The weather has become so unpleasantly cold that I try not to open my eyes while walking outside, out of fear that my eyeballs will freeze. (I was told that this would happen by my teacher in preschool; she also told me that eating candies makes worms lay eggs in my teeth, and that if…
Category: Lepidoptera
The most interesting find of 2012
Well, the first year of my blogging is nearly over, but I think I still have time for one more story. And it is a good one. Earlier this year I was in the spectacular Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique, doing my usual things – chasing katydids with a net and a recorder, taking pictures,…
What happens on the fourth Thursday of November
The fourth Thursday of November is upon us, and this can mean only one thing – winter moths are coming! A few days ago, while trying to decide if this year we should have a turkey or two turkeys for dinner, Kristin looked up from the menu list she was working on and said, “Thanksgiving moths…
The Mystery of Flying Honeydew
Although my entomological interests focus on katydids and other orthopteroid insects, a few years ago I started paying a closer attention to lantern bugs (family Fulgoridae), large insects remotely related to cicadas, which feed on plant nutrients that flow inside tree trunks. Lantern bugs have very long, stiletto-like mouthparts, which allow them to pierce the…
Devil’s got a pretty face
Many things have bitten, pinched, stung, or jabbed me over the years, but the absolute champions in delivering the most memorable, painful experience are pretty little insects known as the slug caterpillars. They are larvae of equally handsome moths, members of the family Limacodidae. The body of most limacodid caterpillars is covered with long, brittle…
The Smaller Majority 