Vernal: A Spring Photo Project (Day 31 through Day 40)

As of yesterday (28 April 2019) I'm forty days into my Spring photography project.  My plan is to photograph something in nature every single day.  This means that I have to go outdoors every single day no matter how busy I am. Sometimes I only have ten minutes available, on other days I may spend a couple of hours.  No matter how much time I have it's always worth it.  You can check out the first three sets of images at the following links:

Day 1 through Day 10

Day 11 through Day 20

Day 21 through Day 30


Over the last ten days spring has finally begun to look like spring.  There are so many more things to photograph now - insects, birds, gardens, wildflowers, unfurling leaves, and more!  The challenge now become choosing which photograph will be used to represent each day.  Tough choices need to be made, some photographs that I really loved just didn't make the cut... Here are the next ten images that did.

Day 31 (19 April 2019) - Bud Burst

This photograph was taken at Chipp-A-Waters Park in Mt. Pleasant.  Much of the park is in the floodplain of the Chippewa River.  Boxelder (Acer negundo) is one of the common trees found in the floodplain.  It is also one of the first trees species in the area to develop leaves.  I love the pale green of this stage as well as the overall "fuzziness" of the newly forming leaves.

Day 32 (20 April 2019) - Mission Point Beach

Over the weekend of April 19th - 21st, we took a trip to Traverse City to celebrate Shara's birthday.  One of our favorite locations in the area is Lighthouse Park at the tip of the Old Mission Peninsula.  We visit this park almost every time we are in Traverse City love photographing the lighthouse and the lake.  The lake looks appealing right now, but the water is still COLD...

Day 33 (21 April 2019) - Bloodroot

This photograph was taken in our home (mostly) native pollinator garden.  Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is one of the earliest woodland wildflowers in mid-Michigan.  We have it planted along the porch on the east side of our house - it gets lots of morning sun, but it shaded by midday.  This clump started as a single plant.  Our early native bees are very successful at pollinating and then ants help disperse the seeds.  The ants consume a fleshy coating on the seed (known as an eliasome) and then discard the seed itself in their garbage heaps.

I tried several formats for this picture, but I think the square crop looks the best.  I did adjust the brightness on this image to tone down the whites a little bit.  The same adjustment allows the greens to become more prominent.

Day 34 (22 April 2019) - Sleepy bee

This photograph was taken during a walk at Mission Creek Woodland Park.  This queen common eastern bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) had only recently emerged from hibernation.  She was busy foraging for nectar on wildflowers and searching for the perfect site to establish her nesting colony.  All that work is tiring on a cool spring day.  Sometimes the best thing to do is to nap in the sun and recharge.  That's what this lady is doing in the picture, snuggling up to that downed branch and waiting for the annoying human to go away so she could sleep in peace.

Day 35 (23 April 2019) - The Boys' Club

I noticed this trio of mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) drakes cavorting together on the Chippewa River at Chipp-A-Waters Park.  Either these three drakes have not paired up with hens or their hens were sitting on nests somewhere nearby as these enjoyed some time male bonding time.  As I watched them they repeated splashed themselves with water, groomed their feathers and scratched themselves.  I took about a dozen photos of the group with this being my favorite.  I did crop this down to a widescreen (16:9) format to remove the far riverbank at the top of the picture and some open water at the bottom.

Day 36 (24 April 2019) - Gooseberry

I photographed this gooseberry plant (Ribes sp.) at the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy's Sylvan Solace preserve.  Without flowers or fruit I can't be exactly sure which species it is, but my guess is prickly gooseberry (Ribes cynosbati).  I like this image because of the way the backlighting shows off the hairs on the leaves and the overall simplicity of the image.  I do wish the background  had been all dark.  Again this image seemed to work best as a square crop.

Day 37 (25 April 2019) - Spring Beauty

These spring beauty (Claytonia virginica) flowers were photographed at Mission Creek Woodland Park.  From a distance the overall impression of spring beauty is that the flowers are white or pale pink.  Up close you can make out the pink or purple stripes on the petals (nectar guides) and the pink tipped stamen. 

Day 38 (26 April 2019) - Flying Dutchmen

I photographed these Dutchman's breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) flowers at Chipp-A-Waters Park.  This park has long been my favorite location for spring woodland wildflowers.  It's name comes from the shape of the flowers - they look like little pairs of pants hanging upside down from the ankles.

Day 39 (27 April 2019) - Norway Maple Flowers

Norway maples (Acer platanoides) is not native to Michigan, but it has naturalized across the state.  It is currently flowering throughout mid-Michigan.  I photographed these flowers at Mill Pond Park.  Yesterday I noticed a flock of cedar waxwings feeding on the flowers in the to Norway maples in my front yard - amazingly that picture didn't make the list.

