True Bugs

Dear Readers,

All through this series of insect postings I've been skirting the word "bug", which is inescapably linked with "spray" and all small things creepy that fly or crawl. Actually, "bug" means something very specific to naturalists and "true bugs" refers not to loyalty or believability but to certain physical features.

My field guide catalogs eighteen orders, or major groups, of insects. Only one of these, the hemiptera,  is technically comprised of "bugs". The hemiptera (Greek hemi 'half' + pteron 'wing') are distinguished by forewings that are leathery (protective) toward the base and membranous (better flight dynamics) toward the tip. Their sucking mouthparts separate them from beetles which are equipped with chewing mandibles and shell-like forewings that are held aside during flight rather than employed for propulsion. The hemipteran's two pairs of wings separate it from flies, of the order diptera (Greek di 'two' + pteron 'wing'), which have a single pair of observable wings.

To accurately grasp the meaning of True Bugs we have to go deeper into taxonomy. At one point "True Bugs"  referred to the entire order hemiptera. However the term is now usually applied only to a subdivision of this order called heteroptera which have certain developmental and anatomical differences from other bugs. I give you these distinctions to try to stay in the good graces of entomologically fluent readers.

And now to some portraits. The photographs that follow show the astonishing diversity of "True Bugs" as they clamber through vegetation at Halibut Point. In successive Notes you will meet other relations in the order hemiptera.

Lupine Bug, Megalotomus quinquespinosus

Clouded Plant Bug, Neurocolpus nubilus

White-margined Burrowing Bug, Sehirus cinctus

Helmeted Squash Bug, Euthochtha galeator

Lace Bug, Corythucha sp.

Big-eyed Bug, Geocoris uliginosus

Stilt Bug, Neoneides muticus

Large Milkweed Bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus

Late Bloomers

 

A menagerie of insects on goldenrod today

On a warm day in late October insects have come out of their torpor to search for sustaining flowers at Halibut Point.

Eastern Bumble Bee, Bombus impatiens

Here and there a goldenrod brightens the landscape but it is mainly asters that fulfill the nectar seekers.

Potter Wasp, Parancistrocerus perennis

The foraging insects are as varied as the species of asters.

Eastern Calligrapher Fly, Toxomerus geminatus

At least sixteen kinds of asters display their star-like inflorescences between August and October at Halibut Point.

Common  Lagoon Fly, Eristalinus aeneus

They attract at least twenty-five different species of Flower Flies, like these three, in the genus Syrphidae.

 

Narrow-headed Marsh Fly, Helophilus fasciatus

The Syrphidae are also known as Hover Flies because of their tendency to seemingly wait motionless in the air before choosing a destination.

Wide-striped Sweat Bee, Halictus farinosus

There may be a comparable number of bee species, some quite tiny, that depend on the asters' nectar and pollen.

Chinese Mantis, Tenodera sinensis

Of course where there is a chain of life animals of prey are drawn to the arena to make their own way.

Gold-marked Thread-waisted Wasp, Eremnophila aureonotata

Many creatures that consume carnivorous protein early in their development change diets to plant-based food as adults.

Cabbage White, Pieris rapae

Others such as the Cabbage White are garden pests because their larvae lacerate the leaves of our crops in the cole family such as cabbage, kale, and broccoli, while in the butterfly phase they dine on nectar from flowers.

Monarch, Danaus plexippus

The aster blossoms compose a final phase in the season not only for our visual pleasure but for insects that must now migrate, hibernate, or perish from their adult stage into overwintering egg capsules.

One Man's Weed Is Another's Wildflower

Anything that grows spontaneously, prolifically, and without a name is likely to arouse doubts in an orderly mind. Now doubts are variable in their impact. Doubts can lead to joyous discovery, harmless dismissal, or urgent annihilation. 

"Is that a weed or a plant?" is a question sometimes posed to landscape professionals. Whenever life hangs in the balance, a pause may be in order. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson mulled over the question not far from here, two centuries ago. "What is a weed?" he asked himself, and answered, "a plant whose virtues have never been discovered."

The White Fir stump, April 2021

This spring a prominent patch of dirt appeared where the fir tree had been decapitated by landscape developments at Halibut Point. (see Majesty Crushed) The dirt looked forlorn as the surrounding meadow came to life. Human effort did not provide an immediate improvement. But nature, we know, abhors a vacuum. That truth rings disturbingly in its Latin roots: "Horror vacui." The Greek antecedent has been attributed to Aristotle.

Carey's Smartweed, Persicaria careyi

Finally, summer greenery sprouted spontaneously on the bare soil from invisible seeds. One of the ardent volunteer plants reached 4 feet tall, 6 feet across. It was covered with purple-white flowers in August and September. Carey's Smartweed is its name. 'Smartweed' set off a train of notions in my mind about intelligence.

