Top Image: Cow Killer or velvet ant, a flightless female parasitic wasp. A cow killer (Dasymutilla occidentalis) is a wasp. The females are flightless. If you’ve seen one, you’ve surely remembered it for its velvety, bright red or orange and black coloration. It was probably racing around your backyard, a sandy patch of soil with sparse vegetation, or across the hiking trail you were trekking down. If you were wondering what the insect was doing, dashing around as it was,Read more
Posts tagged: #Wandering Glider
Odes Around Us
Top Photo: Carolina saddlebags. Dragonflies and damselflies belong to an order of insect called Odonata. Dragonflies are in the suborder Anisoptera, the damsels in the suborder Zygoptera. Dragonflies usually hold their wings out to their sides when at rest. They are typically larger and bulkier than damselfies. Dragons have large compound eyes which, in many species, cover most of the head. Some species eyes only just meet at the top of the head, but still cover a large portion ofRead more
Late September Insects
Despite a general decrease in dragonfly activity, several dragonflies are still being seen in small numbers including Common Green Darner, Black Saddlebags and Wandering Glider. All three of these dragonfly species are known to move with the seasons. With the winds out of the north, mostly northeast for a good part of the period, I’m inclined to think that the individuals that are being seen are indeed migrants. Not on the move but still fairly common are Blue Dashers. SoRead more
A Cosmopolitan Dragonfly and other Interesting Creatures
I’ve been expecting to see a Wandering Glider for some time now. On the 23rd of July one appeared at the Sailboat Pond in Catch the Wind. As their name implies, Wandering Gliders can show up just about anywhere. These nonstop dragonflies are widespread in their distribution – cosmopolitan. They’re migratory. They lay eggs in just about any temporary body of water including ditches and rain puddles. Wandering Gliders prefer open spaces like fields, mud flats, and ponds where theyRead more