Bug of the Week – Field Station

Bugs at the End of Summer

September 21, 2023

Howdy, BugFans, The Autumnal Equinox is fast upon us, alas, and even though it was a very hot one, the BugLady would like to push that Restart button and go back to the beginning of August. Failing that, here are… Read more

Golden Green Sweat Bee

September 14, 2023

Note: All links leave to external sites. Howdy, BugFans, Wisconsin is home to between 500 and 600 species of wild bees, ranging in size from today’s sweat bee to bumble bees many times larger (there are about 4,000 bee species… Read more

Euderces picipes Beetle

September 6, 2023

Note: All links leave to external sites. Greetings, BugFans, When the BugLady saw these two tiny (5mm/¼”), black insects on a flower, her first thought was “ants,” followed immediately by a mental head slap. They were piggyback – worker ants… Read more

Beautiful Jumper

August 30, 2023

Howdy, BugFans, The BugLady was on a pier at Riveredge Nature Center when this spectacular jumping spider climbed out from between the planks. Like the old joke about bacon being the gateway meat for vegetarians, jumping spiders seem to be… Read more

And Now for Something a Little Different XV — Royal Catchfly

August 24, 2023

(Note: All links below go to external sites.) Greetings, BugFans, The BugLady had a long overdue “Oh Duh!!!”moment recently when BugFan Freda asked her if she realized why Royal Catchfly flowers were named Catchfly. Nope – hadn’t thought about it (insufficient… Read more

Long-Tailed Meadow Katydid

August 16, 2023

Note: Most links leave to external sites. Howdy, BugFans. At first glance, Meadow Katydids look like small grasshoppers, but grasshoppers (family Acrididae) have antennae of a reasonable length, and katydids (family Tettigoniidae) have such long antennae (you have to back up… Read more

Ant Fly

August 9, 2023

Note: All links leave to external sites. Greetings, BugFans, When the BugLady first spotted this fly, she thought it might be one of the odd, stubby, little tachinid flies in the genus Gymnoclytia (or thereabouts). She couldn’t find anything that matched, so… Read more

Robust Katydid-hunting Wasp

August 3, 2023

Note: Most links leave to external sites. Greetings, BugFans, OK – it’s not a super flashy wasp when it’s heading away from you (in fact, it’s not even very wasp-like), but it’s pretty cool when it’s heading toward you –… Read more

Midsummer Memories 2

July 26, 2023

Note: Most links leave to external sites. Greetings, BugFans, As promised in last week’s episode, here are more of the bug stories that the BugLady has collected so far. Most of the insects that end up in these survey episodes… Read more

Midsummer Memories I

July 20, 2023

Howdy, BugFans, Last year the BugLady had so many midsummer stories to tell that she wrote one episode about dragonflies, and a second about “other” (because as seasoned BugFans know (well) her camera gravitates to dragons and damsels). She’s got… Read more

About the BugLady

The BugLady (aka Kate Redmond) is an Environmental Educator who has been having “close encounters” with insects all her life. She has worked and/or volunteered at Lac Lawrann Conservancy in West Bend, the Mequon Nature Preserve, and Riveredge Nature Center near Newburg and spoken at other area Nature Centers. At Riveredge, she has had the wonderful assignment of being the “sturgeon paparazza” at their annual sturgeon release. She leads field trips in the Cedarburg Bog, is a founding member of the Friends of the Cedarburg Bog, and is a current Board member of the Lake Michigan Bird Observatory. When she’s not appreciating insects, she’s enjoying prairies and wetlands.

Her 40 year addiction to photography is (almost) her only vice. She's gone through a number of cameras in the last 40 years, and now she packs a Pentax K-70 with a 70 mm macro lens.

The BugLady is a Wisconsin native, presently living in Sheboygan County. Most of the photos in Bug of the Week were taken in southeastern Wisconsin. Her Mission Statement is “Less stepping on bugs.”