Category Archives: Insects – Other

Autumn Meadowhawk

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Even though it’s November, I’m still seeing a fair number of dragonflies when I go hiking. Most are Autumn Meadowhawks. Their common name refers to the late flight season of this species. This insect lives in a variety of habitats, including marshes, bogs, ponds, lakes and slow-moving streams.

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These are small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in the North America. Dragonflies are expert fliers. They can fly straight up and down, hover like a helicopter and even mate in mid-air. Dragonflies catch their insect prey by grabbing it with their feet.

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Nearly all of the dragonfly’s head is made up of its eyes, so they have incredible vision that encompasses almost every angle, except right behind them. Each compound eye contains as many as 30,000 lenses. A dragonfly uses about 80% of its brain to process all this visual information.

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At this time of year when insect life if nowhere near as plentiful as it was a few months ago, seeing one of these brightly colored creatures is a welcome encounter.

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Winter Snowfly

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Because insects need warmth in order to function, they are not the sort of thing you’d expect to see on a Winter day. But nature has many “rule breakers” and the Winter Snowfly is one of them.

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Similar to dragonflies, damselflies, mayflies, and caddisflies – snowflies spend most of their life as aquatic larva. While most aquatic insects develop fastest in warm weather, Winter Snowflies do the opposite.

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Why don’t these insects freeze to death? The secret lies in the production of “antifreeze” that disrupts the formation of ice crystals in the insect’s haemolymph (blood), allowing the body fluids to remain liquid at temperatures several degrees below freezing.

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Once out of the water, snowflies rummage about in search of mates. Males attract females by drumming their rear end against the snow and ice. Females feel, rather than hear, the vibrations made by calling male.

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Winter Snowflies have very particular water quality requirements, and are among the first animals to disappear from polluted or degraded streams and lakes. As such, they are frequently used for biomonitoring.

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Stonefly

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Even in the winter you can find cool stuff by overturning rocks found in creeks. As the name “Stonefly” implies, they typically crawl around under rocks in streams. These are ancient insects of a very old and stable lineage. They have changed very little in the last million years. They are the aquatic, immature stage of a fairly short-lived winged adult insect.

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To make their final transformation, the nymph crawls up overhanging roots, vegetation or rocks protruding from the water, sheds its skin, and flies away as an adult. Adults engage in an interesting behavior known as “drumming.” When drumming, stoneflies strike themselves against an object, producing a signal of pulses and pauses.

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Stoneflies are usually associated with well oxygenated streams or sections of lakes with plenty of waves. They are predatory on a variety of other aquatic insects and invertebrates.

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They are not just cool to look at, they are also an important part of stream and river fauna, providing food for fish and birds. Their absence is often a good indicator that a stream is polluted. These insects are so important that conservation agencies and game fishermen keep charts of when they hatch.

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Bumble Bee

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The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder. Insect life here in northeast Ohio is much harder to come by as November approaches. But on days like today it’s still possible to see Bumble Bees while hiking. The remaining Thistle and Aster flowers provide the last opportunities for them to eat until next year.

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These are large, social bees which produce annual colonies. Mated queens overwinter in the soil and emerge from hibernation in early Spring, when they feed and search for a suitable location, such as a former rodent burrow in the soil, to begin their colonies.

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Though they have a severe sting, these are beneficial insects that pollinate many native and ornamental plants. In some cases a pollen basket on the hind legs of female bees can be seen. Bumble Bees rely entirely on flowering plants for food.

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Bumble Bees have the rare physiological capability (among insects) to choose to thermoregulate. They are able to generate heat in their muscles, by shivering, to reach the required minimum temperature needed for flight.

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The length of the insect’s tongue governs its food-plant choices, with bees preferring flowers with a similar depth to their own tongue length, as this tends to maximize the rate at which they can gather nectar. Tongue length varies among species, so different Bumble Bee types with different tongue lengths tend to visit different food-plant sources.

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These insects are significant pollinators of many flowering plants throughout the native ranges with which they co-evolved mutually beneficial relationships, receiving food in return for providing pollination.

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Bumble Bees are also extremely important pollinators for agriculture. Unlike Honey Bees, their ability to thermoregulate allows them to forage under cold, rainy and cloudy conditions. This makes them excellent pollinators for a variety of crops in temperate regions.

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The common name of “Bumble Bee” possibly comes from their rather large, clumsy appearance and loud buzzing sound they make as they fly. Despite their awkward movements, scary buzzing sound and painful sting, Bumble Bees are one of the most beneficial animals in nature and they make our lives better every day.

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Owlfly

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While walking through this field one morning, I came across a creature that I’ve never seen before. In fact, I didn’t know that such a thing existed. Owlflies somewhat resemble dragonflies, but have clubbed antennae and fold their wings over their backs. Like dragonflies, these insects are predatory both as larva and adults.

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Adult Owlflies are aerial hunters that feed on other insects. When disturbed, some types will release a strong, musk-like chemical to deter enemies. They mimic a twig in the daytime to avoid being eaten by predators.

