Midges Again (Family Chiromonidae)

The Diamesa Midge Diamesa nivoriunda (snow-born midge—probably), one of the two species on the sumac, is in a subfamily called the snow midges, and they fly from September into April. Clouds of midges are an often misunderstood and distinctly non-vampire-ish assembly.

Semi-Aquatic Springtails

There are lots of generic Springtails leaping around—more than 8,200 species worldwide (700+ in North America). Most kinds of springtail are found on land, leading invisible lives in leaf litter and soil, anyplace that has a little moisture, even Antarctica.

Water Treader (Family Mesoveliidae)

Water treaders are found on floating vegetation growing in the shallow waters of pools, where the clumps of sedge spread their slender stems upon the water. They eat insects and other small invertebrates; their hunting method is to run along the surface of algae and duckweed, and even along the surface of the water, until they have run down their prey.

A Cache of Crickets

Most Crickets are vegetarians, although there are forays into carnivorous, omnivorous, and cannibalistic lifestyles. They develop via simple/incomplete metamorphosis, in which the young hatch out looking like mini-adults and don’t have a resting/changing/pupa stage. Eggs are generally laid in the ground, plant stems, piles of bat guano, etc. in the fall; they hatch in spring and take 2 to 3 months to mature.

The Mighty Mosquito (Family Culicidae)

There are a lot of mosquitoes—about 3,500 species worldwide, 150 in North America, and 50 in Wisconsin. Their eggs develop in wetlands but also in birdbaths, puddles, pails, flower pots, old tires, and the dog’s outside water dish. Some mosquitoes include humans on their list of possible donors; others restrict themselves to birds, reptiles, amphibians, or non-human mammals.

Basic Bug Design – Exoskeletons

This episode is a little chewier than usual—we’re going to plunge deep into science, but we’ll bob back up to the surface again in no time at all. And yes, there will be a quiz.

Spotted Nomad Bee (Family Apidae)

The Spotted Nomad Bee belongs to an overlapping continuum of species named the Nomada ruficornis species group. The Nomada (nomad/roaming bees), one of the largest genera in the Nomadinae subfamily, are a confusing bunch taxonomically. There are about 300 species in North America and 700 species worldwide.

Camouflage 102 – Mimicry

Mimicry is about being a copycat; imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but this is about survival. In mimicry, the predator sees something that it misidentifies. An organism copies the appearance of another organism, and maybe its behavior, sound or smell, as well.

Camoflage 101 – Cryptics

Camouflage is defined as “concealment by disguise or protective coloring.” A simple phrase for a concept that manifests itself in a dizzying array of life forms. Cryptic animals resemble/blend into their surroundings; mimics benefit from resembling some other organism.

Water Lily Planehopper (Family Delphacidae)

Water Lily Planehoppers are found in the eastern half of the U.S. (and the species has made a surprise appearance in Hawaii). They like ponds and extremely slow streams where white water lilies grow, and they are also found on the unrelated broad-leaved pondweed. They are found in the eastern half of the U.S. and the species has made a surprise appearance in Hawaii.