Day 40 (28 April 2019) - Beetles are pollinators too!

Picking a photograph for yesterday was tough.  I had a photo of cedar waxwings feeding on maple flowers.  I also photographed a bronzed tiger beetle on the trail at Chipp-A-Waters Park and a closeup of a bloodroot flower.  Any of these could have been selected, but my favorite image of the day was this one of a beetle on a yellow trout lily (Erythronium americanum).

Native Species Profile - Red Milkweed Beetle

During summer the woods and fields of Mid-Michigan are filled with thousands of buzzing, crawling, and flying insects; winter is dull in comparison.  Insects may be the thing I miss most about summer.  

One of the best places to find summer insects is on Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca).  Everyone knows that Common Milkweed is a host plant for the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus), but is also host to many other insects.  My favorite of these is the Red Milkweed Beetle (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus).  

Red Milkweed Beetle - note warning coloration of red with black spots

Red Milkweed Beetles can be found anywhere Common Milkweed grows.  Like the Monarch Butterfly, the Red Milkweed Beetle is able to consume milkweeds without being affected by the toxins that the milkweed produces.  Instead it stores the toxins within its own body and uses them as a chemical defense of its own (as does the Monarch).  Also like the Monarch, the Red Milkweed Beetle advertises these toxin by displaying  warning colors: red or orange-red with black spots.  These warning colors are also known as aposematic coloration.

Mating Red Milkweed Beetles

Red Milkweed Beetles are also known as Four-eyed Milkweed Beetles.  Each of their compound eyes is bissected by its antennae, giving the appearance that the beetle has four eyes.  

These beetles are commonly found in mid- to late-summer as they feed and mate on Common Milkweed.  After mating, eggs are laid on the plant's stem near ground level. The beetles overwinter as larvae in the roots of milkweed plants, pupate in spring, and then emerge as adults.  As adults, these beetles measure 0.3 - 0.6 inches long.

Red Milkweed Beetle (AKA Four-eyed Milkweed Beetle)

Basic Information

Red Milkweed Beetle 
Tetraopes tetrophthalmus

Size: 0.3 - 0.6 inches long (8 - 15 mm)

Color:  red or orange-red with dark spots

Habitat:  Found wherever Common Milkweed grows

Eats:  Milkweeds, especially Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca); Dogbane

What's this bug? - Locust Borer

One of the common features of my job is that people are always asking me to identify things they have found in the wild.  If someone walks into the office carrying a jar, I can be assured that I am going to be asked to identify an insect.  I am not an professional entomologist (someone who studies insects), but I try to help if I can.  With that in mind, I am going to start a semi-regular feature of this blog on insect identification.

So... What's this bug?

Locust Borers exhibit a type of mimicry known as Batesian mimicry.  This means that they are harmless, but look like something dangerous (such as a wasp)

First of all, the animal pictured is a beetle not a "bug".  Both beetles and bugs are insects - animals with an exoskeleton, three body segments (head/thorax/abdomen), and six legs.  Bugs are a certain type of insect (shield shaped body, wings that cross over to form an x-shaped pattern while at rest, and a piercing mouth used for sucking juices), but the word "bug" is often used to mean any insect regardless of species.  Unlike bugs, beetles have a mouth designed for chewing.  Beetles have two pairs of wings, but the outer pair of wings have hardened into a protective covering for the soft inner pair.  This hard outer pair of wings is known as elytra (singular is elytron).

So we have established that this insect is a beetle, but which one?

Specifically, it is a Locust Borer (Megacyllene robiniae).

Locust Borer feeding on goldenrod pollen.

Locust Borers are named because their larvae bore (tunnel) into and through the wood of Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) trees.  In small Black Locust trees this tunneling may actually kill the tree.  The adult can be found in the fall feeding on pollen, especially goldenrod pollen.

The tree and beetle are probably not native to Michigan.  The tree was introduced in the 1800s and often grown for use as fence posts due to its natural rot resistance.  The beetle was likely introduced at the same time.

With its yellow and black color scheme, the Locust Borer is easy to see.  This might seem like it would be a bad thing.  It's easy to see so birds and other predators should be able to pick it off.  Instead these colors act as a form of protection.  By mimicking the color pattern of bees and wasps, this harmless beetle is protected from animals that would be wary of a wasp's sting.  This type of mimicry is known as Batesian mimicry.

Happy Pollinator Week (19 - 25 June 2017)

Beetles, a lesser known (but important) pollinator

Happy National Pollinator Week!

