Monthly Archives: December 2013

New Year’s Celebration

Posted on December 31, 2013 by jjneal

It’s New Year Eve. Tonight people all over the world will celebrate by propelling things into the air. Usually it’s confetti or string aided by party favors. In some places, people fire bullets into the air. This is a bad … Continue reading →

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Christmas Insects

Posted on December 30, 2013 by jjneal

On my vacations, I like to visit with nature and take photos of insects. My Christmas vacation to Gunnison, Co where night time temperatures are well below zero seemed to offer little opportunity to view active insects. But my mother-in-law … Continue reading →

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Mistaken Identity

Posted on December 29, 2013 by jjneal

The local news ran a story with headline: “Woman bites into maggots in Kashi bar”. They photographed the Kashi Bar and included a video on their website. Clearly, the insect in question was a caterpillar not a maggot. Probably, it … Continue reading →

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Beauty of the Bees

Posted on December 28, 2013 by jjneal

Problems with honey bee pollinators has increased interest in native pollinators. Pollinators are a guild which is a group of not-necessarily-related insects that share a lifestyle but may differ greatly in taxonomy. Many people who want to study pollinators lack … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, by jjneal, Environment | 1 Comment

Friday Cat-erpillar Blogging: Food Quality II

Posted on December 27, 2013 by jjneal

Many insects, if given no choice will consume some plants even if they cannot grow or develop on them. Last week I discussed how we could measure palatability with Relative Consumption Rate. That tells us how acceptable a food is … Continue reading →

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Color Advertising

Posted on December 26, 2013 by jjneal

Many flowers undergo a change in color after they are pollinated. This color change is important in the relationship between plants and their pollinators. This has been documented for the relationship between Lantana camara and two of its butterfly pollinators, … Continue reading →

Posted in by jjneal, Environment | 1 Comment

The Entomologist’s Christmas Present

Posted on December 25, 2013 by jjneal

In 1908, Elbert S. Tucker decorated his house for Christmas. Little did he know it would add to his insect collection and become a description of insects that inhabit mistletoe. Tucker writes*: While making a short trip into the country … Continue reading →

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