Another Wren Update

The eggs have hatched and the wrens are feeding young. We couldn't get a really good look at the chicks without disturbing them too much, but they are in there waiting to be fed.

Another Wren Update

Banded Net-wing Beetle

Banded Net-wing Beetle (Calopteron reticulatum)

Food: Larvae and adults predaceous, according to some references. Others state that adults take plant juices, nectar, and larvae prey on small insects and mites under bark.

Life Cycle: Eggs laid on bark of dead or injured trees. Larvae feed on other insects under bark and pupate there. Moths, such as Lycomorpha, mimic these (apparently distasteful) beetles.

Source: BugGuide

Banded Net-wing Beetle

Sooty Crane Fly -- Male

Sooty Crane Fly (Tipula fuliginosa) -- Male

The male and female sooty crane flies are appear very different. (They are sexually dimorphic.)
In fact, for many years they were thought to be different species, before someone figured out they were actually male and female of the same species.

One characteristic that clearly defines the male sooty crane fly is its characteristic asymmetrical male genitalia.



See also:
BugGuide
Crane Flies of Pennsylvania

Sooty Crane Fly -- Male