November 17, 2013 by Beth

Late-Season Ladybugs and a Lacewing

After a couple of unseasonably chilly days that put a skin of ice on a neighborhood pond, the temperature rebounded into the mid-50s on Thursday and Friday. Many non-native multicolored Asian ladybug beetles came out of hiding and scurried about on sun-warmed concrete sidewalks and stone walls.

An Asian ladybug (Harmonia axyridis) soaks up the afternoon sun.

A multicolored Asian ladybug (Harmonia axyridis) soaks up the afternoon sun.

I’m not an expert at distinguishing between native and Asian ladybugs, but those I photographed seem to have characteristics of Asian ladybugs: an “M” or “W” mark (depending on the viewing angle) on the thorax between the head and abdomen, variations in color among individual beetles, variations in the number of spots on wing covers among individuals, and remaining active into late autumn.

Individual Asian ladybugs show greater variation in color and number of spots number of spots amo

Individual multicolored Asian ladybugs show greater variation in number of spots and color than native species.

Asian ladybugs can be a competitive threat to native species and are sometimes pests indoors during the winter. One November evening several years ago, we drove to our cabin for the weekend. The ladybugs had gone into hibernation and when we heated the cabin, the warmth awakened a group of about 60 Asian ladybugs that had found a way inside. They preferred the lights to us and were lined up like beads on a necklace around the tops of lamp shades, and on a lengthy pull-chain for a ceiling fan and light. We never saw them again, so they must have found their way outside in the spring.

Like native ladybug species, Asian ladybugs eat large numbers of garden and agricultural pests such as aphids.

I also found a green lacewing (Chrysopidae) on a window screen. Lacewings destroy large numbers of garden and agricultural pests such as aphids and other small insects. (I apologize for the poor photograph taken through the screen; unfortunately, the lacewing flew away as I went outside to photograph it.)

A green lacewing perched on a window screen soaks up suns itself.

A green lacewing (Chrysopidae) perched on a window screen suns itself.

The lacewing was a lovely and delicate gift on a late-autumn day; a symbol of spring to remember during the long winter.

October 17, 2013 by Beth

Autumn Garden Creatures

Last Friday was a golden day with gentle sun, temps in the 70s and a southerly wind. I walked at lunchtime and spent a few minutes in our back garden observing insects, birds and chipmunks. It was the final day before a strong Canadian cold front and soaking rains moved in — and probably my last chance until spring to enjoy some of the garden’s inhabitants:

Autumn meadowhawk dragonflies, which fly late into autumn, still patrolled the garden. The reddish-colored mature females, with clear wings tinted amber at the base and red spots at the top, added jewel-like color to the changing garden.

A male autumn meadowhawk dragonfly (Sympetrum vicinum) suns on a stone wall in the garden.

A female autumn meadowhawk dragonfly (Sympetrum vicinum) suns on a stone wall in the garden.

A celery looper moth visited the garden from morning until dusk each day for more than a week. Though it’s not colorful, the contrast between the chocolate-brown wings and the bright silvery-white curved markings makes it glow in the sunlight. Though looper larvae can be agricultural pests, the adults pollinate many varieties of plants. This one seemed to prefer Sedum ‘autumn joy’.

A celery looper ( ) nectars on Sedum 'autumn joy'.

A celery looper (Anagrapha falcifera) nectars on Sedum ‘autumn joy’.

Side view of a celery looper moth.

Syrphid flies, also known as hover flies or flower flies, are small insects that zip between flowers much quicker than bees and wasps. Syrphid flies are bee and wasp look-a-likes, but they don’t sting or bite! Many species are helpful in the garden for two reasons: The adults pollinate flowers and the larvae eat aphids and leaf hoppers, which cause a lot of damage and disease in plants. They are called hover flies because they often hover in midair over the garden before zooming off in a new direction — sometimes flying backwards. They are known as flower flies for their pollinating presence in the autumn garden.

A syrphid fly, (Eristalis) pollinates native goldenrod.

Another species of Syrphid fly pollinates garden asters.

Another species of syrphid fly (Helophilus) pollinates garden asters.

