northeast-flora-and-fauna

I've got another Tenodera picture for you. As a reminder, Tenodera is the genus that contains 2 related and similar species of praying mantis, the Chinese Mantis and the Narrow-winged (aka Japanese) Mantis . I'll use the Tenodera name just because I can't tell what the species is. Although I showed you another Tenodera just over a week ago, I wanted to show another today because: They're big, photogenic insects. This one is eating lunch. So what's for lunch? It's hard to say. My first thought, which could be accurate, that this is a bumble bee . The only reason I'm waffling on that is that usually bumble bees have fairly prominent antennae, and I don't see that in this picture. Of course they could have been broken off or even eaten by the mantis, but some of the hover flies are bee mimics so I wouldn't rule them out either. Note that the mantis has actually torn its meal in 2; presumably this is the best way to eat these insects. (Certainly the ...

Where there are flowers, these Transverse-banded Flower Flies can sometimes be seen. Like all syrphid flies (aka flower flies and hover flies), these are true flies (unlike fireflies, who are secretly beetles, or butterflies or dragonflies, that are completely different insects).  If you have a garden and hate being stung, these flies are right up your alley. As adults they're all about nectar, pollen, and honeydew, are incapable of stinging, and apparently don't bite. And while butterflies also meet those criteria, these flies have an additional benefit. As kids (aka larvae) they'll eat some garden pests like aphids. They are also a classic example of Batesian mimicry since they look dangerous but aren't. I'm not exactly sure who they're trying to mimic though: Their color and shape could fool a predator into thinking they're bumblebees . Their color and lack of fuzziness could fool a predator into thinking they're yellowjackets . Perhaps they're...

Here are a couple Bumble Bee Mimic Robber Flies I ran across a couple months ago. And while it may look like they had an argument and are disdainfully looking away from each other, they're actually mating. Although there could be exceptions, in general I believe flies (including robber flies), butterflies/moths, and true bugs tend to mate with the ends of their abdomens connecting, while with beetles, mantises, and grasshoppers the males mount the females. (Yes, I've seen a fair amount of "insect porn" out there - these guys are shameless.) These flies are a little unpopular in some circles because: We've been told we need to protect bees. These robber flies actually eat bees. (I suspect they'll eat bee relatives we tend to feel less empathy for, like wasps/hornets, unless the wasps/hornets are substantially bigger than our bees.) Note that I don't see enough robber flies that I believe they're having much of an effect on bee populations. My guess is ...

I think this is an Eastern Common Bumble Bee . At least one person on iNaturalist agreed with this identification, it looks plausible, and this is considered to be one of the most common (hence in name) of our bumble bees. Bumble bees are sometimes confused with other insects like honey bees or carpenter bees or bumble bee mimics like the Snowberry Clearwing Moth and some hover flies. While honey bees and carpenter bees are obviously related, flies and butterflies are basically just trying to look like someone who can sting you ( Batesian mimicry ). Though their hive-dwelling honey bee cousins get a lot of the love and attention, technically they're an invasive species (albeit an important one for agriculture/horticulture). If you're trying to support native wildlife, supporting our native bumble bees is an excellent start. I'm thinking that the brown mass on the back leg is a pollen basket , the way that a bumble bee can transport pollen back to its nest. August 16, 2020...