Honeybee

The Smartweed's flower buds are suffused with rosy violet tones. Once open they become pure white and honeybees sip from their cups. Many other insects are also attracted to the nectar. The flowers are about an eighth of an inch across.

Pure Green-Sweat Bee, Augochlora pura

Thick-legged Hover Fly, Syritta pipiens

Obscure Sap Beetle, Conotelus obscurus

Maize Calligrapher, Toxomerus politus

Crabronidae wasp, Astata unicolor

Great Golden Digger Wasp, Sphex ichneumoneus

Feather-legged Fly, Trichopoda pennipes

The virtues of Smartweed whether encoded or discovered appealed greatly to the late summer insect population of Halibut Point.

Predator Perils, By Web

Entrapped insect

Dewdrops accentuate the fatal filaments that web-weaving spiders deploy to catch their prey.

An enmeshed Wide-footed Treehopper Campylenchia latipes

Under most conditions the sticky strands would be imperceptible to insects flying by.

When a hapless victim does become enmeshed the resident spider rushes out of hiding to subdue it. The spider crosses the web freely along adhesive-free lines interlaced with the adhesive ones.

A Common Stretch Spider Tetragnatha extensa consuming a dragonfly

The spider often anchors its prey with additional cords before feeding.

A Twice-stabbed Lady Beetle Chilocorus stigma

One day recently I came upon a Lady Beetle suspended in midair. Coming closer and changing angles revealed the silky threads that held it.

The Lady Beetle thrashed frantically. The spider failed to appear. Eventually the beetle freed itself and flew away.

Fall Fascination

For people on an early morning walk at Halibut Point spider webs are innocent and delightful, especially when adorning poison ivy.

Tuft-legged Orbweaver, Mangora placida

The spider musters bodily resources, inborn skills, and unpredictable fortunes to complete its destiny.

Predator Perils, By Ambush

Ant in the clutches of a spider

A hungry spider waits in the heart of a sunflower.

Goldenrod Crab Spider, Misumena vatia

A well camouflaged spider waits ready to snap its arms around a passing insect.

Goldenrod Crab Spider with fly

It hunts effectively without having to spin a web.

Jumping Spider, Phiddipus sp. with prey

Jumping spiders catch their prey with well-developed leg muscles and remarkable quickness.

Jagged Ambush Bug, Phymata pennsylvanica

The forelegs of Ambush Bugs foretell their outsized grasping power.

Jagged Ambush Bug with captured fly

They catch, bite, and subdue their victim with an injection of venom and digestive juices.

Jagged Ambush Bug devouring Honeybee,
Freeloader, or Jackal, Flies in attendance

Insect ambushes can draw immediate attention from adventitious carnivores like Freeloader, or Jackal, Flies which dare share the dinner of spiders, mantids and other predatory insects much larger than themselves. They seem to follow the scents exuded by killed prey rather than trailing the predators themselves. (Wikipedia)

'Freeloader' Fly Milichiidae sipping bee fluids
(detail of photo above)

Some species of Michiliidae serve a function analogous to that of cleaner wrasse and cleaner shrimp; they literally scavenge around the chelicerae (jaws) and anal openings of large spiders that cooperatively spread their wet and sticky chelicerae thus allowing the flies to feed actively all over the bases, fangs and mouth. (Wikipedia)

Chinese Mantis Tenodera sinensis captures Bumblebee

A "praying" mantis is the apex ambushing insect at Halibut Point. It's name might aptly be spelled "preying."

Chinese Mantis devouring prey (detail)

Seen up close from a bee's perspective, the statuesque mantis is fiercely equipped and armored.

And so the jostling goes on in the insect's world of life and death. In the human realm civilization aspires with mixed outcomes to smooth the rough edges.

Predator Perils, By Wing

 The insect world is a busy place of eating and being eaten.

Blue Dasher dragonfly

Dragonflies come by their name from their fearsome maneuvers, not their glittering colors. Their legs form a fatal basket for clutching prey in midair.

Robber Fly with captured Greenbottle Fly

Similarly the robber fly's legs are better adapted to snatching than to walking.

Green Heron with captured dragonfly

Of course even the fast and the fearsome can never let their own guard down.

Eastern Yellowjacket dismembering prey

Generally mild-mannered creatures can become ferocious during a brief period in their lifespan when they need to provide protein to their young.

Bald-faced Hornet on patrol

Blossoms of goldenrod draw nectar-seekers that in turn draw fast-flying hunters.

American Sand Wasp hunting on the wing

The intended victims are fairly well armored against attack by their hard outer shells.

Eastern Phoebe bringing home a meal

Every niche in the chain of life incorporates food for its temporal being and stays alert to its own mortal dangers.