Hidden among the garden plants, an eastern chipmunk gathered seeds to store for winter use in its nearby den. There’s a stable chipmunk population in our urban neighborhood, in spite of many gardeners’ attempts to eradicate the rodents. At least the chipmunks retire to their dens until spring, unlike squirrels, which raid the garden during the growing season and the suet feeder during the winter months!

An eastern chipmunk surveys the backyard from its perch on our back steps.

An eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) surveys the yard from its perch on our back steps.

The backyard bird population is changing as many bird species migrate south. For example, most of the warblers, orioles and swallows have left; ruby-crowned kinglets, yellow-rumped warblers and white-throated sparrows are passing through from further north. Daily visitors to our garden, trees and hedges include northern cardinals, blue jays, American goldfinches, black-capped chickadees, white-breasted nuthatches, American robins and a brown creeper. I don’t have a telephoto lens yet, so I don’t photograph many birds. An excellent website with photos, key facts, bird calls and other information is allaboutbirds.org.

Lastly, bumble bees and honey bees nectared on the Sedum ‘autumn joy’ and garlic chives. (Earlier in the summer, I pruned the sedum to different degrees so that it would continue to bloom late into autumn.) The sedum and asters were the main attraction for insects last week. I haven’t seen either bee species since the weather turned cold and rainy. I miss their industrious presence and look forward to their return next spring.

A honey bee nectars on garlic chive blossoms (Allium tuberosum).

A bumble bee (Bombus) nectars on Sedum 'autumn joy'.

A bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) nectars on Sedum ‘autumn joy’.

October 3, 2013 by Beth

Lake Darner Dragonfly

I love dragonflies for their aerial acrobatics, beautiful colors and ancient presence — they’ve flown Earth’s skies for about 300 million years. In Minnesota, a few species of large, colorful dragonflies are active into October. Last week I found a darner (Aeshna) dragonfly sunning itself on a nearby cabin.

A lake darner dragonfly (Aeshna eremita) rests in the sun.

Called darners for the resemblance of their long abdomen to a darning needle, the blue or mosaic darners can be confusing to tell apart. I believe the one I photographed is a lake darner (Aeshna eremita), based on the notched side stripe, the vivid greenish-blue jewel-like coloration of the stripes, its length (about three inches) and its vertical perching position. It flew away before I could get close enough to see its facial markings. Lake darners are native to Canada and the northern United States, and are the largest species of North American darner. They prey on mosquitoes, wasps, mayflies and most other kinds of soft-bodied insects.

Related Websites:

The Dragonfly Website includes a great overview of dragonfly facts in its “Frequently Asked Questions” section.

ARKive.org features a profile and photos of the lake darner, along with thousands of other plant and animal species.

September 19, 2013 by Beth

September Garden

Our garden reached its peak a few weeks ago, but it’s still full of color and life in mid-September. Butterflies, many species of bees, and dragonflies are present. A tiny charcoal-colored mouse slices off the black-eyed Susan flower heads leaving long, empty stalks. (One year I found a mouse’s stash of flower heads and seeds in my garden toolbox!) A family of cardinals eats red yew berries; chipmunks and squirrels munch on the last of the beacon apples. Here are a few of the flowers and insects in our garden on this warm, sunny afternoon in St. Paul, Minnesota:

Asters with spotted Joe-Pye weed and Japanese anemones

Asters novi-belgii with spotted Joe-Pye weed and Japanese anemones.

White-faced meadowhawk dragonflies patrol the garden for mosquitoes and other small, soft-bodied insects. Many years these dragonflies are active in our garden until mid-October.

A male white-faced meadowhawk dragonfly.

A white-faced meadowhawk dragonfly (Sympetrum obtrusum).

Heath asters (Symphyotrichum ericoides) is native to the eastern and midwestern United States and Canada.

Heath asters (Symphyotrichum ericoides) are native to the eastern and midwestern United States and Canada.

Grass funnel spiders (Agelenopsis) are shy spiders that build flat webs with a funnel or tube at the back of the web. The spider rests out of sight in the funnel. When an insect lands on the web, the spider quickly captures it, bites it and wraps it in silk.

