Thursday, May 6, 2010

The Bug Expedition

(click to enlarge picture)
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We have been bug hunting.  We have been unable to ID the bug on the rose petal in the upper left corner.  Can anyone help us out?  A resource we like to use is BugGuide.  We haven't been able to make a determination on this guy though. 

We had a great time watching dragonflies flitting about, letting the ladybug crawl up our arms, observing the intricacies of the orchard orb weaver's web, and gently 'petting' the cloudless sulphur caterpillar. 

No bugs were killed on this expedition. 

8 comments:

  1. NanaK: Your grandson looks so cute in that outfit. I bet he is having fun with his favorite Nana to do bug hunting! Sorry, you know I am not the person who can help you out the bug names :) I will check back in to see what others can tell you. Great pictures of the bugs! I am not able to take picture of the spider web at all, everytime I tried, it shows nothing on the picture :(

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  2. Looks to me like some kind of wasp. You might like to check out http://butterflies.heuristron.net/index.php
    It is a great reference to lots of Florida birds, bugs and butterflies.

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  3. Your grandson is so cute and what a perfect outfit for a bug expedition! We always called Son #2 "Bug" (poor kid, we still slip sometimes). That would have been a great outfit for him back then! Sorry, that's just where my mind went. Anyway, love those photos...and those bugs!

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  4. How adorable! Your garden will be a great place for your grandson to play in and experience nature...what great lasting memories. Enjoy mother's day!

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  5. Ami - We have a lot of fun finding bugs in the garden. Actually, my 5 yr. old granddaughter is the most interested. We all are learning a lot about them. Mostly I am learning that not all bugs are bad.

    sanddune - Thanks for that website. It has a lot of good info, especially the butterfly pictures.

    Floridagirl - I'm sure your son secretly loves being called by his childhood nickname. Glad I could bring back some memories.

    Susan - I do try to have all the grands get outside and observe nature. They all are suprisingly good about not stomping plants or bugs. I'm learning a lot about the creatures we find as well. Happy Mother's Day to you too!

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  6. Kay,
    We have the best time around here doing bug expeditions, too. There are plenty to check out that's for certain! Could your mystery bug be a robber fly? http://bugguide.net/node/view/26651
    They are not exactly a beneficial bug if so... but always good to know what's flying around.
    Meems

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  7. Oh dear Meems, I think you're right. That explains why he was in the butterfly garden! I usually leave the bugs alone unless I see a whole lot of them at once. (Like lubbers and slugs!)

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  8. Wow, I love the things I learn reading blogs! I'm sure I've seen quite a few robber flies in my garden and I had no idea what the are. But I can't tell from a quick look at web sites whether they should join the lubbers in bug heaven (where everything is green and there are no rock-wielding humans) or left alone to do what they do.

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Thank you for travelling down My Garden Path with me. I love hearing from you. Please leave a comment and share what is going on in your gardens.

NanaK