The Twelve Bugs of Christmas

Howdy, BugFans, It’s that time of year again—time to put our feet up, sip adult beverages by the light of the tree, hum “The Twelve Bugs Days of Christmas,” and dream of spring. (The days are getting longer, you know.) Here are …

Redspotted Antmimic Spider

Howdy, BugFans, In mid-summer, BugFan Dave shared these dynamite pictures of a pretty spiffy little spider that the BugLady has never seen—the (unhyphenated) Redspotted antmimic spider (Castianeira descripta). Thanks, Dave! Antmimic spiders used to be in the “catchall” Sac spider family Clubionidae, …

Goldenrod Watch redux

Howdy, BugFans, It’s the start of December – and of meteorological winter – and it’s cold out, and the BugLady is still wondering what, exactly, happened to August. Here’s a little slice of August, from 15 years ago. The BugLady’s advice …

Speed-dating the Spiders – Bowl and Doily spider

Howdy, BugFans, This small spider is in the Sheetweb spider family Linyphiidae, which we have met before in the form of the Splendid Dwarf spider Bug o’the week – Splendid Dwarf Spider – Riveredge Nature Center. In some parts of …

Zebra Jumping Spider

Greetings, BugFans, The BugLady was moseying around her cottage, photographing doodlebug digs, when she spotted this very small (maybe ¼”) jumping spider with its prey. It was on a sunny, south-facing wall – right where it was supposed to be! Zebra …

Eastern Cicada-killer Wasp

Howdy, BugFans, A while back, BugFan Laurel shared this picture of a wasp that was photographed by her friend, Joel, who gave the BugLady permission to use it. Thanks, Joel.  This is one large wasp. In an article about it on the …

The Clover Leaf Weevil and Other Tales

Howdy, BugFans, The BugLady has been playing outside, and she had trouble coming in long enough to write these stories. Story #1 – The Clover Leaf Weevil. The BugLady took a few “throw-away shots” of this little (3/8” long) beetle as …

Brush-Legged Wolf Spider

Note: All links below are to external sites. Greetings, BugFans, The BugLady encountered this distinctive wolf spider (family Lycosidae) recently at Spruce Lake Bog, and then discovered some earlier shots of it from Riveredge in her “X-Files.” She figured that …

Rosinweed Moth

Howdy, BugFans, First off, today’s vocabulary word is “microlep” (short for “microlepidoptera”). What’s a microlep? The (somewhat squishy) term applies to moths with a wingspan under 20mm (about ¾”). It’s not a taxonomic or a lifestyle designation – there are microleps …

Stirrings of Summer

Greetings, BugFans Here are some of the bugs that the BugLady found in June, which was, overall, a hot and wet month (7.97” of rain at the BugLady’s cottage). Lizzard Beetle – the BugLady doesn’t know why these striking beetles …

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.