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’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.
Trichopoda lanipesTrichopoda lanipesTrichopoda lanipesTrichopoda lanipesTrichopoda lanipesEastern Leaf-footed Bug
(Leptoglossus phyllopus)
Eastern Leaf-footed Bug
(Leptoglossus phyllopus)Eastern Leaf-footed Bug
(Leptoglossus phyllopus)Oblique Streaktail (Allograpta obliqua)Oblique Streaktail (Allograpta obliqua)Oblique Streaktail (Allograpta obliqua)Oblique Streaktail (Allograpta obliqua)Oblique Streaktail (Allograpta obliqua)Oblique Streaktail (Allograpta obliqua)Oblique Streaktail (Allograpta obliqua)Spotted Cucumber beetle
(Diabrotica undecimpunctata)Spotted Cucumber beetle
(Diabrotica undecimpunctata)Spotted Cucumber beetle
(Diabrotica undecimpunctata)Spotted Cucumber beetle
(Diabrotica undecimpunctata)Grass Spiders
Genus Agelenopsis
Grass Spiders
Genus Agelenopsis
Eastern hornet fly Spilomyia longicornisEastern hornet fly Spilomyia longicornisEastern Hornet Fly (Spilomyia longicornis)Eastern Hornet Fly (Spilomyia longicornis)Eastern Hornet Fly (Spilomyia longicornis)Trichopoda lanipes Feather-legged flyEastern Hornet Fly (Spilomyia longicornis)Eastern Hornet Fly (Spilomyia longicornis)Asian Lady Beetle (Harmonia axyridis)Asian Lady Beetle (Harmonia axyridis)Elm Fork of the Trinity RiverHyaline Grass Bug ( Liorhyssus hyalinus)American Bird Grasshopper (Schistocerca americana)Thyanta custator ssp. accerra
a member of Stink Bugs Family Pentatomidae
Elm Fork of the Trinity River
Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area Nature PreserveElm Fork of the Trinity RiverAmerican Bird Grasshopper (Schistocerca americana)I believe this is also Thyanta custator ssp. accerra
a member of Stink Bugs Family Pentatomidae
Thyanta custator ssp. accerra
a member of Stink Bugs Family Pentatomidae
Thyanta custator ssp. accerra
a member of Stink Bugs Family Pentatomidae
Thyanta custator ssp. accerra
a member of Stink Bugs Family Pentatomidae
Spotted Cucumber Beetle
Diabrotica undecimpunctata
Spotted Cucumber Beetle
Diabrotica undecimpunctataTrinity River-Elm Fork
Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area Nature PreserveAmerican Bird Grasshopper (Schistocerca americana)I believe this is Narrowleaf Gumweed (Grindelia lanceolata) – a native aster species.Eastern Leaf footed bug (Leptoglossus phyllopus)American Bird Grasshopper (Schistocerca americana)American Bird Grasshopper (Schistocerca americana)American Bird Grasshopper (Schistocerca americana)American Bird Grasshopper (Schistocerca americana)Eastern Leaf footed bug (Leptoglossus phyllopus)Eastern Leaf footed bug (Leptoglossus phyllopus)Insect House by Elm Fork Master NaturalistsEastern Leaf-footed Bug (Leptoglossus phyllopus)
Hello Everyone! Meet my new bug friend, Radar Love ❤️ He must have crashed the wrong party. Radar gone wrong! I found him floating in our pool, in the midst of those raucous “dippers” (the Diplotaxis beetles). Radar Love was so happy I didn’t let him drown, and even happier that I didn’t stick him with a pin and add him to the bug equivalent of a stamp collection. We hung out together for a bit and I took some photos and video to remember him by. Radar Love was released into the forest so he can make more of his kind.
Odonteus obesusOdonteus obesus
Odonteus obesusOdonteus obesus
Odonteus obesus
Location: San Juan Island
ID: Geotruipidae (Odonteus obsesus)
Special thanks to my friend, Michelle Sloan Bos and Tyler Hedlund for ID assistance with this. I was rushing to get ready for my special spider outing. More about that later. For now, enjoy this rare and exciting sighting of a most special little beetle that calls San Juan Island his home.
For all you foodies out there, here’s a new one for you. Beer brewers are isolating yeast from insects, including bees, wasps, and even crickets. Don’t worry, no actual bug parts are going to be in your drink. Drink up and enjoy the buzz!
Bugging You From San Juan Island 