On September 21st, 2006 the United States Senate passed a resolution designating the last full week in June as National Pollinator Week.  The first Pollinator Week was celebrated 24 - 30 June 2007.  The goal of National Pollinator Week is to highlight and celebrate the valuable ecosystem services provided by bees, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, birds, bats and other pollinators.  2017 marks the eleventh year of celebration.

If you would like to know more about National Pollinator Week (and its primary sponsor the Pollinator Partnership) click here.

If you live in mid-Michigan,  I have free National Pollinator Week posters (featuring Monarch Butterfly migration) available at the Isabella Conservation District offices at 5979 E. Broadway, Mt. Pleasant.  Otherwise, posters can be ordered from the Pollinator Partnership.

Holiday field guide gift guide - 16 guides for 2016 (part 2)

Field Guides to Insects

5.  Pollinators of Native Plants:  Attract, Observe and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants by Heather Holm (ISBN 9780991356300).

If you already own a bunch of field guides to plant you probably spend a lot of time looking at plants.  If you spend a lot of time looking at plants you probably see lots of insects.  You might even wonder what the insects are and why you see different ones on different flowers.  If this describes you, then you want to own this book.

I heard the author of this book speak at the 2016 Wildflower Association of Michigan Conference and bought the book the same day.  It is the first book that I am aware of that talks specifically about the associations between native plants and their pollinators.  Although the book is limited in scope with only sixty-five plant species being featured, it includes more than 1600 photographs of flowers and insects!

This flower species in this book are arranged by habitat type.  Each species of plant is given a spread of two (or more) pages that includes a description of the plant, range map, flowering period, and habitat requirements, as well as a list of pollinator species (with photographs).  If you want to plant wildflowers as habitat for bees and butterflies, this is a must-have.  The book was published by Pollination Press LLC and retails for about $30.

6.  Butterflies of Michigan Field Guide by Jaret C. Daniels (ISBN9781591930983)

At some point you might want to know more about a specific group of insects.  Butterflies are a great place to start - there are only 147 species that are likely to be found in Michigan. 


I like this book because each species has its own two page spread.  The information provided includes detailed description, as well as a range map, a list of larval host plants, a calendar showing when it can be encountered, and a list of comparable species.  There are also pictures of both adults and larva - several entries in the book to not have larval photographs.  Another feature that I really like about this book is that the butterflies are divided by color - if a species has more than one color morph it is listed in more than one section.  This sensible approach to identification is something that you usually do not see outside of wildflower books, but it works well for butterflies.

Unlike some of the other books on this list, this is a true "field" guide.  It is small enough (about 5 inches by 7 inches) and light enough to stick in your back pocket and carry all day. The book was published by Adventure Publications in 2005.  It retails for under $20.  I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about Michigan's butterfly species as well as anyone interested in observing the relationship between insects and native plants.

7.  Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America by David Beadle and Seabrooke Leckie (ISBN 9780547238487).

If butterflies are too easy (There are only 147 Michigan species after all!), it may be time to try your hand at moth identification.  I was really excited back in 2011 when I found out that this book was in development.  I was so excited that I asked for it for Christmas in 2012 - Thanks Shara!

Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the moths in this book are arranged by family.  There is a color photograph for each species, with arrows pointing to distinguishing marks.  There is also a brief description and range map for each species.  If you are not familiar with all of the different types of moths, the book can be daunting to use - there are nearly 1500 species depicted in this guide.  Even so, this guide is worth having because of the breadth of species that it covers.  At $29 it is a reasonable price for such an extensive resource.

8.  Caterpillars of Eastern North America: A Guide to Identification and Natural History by David L. Wagner (ISBN 9780691121444)

Published by the Princeton University Press in 2005, this book has all the qualities of a book you would expect from a guide published by a well-renowned university.  It is extensive (more than 700 species), well illustrated with photographs of both caterpillar and their adult forms, and well researched.  Each species description includes information information on range, season, and host plants as well as a detailed description of each species.

The book is slightly too large to carry in your pocket (5 inches by 8 inches).  It is also quite heavy - it is printed on a heavy paper and runs more than 500 pages.  It is however the best guide to caterpillars that I own, so I do frequently carry it in my backpack while out in the field.  Priced at under $25, this is a great edition to the bookshelf of any nature nut or gardener who wants to know what is eating their plants.

9.  A Guide to Common Freshwater Invertebrates of North America by J. Reese Voshell, Jr. (ISBN 9780939923878)

If you would rather wade in swamps and river than chase butterflies through fields, this might be the book for you.  I spend much of the spring working with students to catch and identify aquatic insects (and other macroinvertebrates).  Although I can identify most of the things that we find by sight, this is the book that I use if I want more detailed information.


