Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Pitch-eating Weevil (Pachylobius picivorus)


Pitch-eating Weevil (Pachylobius picivorus)


From Bugwood Wiki

The pitch-eating weevil Pachylobius picivorus can be very destructive pests of young pines. All species of pines are considered susceptible to damage, and either insect may be an occasional pest of pines grown as Christmas trees.

The most serious injury occurs to small seedlings or to the branches of larger trees as a result of adult feeding. The weevils feed by chewing small, irregular holes in the bark. When feeding is heavy, the holes run together, effectively girdling small trees or the branches of larger trees. Even if the terminals of larger trees are not girdled, "flagging" or distorted terminals can result, making the tree less marketable. Damage is usually more serious in or near freshly cut timber areas.

... adults may be active year-round, although numbers are normally low in winter. Adult weevils may also pass the winter in the soil or beneath ground litter around a tree. On emerging in the spring, adults feed on the bark of pine seedlings or the terminals and twigs of larger trees. Trees up to 1.5 cm in diameter are sometimes girdled and killed. The weevils usually feed at night and hide in the soil around trees during the day. Adults are attracted to freshly cut stumps or weakened pines. Females lay eggs beneath the bark, in the roots of stumps, dead trees or dying trees. Larvae hatch and feed primarily in the roots for six to eight weeks before pupating. The pupal stage lasts two to four weeks, depending on temperature.

 


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Friday, September 19, 2008

Snapping Turtle



We found this critter about to cross the road up by the gate. The dogs thought they wanted to give the snapping turtle a bad time. Little did they know they would have come out losers.


The van is pretty much loaded and we are ready to head out toward Springfield, IL, Friday morning. Going to do a little trading with the natives.
Edwards Place Fine Arts Fair


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Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Raccoon




On our routine walk Sunday afternoon we came across a couple of young raccoons playing in an open area up by the gate. The coons quickly scampered up nearby trees. One climbed up out of sight amongst the leaves. The other stopped in a tree fork and watched us watching him.


As you have no doubt noticed, my blogging activities (posting, visiting, commenting, replying, etc.) have been very sparse recently. I'd like to promise that situation is going to improve soon and I'll be getting back to more frequent posting, but that is not the case. This is the busiest time of year for the Treenware and Pottery crafts business Jo and I operate. We are currently at the end of a period of peak, last-minute production and will soon begin traveling to art fairs. It will be another month or so before I am even home long enough to post regularly. Until then, posting, visiting and commenting on a catch-as-catch-can basis is the best I can do. Once again life intrudes upon blogging.


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Friday, September 12, 2008

Mushroom

Mushroom


(Photo by Jo)
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With all the rain we've had recently, mushroom are really starting to pop up all over the place.  And, they say more rain is on the way. 
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Monday, September 08, 2008

Fungus Kills Grasshoppers

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Late June and early July of 2007 were warm (typical) and wet (atypical).  One result of these warm and moist conditions was a fungi population boom.   I don't know if I've ever seen so many mushrooms on the forest floor and alongside the road.  Another result was a lot of dead grasshoppers.  As it turned out, a fungus was also responsible for killing the grasshoppers.
As I understand it, the grasshopper killing fungal spores are always present, but under the right warm and moist conditions, they too experience a population boom and corresponding increase in the rate of grasshopper mortality.  I've noticed maybe a half dozen grasshoppers in the typical fungal death pose this past summer.  In 2007, I'd see four or five per day.
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An interesting aspect of the grasshopper fungus is that as it multiplies within the hopper's body, the fungal infection causes the grasshopper to climb as far as it can get toward the top of a plant stem or stalk where it holds on tenaciously even after death.  Fungal spores are released as the dead grasshopper's body decomposes.  Being high on a stem or stalks helps the wind borne spores spread over a wider area.
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Saturday, September 06, 2008

Tomato Hornworm Bearing Braconid Wasp Parasites

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A Good Tobacco (Tomato) Hornworm
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The Tobacco (Tomato) Hornworm (Manduca sexta) shown above is covered with pupal cocoons of a Braconid wasp. The female wasp lays her eggs inside the body of the hornworm. When they hatch the wasp larvae eat the hornworm from the inside out. When the wasp larvae are ready to pupate into adults, they emerge from the hornworm's body and spin these silken cocoons. The Braconid wasps will soon emerge from these cocoons as adults. The hornworn may still be capable of limited movement, but it's innards have been consumed by the wasp larvae and it will soon die.

Hornworms found covered with wasp cocoon should not be killed, but allowed to live -- for just a little while longer -- so the Braconid wasps can complete their life cycle and then paraticize more hornworms.

I have found cocoon covered hornworms a couple of times in the past, but it has been several years. Friday evening I found four paraticized hornworms on one tomato plant. Conditions must be just right for a Braconid wasp population boom.
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Friday, September 05, 2008

Fiery Searcher (Calosoma scrutator)

Photo taken 7/7/08
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Fiery Searcher (Calosoma scrutator)
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This brilliant, metallic green beetle is sometimes found in large numbers during the Arkansas spring, being attracted to lights at night. It may cause alarm because of its large size (it reaches 1 - 1½" in length) and the odor it emits to ward off predators and intruding humans. The wing covers have many fine longitudinal furrows that are beset with tiny punctures, and each cover has a reddish-copper border. The head, pronotum, and legs are deep metallic blue or purple, and the pronotum has a gold margin. Imprudent handlers could receive an unwelcome nip from the hefty mandibles. However, Calosoma scrutator is a highly beneficial species that climbs trees in search of caterpillar prey. Although the beetles are active from May to November, they seem to be especially numerous in May after trees are fully leaved out and while the spring flush of caterpillars is ravaging the foliage. Adults winter over, and they live up to 3 years. Eggs are placed one at a time in soil. Larvae also hunt caterpillars and climb trees and shrubs in search of prey. They pupate in earthen cells.

 
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Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Passionflower Flea Beetle (Disonycha discoidea)


Passionflower Flea Beetle (Disonycha discoidea)
Adult flea beetles are leaf skeletonizers, meaning that they riddle a leaf with holes as they eat it.  Flea beetles have enlarged femora (upper leg segments) on their hind legs and jump just like a flea when disturbed or threatened.  They take one big leap and are gone.  This action is known to provoke would be photographers into uttering a few choice words and phrases.

Not surprisingly, the Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) is the primary host plant for the passionflower flea beetle, although it is not known if it is their exclusive food source.
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Monday, September 01, 2008

Please Tell Me Why




Hardly a growing season day passes without Jo and I cussing or discussing cottontail rabbits. We are either complaining about the veggies they've eaten or plotting strategies to keep them from eating our produce.

So why are we letting this nest of bunnies Jo found while weeding continue living in our strawberry bed? Evidently, rationality (and, perhaps, even sanity) isn't one of our strong points.

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