Earthworms, Enhanced

Greetings, BugFans, 2026: The BugLady usually takes the month of June off and hits the trails looking for things to photograph. She decided not to, this year, but she may change her mind (Sedge Sprites are emerging – magical!). She wrote this …

Daisy Fleabane

Howdy, BugFans, Daisy fleabane (Erigeron sp.) is blooming. If you’re not familiar with it, the name “teeny daisy” – given to it by the BugLady’s then four-year-old, firstborn child – describes it well.  It’s in the Aster/Composite family Asteraceae, so each …

American White Pelican

Howdy, BugFans, 2026: The BugLady spent the morning watching pelicans; photographing pelicans on the water, on the beach, and, in small squadrons, in the air; and editing pictures of pelicans.  They’re having a moment in her neighborhood at the edge of …

Waterlily leaf beetle

Greetings, BugFans, 2026: The final installment in National Wetlands Month, though the BugLady would argue that wetlands should be celebrated every month. The BugLady attempts to photograph this burnished beetle everywhere she sees them – some in aquatic settings as they …

Semi-aquatic springtails

Howdy BugFans, 2026: Continuing our celebration of Wetlands Month.  Undeniably, wetlands “do” many things for us, but the BugLady’s main reason for hanging out in them is the large number of species they sustain. Sure – other animals visit them for water or …

6-spotted Fishing Spider

Howdy, BugFans, 2026: Week two of our homage to wetlands. Why wetlands? Let me count the whys. For starters, wetlands are fascinating communities that are full of animals that have devised unique ways to deal with the challenges of life underwater. Wetlands both filter and …

Wetland Homage – Cyclops

Salutations, BugFans, May 1st kicks off American Wetlands Month! While we love wetlands year-round, May is a particularly great time to celebrate them as we enjoy the re-awakening of wetlands and all their glorious sights, sounds, and smells. Let’s kick …

European WoolCarder Bee

Howdy, BugFans, Today’s bug is a world traveler, and the pictures shared by BugFan Freda were taken far from our shores. Thanks, Freda! So, no guesswork about the geographical origin of the European Wool Carder Bee (Anthidium manicatum) (in the Old World, …

Crab Spider, Part 2 – Metallic Crab Spider

Howdy, BugFans, Another day, another crab spider. This time, it’s the Metallic Crab spider, and while it may resemble last week’s Whitebanded crab spider (family Thomisidae), it’s in a whole, different crab spider family, Philodromidae, the Running crab spiders. Philodromidae comes …

Whitebanded Crab Spider

Greetings, BugFans, The BugLady loves crab spiders, so she’s been thrilled to find two, new (to her) species in the last few years. One, the Whitebanded crab spider, is in the family Thomisidae, a family of, well, crab-shaped spiders, many of …