Winged Friends Around My House
July 19th, 2009 by Kelley
For some reason (weather, work, or otherwise) I haven’t been able to really get out and get good bug pictures lately. Actually, haven’t even gone buggin’ this season yet come to think of it. The only pictures I have been getting of insects are of those that come to visit me at my home. Still trying to ID this first one is a Maple-Basswood Leafroller (Tortricidae)…
Next is the Pale Tussock (aka Banded Tussock)…
I particularly like his blue and yellow mohawk.
Still working on this ID too…but to me it looks like a clown fish (thanks to Chris) its a pink-shaded fern moth.
Next is a Phantom Crane Fly
And finally a Caddisfly, most likely in the Triaenodes family, which are the long-horned caddisflies.
This cerambycid (longhorn beetle) is unlike our other native cerambycids in that it attacks healthy, living trees, where as our other natives typically help decompose dying or dead trees. And aside from attacking its name sake, the apple tree, it also attacks cherry, hawthorn, 
The adult beetles are nocturnal and I found this one at my porch light last night and saved him for a photo op this morning 
Its not the adults that really do the damage to the trees, its the larvae that feed on the cambial tissue and bore into the heartwood . Too bad they are so charismatic looking and yet so pesty. I wish the bad pest insects actually looked like monsters because I liked him.