A funnel spider spun its web among the helenium plants.

After many days without monarchs, a straggler sipped nectar from several different flower species.

A monarch sips nectar from a spotted Joe-Pye weed plant.

Native white turtlehead (Chelone glabra) brightens up a shady spot in the garden

September 16, 2013 by Beth

Red Admiral Butterfly

A splash of bright red flashed by as I counted monarch butterflies in our garden late Wednesday afternoon. Perched in a sunny spot on the apple tree trunk, a red admiral (Vanessa atalanta) fanned its wings, flew around the backyard a couple of times and landed on a lower limb of the tree.

The red-barred upper wings of a red admiral that perched on my leg.

Named for the red-bar markings on their black upper wings, red admirals also sport white marks in the upper corners of the forewings. The underside of the wings, which is often visible when the butterfly perches, is a mottled brown, tan and black, with a pink band and white spotting on the forewing.

The mottled underwings are marked with a pink bar and white spotting in the forewings.

Red admirals range from near the Arctic Circle to as far south as Guatemala. (They also live in Europe, Asia and North Africa, and have been introduced in other parts of the world.) They prefer moist areas such as fields, meadows, open woodlands, gardens and yards. Red admiral caterpillars prefer to eat nettle leaves; adults eat overripe fruit, tree sap, and the nectar of many types of flowers, such as aster, blazing star, spotted Joe-Pye weed and red clover. In Minnesota, there are one-to-two broods each year. The butterflies of the second brood are smaller and less colorful than the first brood. Most migrate to the southern states in autumn, but a few successfully hibernate in the north during mild winters. Many years, this butterfly remains active into October and I’ve seen them as early as mid-April in the spring.

For more information about the red admiral and other butterflies, visit:

http://minnesotaseasons.com

http://butterfliesandmoths.org

September 12, 2013 by Beth

Bumblebee “Buzz Pollination”

Last Sunday afternoon was quiet in the garden; too cool for the loud whining of cicadas, and no wind to swish and rattle the leaves. However, a persistent high-pitched buzzing in the anemones was driving my husband nuts. Turns out it was the sound of several bumblebees releasing pollen through sonication or “buzz pollination“. In sonication, bumblebees, and other native bees, hold onto a flower with their jaws or legs, press the upper portion of their body into the flower and rapidly vibrate their flight muscles to jar loose pollen. The freed pollen clings to the bee’s furry body. Some of it is collected in the bee’s pollen baskets to be brought back to the colony, and some fertilizes the next flower that the bee visits. (The pollen basket is located on the outside of the bee’s back leg. It’s easy to see when it contains pollen because it will be yellow, orange or red, depending on the type of pollen it contains.) Buzz pollination is essential to plants such as blueberries, cranberries and tomatoes, in which the pollen is firmly attached deep inside a tubular anther. However, bumblebees also use it to release pollen in other flowers, such as the Japanese anemones in our garden.

A bumblebee buzz pollinates a Japanese anemone in our garden.

In addition to the buzz pollination video link in the text above, find out more about pollination and bumblebees from master naturalists Paul and Mary Meredith at VictoriaAdvocate.com.

September 9, 2013 by Beth

Biodiversity on a Sunflower

Late Sunday morning in early September. I walk along our unpaved road next to the Snake River. The sun is hot, grasshoppers whir and click, bees drone and American goldfinches call to each other in the aspen grove. Small stands of native sunflowers (Helianthus tuberosus L.) dot the roadside. In a single group of three plants, also known as Jerusalem artichokes, I spot four species of native bees, two species of wasps, several ladybird beetles, a goldenrod soldier beetle and a northern crescent butterfly. Here’s a sampling:

Metallic green bee on a native sunflower known as Jerusalem artichoke.

Ladybird beetle on a native sunflower (Helianthus tuberosus L.).

Goldenrod soldier beetles are important pollinators of native sunflowers, goldenrod and tansy.

A crescent butterfly, most likely a northern crescent, sips nectar.

