Monthly Archives: October 2014

Friday Cat-erpillar Blogging: Living With Spiders

Posted on October 31, 2014 by jjneal

African spiders in the genus Stegodyphus are social spiders that build communal webs. The spiders can cover a larger area with their prey and as a group, be more successful than as individuals. The store of captured insects can be … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, by jjneal, Caterpillar Blogging, Environment | 1 Comment

Living With Complexity

Posted on October 30, 2014 by jjneal

For Bees, retrieving nectar from flowers can be a challenge. Some plants have obstacles in place to limit nectar rewards to a few good pollinator species. Such obstacles present challenges to pollinators. Bumblebees are good at solving relatively simple challenges. … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, by jjneal, Environment | 2 Comments

Hymenoptera of the Past

Posted on October 29, 2014 by jjneal

The oldest Hymenopteran fossils are in the family Xyelidae. There are 65 species of extant Xyelidae, sawfly-like wasps, that feed on the pollen and nectar of conifers. The Xyelidae are most noted for their unusual leg-like antennae. Like many Hymenoptera, … Continue reading →

Posted in by jjneal, Taxonomy | Leave a comment

Halloween Pennant

Posted on October 28, 2014 by jjneal

The Halloween Pennant Dragonfly gets its name from its orange and black Halloween colors. The Pennant refers to its habit of perching on the top of tall grass or reeds where it can be seen swaying in the wind like … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, by jjneal, Environment | Leave a comment

Insect Power Drag

Posted on October 27, 2014 by jjneal

Insects are good at avoiding collisions with stationary objects. Insects are not as good at avoiding collisions with moving objects such as car windshields. Insects also collide with and stick to the blades of wind turbines. A study in 2001* … Continue reading →

Posted in by jjneal, Environment, Pest Management | 3 Comments

Posted on October 26, 2014 by jjneal

The Daily Nebraskan has a feature on Ceramics Professor and Sculptor, Jar Schepers. Schepers incorporates images from nature to create “Insectoid” sculptures. The sculpture in the photo contains recognizable insect parts including orthopteran jumping legs complete with realistic spines, spurs … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, by jjneal, Insect Inspired | 1 Comment

Managing The Ecosystem

Posted on October 25, 2014 by jjneal

The drastic decline of the Monarch population in the first half of this decade (the 2010s) combined with a longer term decline over the past 20 years has raised questions about land management practices. Why has the population declined? Several … Continue reading →

Posted in Endangered Species, Environment, News, Policy | Leave a comment