Tag Archives: insects

Arboretum: Encounter with a Snake

by sicloot Posted on September 27, 2013

On Wednesday, I heard something rustling in the grass near the Arboretum’s hickory collection. Turned out to be this garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis), a skinny fellow who was quite afraid of me.

Garter snake looking at the camera — Garter snake

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Posted in Nature | Tagged Arnold Arboretum, asters, bees, Boston, eastern chipmunk, Eurybia divaricata, flies, insects, leafhoppers, maclura pomifera, mammals, Massachusetts, moths, nightshade family, plants, Pterostyrax hispidus, reptiles, snakes, solanum nigrum, trees | Comments Off

Arboretum: Chinese Mantid and Panicled Hawkweed

by sicloot Posted on September 18, 2013

As I left the Arboretum’s visitor center on Sunday, I noticed a crowd gathered around a shrub. It took me a second to see the shockingly large Chinese mantid (Tenodera aridifolia) that was the subject of everyone’s attention.

This praying mantis was larger than my hand. It had landed on someone’s leg and she had the peace of mind to place it on the shrub, where it stood still for many minutes.

The Chinese mantid is the largest of our praying mantises. Introduced from China in 1896 to control pests, they eat both harmful and beneficial insects, and sometimes each other. They are so large that they are able to attack hummingbirds.

Take a look at this face. It means business.

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Posted in Nature | Tagged Arnold Arboretum, asters, beetles, Boston, bugs, flies, harvestmen, Helianthus tuberosus, Hieracium paniculatum, insects, mantids, Massachusetts, spiders, wasps | Comments Off

Arboretum: Eastern Comma and Pigeon Tremex

by sicloot Posted on September 17, 2013

I saw a few moths, butterflies, and wasps at the Arboretum last week. An eastern comma butterfly (Polygonia comma) rested on a leaf in the shrub and vine garden. It is named for the bright white comma, swollen at both ends, on its wing. I think it looks more like a crescent moon than a comma.

Eastern comma butterfly with wings closed — Eastern comma butterfly

The wings look drab until they open, revealing a rich orange with black spots. This is the winter form of this butterfly, with its hind wings more orange than black.

Eastern comma butterfly opening its wings — Eastern comma butterfly

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Posted in Nature | Tagged armyworm moth, Arnold Arboretum, Boston, butterflies, crane fly, eastern comma butterfly, insects, Massachusetts, moths, wasps, zelkova serrata | Comments Off

Arboretum: Carpenter Ants and Bean Aphids

by sicloot Posted on September 16, 2013

A bittersweet vine (Celastrus sp.) twists around a tree trunk in the Arboretum with tiny black creatures crawling on it. I believe these are black bean aphids (Aphis fabae). These aphids are sucking the sap out of the vine. While they prefer eating from the bounty of the bean family, they are known to attack bittersweet.

Like other aphids, they produce a sweet waste product called honeydew. Ants are attracted to the honeydew and collect it, tending aphids as we do cows. In the photo below, a black carpenter ant (Camponotus pennsylvanicus) watches over a black bean aphid, waiting for its sugary treat.

Black carpenter ant tending black bean aphid

Posted in Nature | Tagged ants, aphids, Arnold Arboretum, bittersweet family, Boston, insects, Massachusetts | Comments Off

Arboretum: Beggarticks and its Pollinators

by sicloot Posted on September 12, 2013

Aside from the aphids, I spotted a number of other creatures in the Arboretum last week. An American bullfrog was spread out lazily in the marsh waters.

American bullfrog lounging in water — American bullfrog

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Posted in Nature | Tagged American bullfrog, amphibians, Arnold Arboretum, asters, bees, bidens connata, birds, Boston, dragonflies, frogs, hoverflies, insects, Massachusetts, meadowhawk dragonfly, planthoppers, plants, red-tailed hawk, rhus chinensis, sumacs, trees | Comments Off

Arboretum: Woolly Alder Aphids

by sicloot Posted on September 6, 2013

I passed a European alder tree (Alnus glutinosa) on Willow Path at the Arnold Arboretum a couple days ago (accession 1399-73*B), and noticed that many of its branches were covered in a white fungus/mold-like substance. Upon closer inspection, the mold moved!

