Bugs at the End of Summer

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 …

Beautiful Jumper

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 …

Midsummer Memories 2

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 …

Midsummer Memories I

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 …

Speed-dating the Spiders – Black Widows

Note: All links leave to external sites. Howdy, BugFans, For years, BugFan Tom has sent pictures from the Deep South of Black widow spiders that he encounters while conducting research in southern thickets in the dead of night. Thanks for …

Bugs in the News

Note: All links leave to external sites. Howdy, BugFans, As usual, the BugLady’s “Bugs in the News” folder runneth over, so here’s a collection of articles to chew on. Many come from the wonderful Smithsonian Daily Newsletter, which not only …

The Twelve Bugs of Christmas 2022

Note: Some links leave to external sites. Greetings of the Season, BugFans, Wow! The 10th annual installment of The Twelve (or Thirteen) Bugs of Christmas! The Bugs of Christmas features shots, taken throughout the year, of insects and spiders who …

Speed-Dating the Spiders – Arabesque Orbweavers

Note: All links leave to external sites. Greetings, BugFans, The BugLady has written several times about the big orb weaving spiders that either delight or alarm people in the waning days of summer. Because there may be several hundred eggs …

Mottled Sand Grasshopper

Note: All links leave to external sites. Howdy, BugFans, From July into September, the Creeping Juniper Nature Trail at Kohler Andrae State Park is ruled by grasshoppers, and the BugLady had lots of fun chasing them around this summer (she …

Bugs at the End of Summer

Note: Some links below go to external sites. Howdy, BugFans, The general rule of thumb is that if you want to find insects, look at flowers. Even though summer is fading, there are still flowers in bloom. Some Liatris/blazing stars …

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.