Filed under: Events
Jerry V. Haines recently took a trip to Mexico City, and while there visited the Morelia Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary. His story sounds quite amazing!
“I now know what it feels like to be inside a snow globe.
But instead of fake, swirling white snowflakes, substitute butterflies — hundreds, thousands, millions of orange-and-black monarchs — flying around like autumn leaves in a gale. Then, you can envision the scene at the Santuario de la Mariposa Monarca (Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary) near Morelia.”
Science News October 13, 2007 Vol. 172 page 230
Sid Perkins
Paleontologists have long wondered how aquatic creatures such as water beetles end up fossilized in amber, a material derived from hardened tree sap. One exotic suggestion was that the creatures had lived in water-filled clefts in trees, says Alexander R. Schmidt, a biologist at the Museum of Natural History in Berlin. However, field tests in a swamp by Schmidt and paleobotanist David L. Dilcher of the University of Florida in Gainesville provide a simpler explanation. Within hours of resin dropping into water from a damaged pine tree, a variety of organisms—including the water beetle shown here—became stuck. The resin solidified when the swamp dried out, the researchers report in an upcoming Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Filed under: Bugs in the News
Jennifer L. Berghom
October 11, 2007 - 7:08PM
FALCON HEIGHTS — Berry Nall knew he saw something special while butterfly watching recently at Falcon State Park.
Taking pictures of the colorful winged insects at the park’s new butterfly garden, he noticed a tiny green one on a flower — a type he had never seen before.
“When I found it I had no idea what it was, so I took a picture of it,” the Falcon Heights resident said. “I tried to get as many pictures as I could, but it took off.”
Filed under: Bugs in the News
When walking a roof, it’s always a good idea to peek down the plumbing vent stack. You never know what might be clogging that air flow.
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20057325_20089679,00.html
Filed under: Fun Facts
Ever wonder what your state’s official butterfly is? Check out the names and photos of the official state butterfly for all fifty states at:
Filed under: Events
For those in Northern California, here are two events at Turtle Bay Exploration Park near Redding. One features butterflies:
Summer takes flight with two enchanting seasonal exhibits. View colorful exotic birds in a walk-in aviary in our new Birds! exhibition. Get closer by feeding them!
Returning for a ninth season is one of Turtle Bay’s most popular exhibitions, Butterflies! Visitors view hundreds of butterflies in a tranquil, enclosed garden.
Through October 1, 2007
Filed under: Events
Step into a Spider’s world!
Welcome the return of The Spider Pavilion, the only public spider-viewing center of its kind in the country. With the help of Museum gallery interpreters you can get up close to Orb Weaver spiders as they busily create intricate webs, interact with one another and feed on their prey, just as they do in the wild.
One of the residents on view is the Golden Silk, which builds webs up to three feet across and looks a little like spun gold! Also featured is the Banded Garden spider, producing large crisscross webs that resemble those of the most famous garden spider of all – Charlotte of E. B. White’s “Charlotte’s Web.”
In a separate viewing area are some of the more dangerous members of the arachnid family. Observe large scorpions, tarantulas and other rare spiders safely through terrarium glass.
Filed under: Bugs in the News
“The state is seeking approval to release a tiny African insect on all islands that is believed to be the best hope in controlling its invasive cousin — the destructive Erythrina gall wasp. Since it was first detected in Manoa two years ago, the wasp has killed thousands of trees from urban Honolulu to remote regions of the Neighbor Islands.”
See the full story at: http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Sep/16/ln/hawaii709160348.html
Filed under: Bugs in the News
The grainy structure stuck to the bee, which is trapped in amber that’s 15 to 20 million years old, holds orchid pollen. This is a direct fossil observation of a plant-pollinator interaction.
Read more here:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/08/070829-orchid-fossil.html
Check out some bee facts here:
http://www.totallybuggin.com/site/1586384/page/836011
Filed under: Bugs in the News
From the CDC: BBQs, gardening, swimming pools and hikes…and mosquitoes.
Enjoy the outdoors, but remember to protect yourself from mosquitoes and use insect repellent. West Nile virus transmission is underway in many parts of the US.
This virus can cause serious, life-altering and even fatal disease, so it’s worth it to take a couple minutes to prevent mosquito bites.
CDC West Nile Virus Home Page: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm
Check out some mosquito facts here: http://www.totallybuggin.com/site/1586384/page/838258