Although much of the book is devoted to aquatic insects, there are also sections on mollusks (clams and mussels), gastropods (snails), annelids (worms), crustaceans (crayfish, shrimp, etc.), and more.  The book starts with a discussion of aquatic ecology and the roles, life histories, and pollution tolerance of various groups of aquatic invertebrates.  It also provides a  description of collection methods for various organisms and habitats.   There is a separate section of color illustrations which is useful for identification.  The main part of the book is devoted to detailed descriptions of the various organisms.

Published by the McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company in 2002, this book currently sells for nearly $40.  It is a valuable resource for citizen ecologists, fishermen, and anyone interested in what is going on beneath the surface of any body of freshwater.  Despite the hefty price, I highly recommend this book.

10.  Beetle of Eastern North America by Arthur V. Evans (ISBN 9780691133041)

Among other things, I am a beetle fanatic.  When I heard that this book was being published in 2014 I could hardly wait to buy it.  I was not disappointed.

Another book by the Princeton University Press, it is simply the best beetle identification book available for the eastern United States and Canada.  By no stretch of the imagination is this a field guide - it measures 8 inches wide by 10 inches long and has over 550 pages.  Photographs and description of more than 1400 species are included in this book.  It is almost as much a coffee table book as it is field guide - the photographs of the individual beetles are often stunning.  I can admit to looking through this book for hours.  At $35, this book is an incredible value for its size and scope.  I cannot recommend it highly enough.  Any naturalist would be excited to receive this as a holiday gift.

The species in the book are arrange by family - all 115 families found east of the Mississippi River are represented in the book.  Each section of the book begins with a general description of the family and is followed by detailed descriptions of individual species.

That's it for field guides to insects and other invertebrates.  Look for Part 3 (field guides to other animals) later this week.

At home in the (mostly) native pollinator garden

I refer to the gardens that I have planted at schools as Native Pollinator Gardens for two reasons.  First, they contain only native plants.  Second, the plants in the gardens were selected to attracts native pollinators such as butterflies, mason and leafcutter bees, bumble bees, and more.

Our garden at home is a (mostly) native pollinator garden.  Not every plant in the garden is native - maybe 70% is native, the rest are not.  Some of the plants were already here when we bought the house (hostas, irises, grape hyacinth, Siberian Squill), others we planted because they filled a need (Japanese maples in front of the house replaced Rose of Sharon and Boxwood), and some we planted just because we like them (tulips!).

The star of the show remains the native plants, especially this time of year.  Our garden is currently full of asters and goldenrods.  The pollinators love them.  Yesterday afternoon while the sun was shining, the number of wild honeybees in our yard probably numbered at least 200 at any given time; bumblebees numbered as many as two dozen at once.  Add in the flies, beetles, butterflies, and the sphinx moth that was buzzing around just before dark and it was a very busy place.

False Solomon's Seal berries

Big-leaf Aster

Three-lobed Coneflower takes front and center

The garden is a certified Monarch Waystation

Honey bees (and a fly) on Cut-leaved Coneflower

New England Asters - the current star of the show

Bumblebee on a Stiff Goldenrod

Shades of purple and gold

The garden is reaching outside its borders into the lawn

Zigzag Goldenrod guards the front steps

Turtlehead

 

Violets and Maidenhair Fern

Zigzag Goldenrod

No room! Go away!

Give me some sugar, little honey bee!

Honeybee and Spotted Cucumber Beetle on New England Aster

Native Species Profile - Goldenrod Soldier Beetle

Goldenrod Soldier Beetle - a bee/wasp mimic, note the yellow and black striped abdomen

In late summer and early fall it is common to see dozens of bees gathered on goldenrods, asters, and other prairie plants.  If you look closely you might discover that not all of the "bees" are really bees.  Many are mimics that use the aposematic coloring (warning colors) of bees or wasps to deter predators from attacking them.  One of the more common bee mimics that can be found in Mid-Michigan is the Goldenrod Soldier Beetle (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus).

Goldenrod Soldier Beetle - note the dark spots on each elytra and the pronotum

The Goldenrod Soldier Beetle is a mid-sized beetle for Mid-Michigan, measuring about 1/2 inch in length.  It is yellow and black in color with prominent black stripes on its abdomen, a black spot on each elytra (leathery outer wings), and a black spot on the pronotum (plate covering the upper surface of its thorax).

This species is typically found in mid- to late summer and fall.  Adults are usually found on goldenrods and other flowering plants where they feed on nectar and pollen.  Look for them them along roadsides, in parks, old fields, meadows, and prairies.

Basic Information

Goldenrod Soldier Beetle
Chauliognathus pensylvanicus

Size: up to 1/2" long

Habitat:  prairies, meadows, old fields, roadsides, parks

Eats:  adults eat nectar and pollen; larvae eat insect eggs and larvae