With things being so busy over the last couple weeks I have not had time to upload any photos here. Here are some photos from the last couple weeks.

First, I came across this beautiful common stonefly (Perlidae) 2 weeks ago.

Stoneflies are way cool. The nymphs are found in flowing water with high oxygen content. They often act as indicators of good stream quality. Common stonefly nymphs are carnivorous and eat other insects that are in the streams.

This week we came across a bald-faced hornet nest, on accident.

They make those famous paper nests by chewing wood and mixing their saliva to form the end-product that dries into paper. Nests are set up in the spring and are active through the summer and fall. Once winter hits though, the young fertilized queens hibernate underground or in decomposing trees and usually the nests are abandoned altogether.

So, I think in a couple months I will try to go back and maybe split open the nest to get some pictures from inside the hive.

Lastly, we came across these goofy looking mushrooms. No idea what they are.

The lack of blogs lately has been due to the hectic work schedule and recent move for Josh and I. But we’ve made it and hopefully things will start settling down now.

Gunther loves the new digs. The first night he was on constant prowl from room to room. This is also the first time he has encountered stairs, as this is the first time we have rented a house. He loves them…he just scurries up and down, up and down, as fast as he can. Over and over. And then he decided to make a goal out of checking out the top window on the staircase.

What a goof ball.

No, I’m not talking about the time of year when the insect activity dies off…its the time of year when the hawks migrate

Fall hawk migration takes place September/October, where a lot of the species fly as far as South America.

Anyhow, I have been noticing an increase in hawk activity on the base, especially this week. Usually the field in the picture below is patrolled by a pair of Northern Harriers, which I haven’t seen at all this week. In their place though was this handsome red-tailed hawk.

At least he is self-entertaining…

Also, if you live on the Cape area and are looking for a dog training service, a colleague of mine has started up a side business called The Gentle Hound. Check out her website for more details.

I definitely recommend her, she’s already taught Gunther how to clean out his own litter box Ok not quite yet…

Dani:

I am incredibly irresistible, it seems, to the blood sucking type of insects. If I’m in a group of people, and we’re walking through the woods, I’ll come out with about 5 to 10 bug bites, and others will have none or very few. Also, the bug bites swell much more than others’. Is this a genetic issue?

Well first, yes, genetics do play a large role. People who have higher levels of cholesterol, steroids, and other acids have been shown to be more attractive to blood feeders. You can check out this link for more on that. The fact that you are reacting to the bites more than others is also genetic and has to do with how your body is responding to the saliva that the mosquitoes are pumping into you.

There are a lot of other factors that render a person in a group more attractive than others. The first is the level of carbon dioxide given off by a person. Once the little buggers get in close enough they begin to rely on other cues. They are attracted to dark colors, so clothes play a role. Thermal gradients, odors from sweat and the microflora on your skin, and apparently even the foods you eat affect how attractive you are to a mosquito.

Norris:

Where are the insects? I can’t seem to find anyone who wants to talk about this–or agrees that it’s a problem. Possibly in your area it’s not but here in Central New York(Syracuse) there are so few insects it’s scary. I left a screen off a bedroom window this spring since it was a favorite cat hang-out–telling them that shortly I’d have to put it on. I never did–and nothing gets in–an unheard of situation. We live on the edge an old forest fragment and there has always been a bee tree. I’m aware of the honeybee troubles and wasn’t surprised (but dismayed) that there were only a few at the water I put out for them–then I realized I was seeing no yellow jackets or other hornets and not wasps. These have always been abundant. I pondered the idea that the honeybee plight was also affecting other hymenoptera. But it doesn’t stop with them–there is a definite drastic reduction in insect numbers of all kinds. I hope I’m not telling you something you don’t know and would really appreciate your “take” on this situation.—Thanks–Norris

Hello Norris, I can answer this question quite simply…all the insects are in my collection jars

Seriously though, I can assure you that while honey bee populations may or may not be disappearing (for more info on recent news with the honey bees, see here), there are still plenty of insects abounding around us. Coincidently I work in the greater Syracuse area, a lot of my insect photos posted on this site come from there. I can’t say I have noticed a lack of bugs.

One of the reasons you may be noticing a decline in insect activity in your backyard could be a lack of nutritional resources. You mentioned your backyard was on the edge of an old forest fragment. Generally speaking, there is less insect diversity in a forest, than say a prairie or other area with lots of under story plant resources. The kind of hymenopterans you are describing seek out plants high in nectar and pollen…so if those sorts of plants are lacking in your backyard they’ll be forced to seek food and set up shop else where. And since it is a forest fragment, there may be a lot of insects crawling around that you don’t see, like ground beetles, wood boring insects, moths, flies, and the like.

I’d love to hear other opinions on the honey bee colony collapse hype and even the idea that Norris is proposing of other insects populations declining as well.

I went to the marsh the other night for some last minute birding. There was a dense fog over the cape, so I thought I had no hope for seeing any birds. But surprise…whimbrels (I think, haha).

Crappy pictures, I know, but I swear it was the fog’s fault

They have taken a fancy to our insect traps, nesting in the tops of the traps.