Salutations, BugFans, The BugLady is getting close to 600 of these episodes (probably would have done a few things differently if she’d known). Some are memorable to her because the writing has stood the test of time, others because the… Read more
Howdy, BugFans, It’s High Summer, and a lot has been going on out there. Many species have already peaked and disappeared from the scene, assuming, until next year, whatever form they spend the majority of their lives in. Others are… Read more
Howdy, BugFans, The BugLady found this beetle recently (what’s left of it anyway) on what remains of her dune (not much, after the winter storms) (sadly, her Doodlebug Refuge was mostly washed away, and this year houses just a single… Read more
Greetings, BugFans, Dragonfly July is drawing to an end. The BugLady’s younger daughter and her friends have been taking to our northern woods and lakes this summer (where the cool bugs are), and she’s sent tantalizing pictures of her encounters…. Read more
Howdy, BugFans, The BugLady is a frequent visitor to the Milwaukee River at Waubedonia Park in July, because that’s where the magic is. Arrow Clubtails make their maiden flights up into the trees just 45 minutes after emerging from their… Read more
Greetings, BugFans, Another day, another darner. The BugLady’s reward at the end of five hours in 80+ degree heat on the Butterfly and Dragonfly Count was a Fawn Darner. It flew across a shaded trail, looking decidedly orange as it… Read more
Howdy, BugFans, The BugLady heard from BugFan Joanne recently, from out of state. Her State Department of Agriculture was doing aerial spraying for gypsy moths, and Joanne was having a Silent Spring moment. “Today it seems remarkably bug free around… Read more
Howdy, BugFans, This episode originally appeared in 2011 under the title of “Confusing Summer Dragonflies.” They are confusing in that they all have dark patches on their wings – interspersed with white patches in mature males but not in juvenile… Read more
Black flies are also called turkey gnats and buffalo gnats, and people who live in black fly country have a whole bunch of other names for them that can’t be repeated here. Entomologists call them true flies (order Diptera) in the family Simuliidae. There are more than 1,800 species in the family worldwide (100 in North America; 30 in Wisconsin), and most of them belong in the huge genus Simulium. What do they look like? Their hump-backed thorax and down-tilted head makes buffalo gnat a good nickname. BFs are tiny (5 to 10 mm) and dark, with clear wings, many-segmented antennae, and big eyes (and teeth, just kidding).
Greetings, BugFans, “Closed for June,” but here’s a slightly spruced up episode from 10 years ago, part of a series on household bugs. The BugLady recently found one of these little cuties in her bathroom. Last week, the BugLady raced… Read more
