiding spots to better avoid predation by birds, yellow jackets, and other predaceous insects. Probably add in spiders, though I have not seen many in this dry spell of weather we are having. I did have an unexpected guest show up in the bucket this morning. A frog. Yes, if you set the buffet up, the dinner guests will inevitably find it. 🐸

I’ll add the link to the National Moth Week website here https://nationalmothweek.org and if you are interested in participating and can’t figure out what you need to do or need advice on how to MOTH, feel free to reach out. Check out the gallery below and thanks for stopping by!

Gallery

I believe this is Dasychira griefacta . It takes off somewhat awkwardly but made it up into a tall fir tree.

National Moth Week

Bug Bucket Thursday – July 13, 2023

Posted on July 13, 2023 by "BUGGING" YOU FROM San Juan Island Leave a comment

Virginia Tiger Moth (Spilosoma virginica)

Continuing on to another morning’s findings (07.13.2023), I am extremely happy with how adding the egg cartons to my bug bucket are improving my moth collecting. Side note here – I am only collecting photos and these critters are handled with gentle care and released to places where they are able to hide from predators during the day. I even go so far as to color match their hidey spots. 😉

Photos of the specimens found are in the gallery below along with some pics of my set up. National Moth Week is July 22-30, so if you are interested in participating, please check out the link here https://nationalmothweek.org, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions. You can send me an email or find me on Facebook (Bugs of the San Juan Islands) at https://www.facebook.com/groups/3594158544144419 .

Thanks for reading!

Gallery