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Owlflies get their name from their large eyes which in many species, including this one, the eye is actually divided into two by a groove. They tend to be crepuscular; that is, they’re active during the twilight hours of sunrise and sunset. A bit like an owl, actually.

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Owlflies are members of a small order of insects known as the Neuroptera. The name refers to the complex parttern of the wing veins, which resembles a network of nerves.

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Sooty Longwing

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I’ve come across several of these large, shield-backed katydids on my trip. There is a green version of this insect, but I have yet to see one.

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Sooty Longwings are capable of feeding on a number of plant species. However, unlike its eastern relatives, this insect shows carnivorous tendencies and can watched hunting in shrubs at night with a flashlight.

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They are attracted to lights and capture and eat other insects that come to the lights. I’ve seen a few walking around paved roads at night, probably scavenging for food.

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Mostly found in the desert, they are active from June through November and found in a variety of shrub species such as creosote and mesquite.

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The males call on warm nights with a loud, pulsating trill, punctuated by brief pauses. I enjoy the intricate lines and patterns on these katydids – it’s almost like a work of art.

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Jerusalem Cricket

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The Jerusalem Cricket is impressive. Many people are startled when they see a one; it is a large insect. The creature’s odd physical appearance has been cause for fear and superstition and it has been given a variety of monikers.

In California, they are known as “potato bugs,” due to their tendency to nibble on potatoes and other crops grown in direct contact with the soil.

They are slow moving. For defense, Jerusalem Crickets can bite with considerable force if handled. They also can kick with their spiky legs as a method of keeping an attacker at bay.

Jerusalem Crickets are distributed throughout much of western North and Central America, where they live in a variety of habitats – from coastal and desert sand dunes to mountains and tropical forests.

This insect spends most of its life underground. Its large, almost humanoid head supports the necessary muscles that assist the jaws in digging in the soil and feeding on plant material.

Throughout their range Jerusalem Crickets are a paradox – being familiar, yet exotic, insects; due to their secretive nature, not a lot is known about them.

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Hellgrammite

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Even in cold weather, by turning rocks over in creeks you can find one the most fearsome freshwater invertebrates in Ohio – the Hellgrammite.

Though they live underwater, they are poor swimmers - but voracious predators. Hellgrammites will capture and eat any creature smaller than themselves.  They hide under rocks at the bottoms of lakes, streams and rivers and catch food with their short, sharp jaws (if handled carelessly, they can inflict painful bites on humans).

They have pincers on the tail end too, which enable them to grab onto rocks in fast-flowing water.

After two or three years of living and growing underwater, Hellgrammites crawl out onto land and pupate. They stay as a pupa over the Winter and emerge in the Summer only to mate. Here’s a pupa that I found under a rock at the edge of a creek.

Upon emerging, they live for only seven days. The winged adult insects are known as Dobsonflies. They are among the largest flying insects in the United States and look like something straight out of a horror movie. Males appear quite fearsome, with gigantic jaws that can be nearly half the length of their body.

Though intimidating, they are unable to harm humans, as they have such poor jaw leverage that they are incapable of biting. Their mandibles are used exclusively during courtship, when males show them off to, and later grasp interested females with them. Dobsonflies don’t eat and die shortly after mating.

The Hellgrammite is an interesting aquatic insect and an intriguing creature to seek out year-round. It goes through two easily recognized stages of life and its behavior and lifestyle in each stage is dramatically different.

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Katydid

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While doing a little hiking in Brecksville Reservation I came across a Katydid. Their great camoflauge is obvious. When looking straight down at one, it can be very difficult to detect in a field.

And while looking at one from the side, it appears to be a leaf. They can use their leaf-like wings to take flight if necessary.

Katydids eat a wide variety of vegetation. Males are capable of generating sound by rubbing their wings together. Females hear them with an “ear” located in each front leg.

They can be distinguished from grasshoppers by their long antennae, which may exceed their own body length. Females (like this one) possess a sword-shaped egg-laying structure called an ovipositor.

The Katydid is to the night what the Cicada is to the day, filling the night with its song. To some it sounds like it is saying “Katy did, Katy did, she did, she did,” over and over again. We don’t know what Katy did, but that is likely how the Katydid got its name.

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Chinese Mantis

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While walking through this field, a large flying insect attracted my attention as it soared by. I noted its landing spot and decided to check it out.

The “Praying Mantis” is truly a remarkable creature with a striking appearance and curious habits. Its name comes from the way it holds its front legs up the front of the body as if it were praying.

They grab and hold onto their food (mainly other insects) with their front legs, which are pointy to provide a good grip. They blend in well with their surroundings, allowing them to ambush unsuspecting bugs. Mantids commonly remain quiet in one place until another insect comes within reach.

One of the most unusual characteristics of the mantis is that it’s an “auditory Cyclops” – it is the only animal known to listen to its world through one ear. The ability of mantids to cock their heads from side to side is unique among insects; it is the only insect that can look over its shoulder.

First introduced into the United States in 1896; Chinese Mantis are native to China. Nurseries and garden centers sometimes sell their egg cases and as a result, they have a wide distribution in the United States. The Chinese Mantis is most commonly seen in late September and early October either resting on plants or fluttering through the air.

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