Greetings, BugFans,
Long-time BugFans know that the BugLady is infatuated with the lovely, sedentary Flower Crab spiders (family Thomisidae) that she photographs throughout the summer, and she recently posted a BOTW about the chunkier Ground crab spiders (also Thomisidae).
Running crab spiders, in a separate family (Philodromidae) have been mentioned briefly throughout the years – here’s their story.
05.14.25
Greetings, BugFans,
This week’s episode is a rerun from the very early days of BOTW.
The BugLady loves it when the research she is doing makes a sharp turn toward History.
Galls are mentioned by (very) early observers. People have been pondering the mysteries of galls for a long time, although not all of the hypotheses have been righteous ones. For example, because they were considered “supernatural growths,” galls were used to foretell the future. In the Middle Ages, their contents were examined (much tidier than chicken entrails). Spiders signaled pestilence; maggots meant either famine or a plague among cattle; flies – war; and ants – a bountiful harvest.
05.12.25
Howdy, BugFans,
The BugLady has been curious about the status of Zebra and Quagga mussels since she posted an episode about them in 2016 (“A Tale of Two Mussels – the One-Two Punch”). Here’s the original post (slightly tweaked and clarified), with a summary of her recent search of the literature at the end. Put your feet up and grab a beverage.
04.30.25
Greetings, BugFans,
Leaf miners have been mentioned in these pages before – even the Aspen leaf miner (Phyllocnistis populiella) has appeared briefly. When she did a little more research, the BugLady was ecstatic to discover that Aspen leaf miners have an association with EFNs, one of the coolest things she’s ever found out about in her 16 years of writing BOTW (more about that in a sec). Here’s its story.
04.23.25
Howdy, BugFans,
This episode was originally adapted from the Spring, 2010 issue of the BogHaunter, the newsletter of the Friends of the Cedarburg Bog, written by the BugLady wearing a different hat. It’s further revised from a BOTW of seven years ago – new words and new pictures.
Woodcocks are wonderful birds with a great story. They were a big part of the BugLady’s childhood – their return to our brushy fields was celebrated each year and it was (and still is) a race to see who would hear the first one (thanks, Mom, thanks, Dad).
04.16.25
Howdy, BugFans,
This is a Good-News-Bad News-Stay-Tuned kind of story.
But first, a little background. Besides being large and lovely, Monarch butterflies, of course, catch our fancy because of the death-defying migrations they undertake twice a year. Migrations – fueled by flowers – that carry some of them 3,000 miles from central Mexica into Canada.
04.14.25
Howdy, BugFans,
Life is busy – here’s a not-so-Golden Oldie, from the BugLady’s favorites list.
First of all, it’s a stunning butterfly. Second, unlike many of BOTW’s featured bugs, there was an abundance of information about this species, some of which sent the BugLady traipsing happily down a few rabbit holes.
04.07.25
Greetings, BugFans,
Last year, BugFan Nancy told the BugLady that she was making a quilt with a dragonfly motif, and asked what colors dragonflies came in. All of them. The BugLady sent her pictures of blue, green, purple, orange, red, and a variety of multi-colored dragons and damsels. The BugLady promises that BOTW is not going to march through the entire list of North American dragonflies and damselflies, but, oh my, isn’t this a handsome dragonfly! Plus, it’s being photobombed in one shot by a brilliantly-orange Eastern Amberwing dragonfly (interestingly, one of the BugLady’s Facebook friends also posted a shot of an Amberwing perched on a Jade Clubtail).
The BugLady hasn’t seen this species yet – thanks, as always, to BugFan Freda for sharing her pictures.
03.26.25
Greetings, BugFans,
Here’s another episode from the BugLady’s favorites file (yeah, yeah – Mom shouldn’t have favorites).
When BugFan Mary sent “what-is-it?” pictures from Florida of this wildly handsome grasshopper nymph, the BugLady said “More, please,” sending Mary back out into the palmettos to stalk grasshoppers with her Smartphone. Thanks, Mary!!! With luck, the neighbors weren’t watching.
This is one serious grasshopper! It’s hard to ignore a grasshopper that’s large enough to trip over and too large to fly.
Big grasshopper? Big story. Put your feet up.
03.19.25
Greetings, BugFans,
Here’s another episode from the BugLady’s favorites file (yeah, yeah – Mom shouldn’t have favorites).
When BugFan Mary sent “what-is-it?” pictures from Florida of this wildly handsome grasshopper nymph, the BugLady said “More, please,” sending Mary back out into the palmettos to stalk grasshoppers with her Smartphone. Thanks, Mary!!! With luck, the neighbors weren’t watching.
This is one serious grasshopper! It’s hard to ignore a grasshopper that’s large enough to trip over and too large to fly.
Big grasshopper? Big story. Put your feet up.
03.13.25