September 4, 2013 by Beth

Bottle Gentians

One of my favorite late-summer wildflowers is the bottle gentian (Gentiana andrewsii), which grows in sunny, moist patches along the dirt road next to our cabin. The tightly closed oval flowers, which never open into a blossom, are all deep blue so far this year, but in the past, I’ve also seen powder blue, pearly white, and light pink blooms. The plants are about 18 inches tall and the flowers are clustered together at the top.

Bottle gentians grow in sunny, moist patches.

Because the blooms are narrow and closed, they primarily are pollinated by bumble bees, which are strong enough to wiggle their way into the flower. A bumble bee pollinated several of the blooms on the bottle gentian that I was photographing.

A bumble bee pushes its way into the closed bloom.

After pollinating the gentian, the bumble bee backs out of the bloom.

After pollinating the gentian, the bumble bee backs out of the flower.

August 30, 2013 by Beth

Monarchs and Joe-Pye Weed

Monarch butterflies are rare visitors this summer. In a typical year, they float through the backyard all day. Over the past week, a solitary monarch visited our patch of spotted Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium maculatum) each day between 7 and 8 a.m. Sunlight glowed in its beautiful wings as it sipped the Joe-Pye nectar.

A monarch sips Joe-Pye weed nectar in early-morning sunlight.

In the next two weeks, monarch migration through St. Paul, MN, should peak, according to MonarchWatch.org. To check peak migration in your own area, visit peak migration. During the 2011 fall migration peak, 10-to-25 monarchs visited our Joe-Pye patch each afternoon, and often roosted in our apple tree for the night. I’m interested in comparing this year’s numbers with the 2011 observations. (Last year, the Joe-Pye blossomed two-to-three weeks earlier than usual, due to the early spring, and as a result, finished blooming ahead of monarch migration.

In addition to the low numbers of monarchs, I’ve only seen one each of black swallowtails, red admirals and mourning cloaks, and only two tiger swallowtails in our garden. I haven’t found caterpillars of any of the five species. Read more about the low number of butterflies this year, from the Star Tribune.

August 28, 2013 by Beth

Annual Cicadas

The dog days of summer are here, and along with them, the annual cicadas. They’re brown and green, look a bit intimidating and punctuate the hot, heavy August air with loud, raspy buzzing. Usually present beginning in mid-July, annual cicadas were sparse in our garden until the heat and humidity arrived last weekend. Now the air vibrates with their whining buzzes, and in the late evening, is accented with cricket song and the weet-weet-weet call of a male cardinal. Cicadas “sing” from the branches of our apple, ash and spruce trees. In the sultry dusk, a large cicada takes off from the apple tree buzzing loudly; a small bat pursues it across the backyard and out of sight.

Annual cicada sitting among plants and needles beneath our spruce tree.

Between one and two inches long, the adult annual cicada (Tibicen canicularis) has a blunt, thick body and large wings tinged with apple-green. Cicadas live just a few days as adults singing in the trees, mating, and laying eggs for the next generation. Females cut a slit in a tree branch and deposit their eggs. When a nymph hatches, it burrows down into the soil beneath the tree where it spends 2-to-5 years sucking juices from the tree’s roots. When it is ready, the nymph leaves the soil and climbs up the tree, splits open its exoskeleton and emerges as an adult.

A molted exoskeleton, or hard outer casing of an annual cicada nymph, attached to the bark of our apple tree.

Only the male cicada calls. Males have two membranes called tymbals located underneath the abdomen. They contract and relax muscles attached to the tymbals to vibrate them and produce a loud, raspy whine. To listen to the songs of annual cicadas, follow this link to InsectSingers.com: cicadas/songs

The annual cicada is also called the dog-day cicada because it is most plentiful and vocal during the steamy days of late August. Sirius, the brightest star in the sky (excluding our sun), is the largest star in the constellation Canis Major, or Greater Dog, and so is known as the “dog star”. At this time of year, Sirius rises in the southeast just before dawn. The ancient Egyptians and Romans thought that the star added its heat to our sun’s, making late summer the hottest part of the year in the northern hemisphere, and called it “the dog days of summer”.

Nature, Garden, Life

Insects