Knapweed Seedhead-Feeding Weevil

Greetings, BugFans, The BugLady has seen plenty of knapweed in her life, but she was surprised when she came upon a patch of it in mid-July that was covered with weevils. If you’ve driven through Wisconsin’s Door County, you’re familiar …

Common Green Darners—A Love Affair

Howdy, BugFans, We’ve had a major emergence of migratory Common Green Darners in the past 10 days. They’ve been feeding along Lake Michigan’s western shoreline, zigzagging over the roadway and fields, socking away calories (those floodwater mosquitoes are good for …

Two Wetland Moths

Howdy BugFans, The BugLady has been neglecting moth lovers (again), and she offers these two delicate beauties in apology. The handsome but, in the BugLady’s opinion, potentially-invasive Arrow Arum (Peltandra virginica) (aka Tuckahoe and bog arum) is an eastern species …

Shore Rove Beetle Rerun

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 …

Floodwater Mosquito – an homage

Howdy, BugFans, Homage: “something that someone does or says in order to show respect or admiration.” (Macmillan). In this case, it’s a grudging tip of the hat – we may not appreciate them, but we acknowledge that they are very …

Summer Scenes

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 …

Goldsmith Beetle

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 …

Dragonhunter

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. …

Powdered Dancer

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 …

Fawn Darner

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 …

UWM Land Acknowledgement: We acknowledge in Milwaukee that we are on traditional Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk and Menominee homeland along the southwest shores of Michigami, North America’s largest system of freshwater lakes, where the Milwaukee, Menominee and Kinnickinnic rivers meet and the people of Wisconsin’s sovereign Anishinaabe, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Oneida and Mohican nations remain present.   |   To learn more, visit the Electa Quinney Institute website.