Mid-Summer Scenes

Greetings, BugFans, Summer has reached its half-way point, and the BugLady has been recording the changing of the guard. The adult lives of most insects are brief – four to six weeks for many, and considerably less for some. Bluet …

Painted Skimmer Dragonflies

Note: All links below go to external sites. Greetings, BugFans, The BugLady got an email from BugFan Freda the other day saying that she had located two Painted Skimmers at a nearby natural area, and she’d be glad to show …

Taiga Bluet Damselfly

Howdy, BugFans, It’s spring, and it’s time to brush up on our bluet damselfly IDs because they’re starting to hit the airways. Most bluets are 1″ to 1.3″ long and, as their name suggests, males are at least partly blue …

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 …

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 …

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 …