This was no mold. It was an infestation of woolly alder aphids (Prociphilus tessellatus).

European alder branch with a woolly aphid colony.

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Posted in Nature | Tagged alders, alnus glutinosa, aphids, Arnold Arboretum, Boston, insects, Massachusetts, trees, wasps | Comments Off

Arboretum: Summersweet Butterflies and Wasps

by sicloot Posted on August 23, 2013

On Tuesday, I walked from the Arboretum’s main gate to the shrub garden. I saw a couple of butterflies for the first time, among them a common sootywing (Pholisora catullus), a dark brown butterfly with white spots.

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Posted in Nature | Tagged Arnold Arboretum, beetles, Boston, butterflies, Clethra alnifolia, clethra family, dragonf, grasshoppers, insects, long dash skipper, Massachusetts, meadowhawk dragonfly, pearl crescent, shrubs, spring azure, ulmus americana, wasps, weevils, zabulon skipper | Comments Off

Arboretum: Bussey Hill Trees and Insects

by sicloot Posted on August 19, 2013

Late last week, I went to the Explorers’ Garden on Bussey Hill on a pleasant, sunny day. A few butterflies passed me by but did not perch. The eastern kingbird below paused at a the top of a crabapple tree. In about a month, this kingbird will probably make its way to South America for the winter.

Eastern kingbird in a crabapple — Eastern kingbird

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Posted in Nature | Tagged Arnold Arboretum, birds, blue dasher dragonfly, Boston, clover looper, Corylus tibetica, dragonflies, eastern kingbird, harvestmen, hazels, insects, leafhoppers, Massachusetts, moths, Phytolacca americana, plants, pokeweeds, Poliothyrsis sinensis, trees | Comments Off

Cape Ann Campsite Insects

by sicloot Posted on August 16, 2013

I’ve posted about the birds and sea creatures that we saw on our camping trip at the Cape Ann campsite. We also found a few bugs during our explorations.

The office on the campgrounds has a nice flower and vegetable garden a few feet away. We found a couple of Peck’s skippers (Polites peckius), which settled on a leaf after chasing each other.

A pair of Peck's skippers — Peck’s skippers

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Posted in Nature | Tagged beetles, blowflies, butterflies, cabbage white, eastern tiger swallowtail, flies, hemlock looper, hoverflies, insects, isopods, long-legged flies, Massachusetts, moths, north shore, pearl crescent, peck's skipper, planthoppers, spiders, tachinid flies, trifolium repens, wasps, weevils | Comments Off

Arboretum: Cup Plants and Caterpillars

by sicloot Posted on August 11, 2013

I found this white-dotted prominent caterpillar (Nadata gibbosa) crawling across Meadow Road yesterday. A green caterpillar with an opaque, lighter green face, it is covered with white dots. This one had two brown patches on it, perhaps some sort of infection?

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Posted in Nature | Tagged american goldfinch, Arnold Arboretum, asters, birds, Boston, Clethra alnifolia, clethra family, eastern chipmunk, insects, legumes, mammals, Massachusetts, moths, oaks, plants, shrubs, Silphium perfoliatum, Styphnolobium japonicum, trees, white-dotted prominent | Comments Off

Tag Archives: insects

Arboretum: Encounter with a Snake

Arboretum: Chinese Mantid and Panicled Hawkweed

Arboretum: Eastern Comma and Pigeon Tremex

Arboretum: Carpenter Ants and Bean Aphids

Arboretum: Beggarticks and its Pollinators

Arboretum: Woolly Alder Aphids

Arboretum: Summersweet Butterflies and Wasps

Arboretum: Bussey Hill Trees and Insects

Cape Ann Campsite Insects

Arboretum: Cup Plants and Caterpillars

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