Tag: insects

A Memory & Learning Something New on a Bridge

Posted in Bike paths, blogging, environment, history, Travel, writingTagged , , , , 1 Comment

The bridge is the only pedestrian-bridge across NY’s Hudson River, known as “Walkway over the Hudson”. In 1979, this Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places; 2016, inducted into the Rail Trail Hall of Fame. Great re-purposing of the railroad bridge as many people now walk or bicycle across.

Four years ago my best friend and I visited this bridge as I had written about in previous posts. Since her death 3 years ago, I have walked the bridge each time I travel to the east coast. While I walk from gate to gate, just over a mile each way, I remind myself of good times we had during the 40 years we were friends. Wonderful memories! I am continually grateful for that friendship.

I love learning new things everyday. This time I discovered an elevator from Upper Landing Park area to the bridge! I rode it and had a nice chat with its operator. I learned locals use the bridge to get from home to work on opposite sides of the river. Saved time and no gasoline as they walked or cycled over the walkway.

While walking the bridge I saw a young boy stepping on an insect, and then another and another. Sometimes the insect would jump before the boy could step on it, but in the next second, the boy got it. Not recognizing the insect, I used iNaturalist app to identify the insect. A spotted lanternfly!! I read about these invasive planthoppers and the destruction they can cause fruit trees and trees for our lumber industry. No doubt this young boy was doing a great removal service!

Quite a walk on the bridge … 

Walkway over the Hudson. Some people use the bridge as part of their commute to work!
Spotted lanternfly. Wings spread… then red color can be seen

Who’s On The Plants?

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Spider, butterfly and fly!

I love seeing a spider’s web! Such industrious work goes into creating a web to capture their prey that I simply admire the work done by spiders. Then I want to find the spider! In my perfect world I would have loved to have sprayed the web with some water so I could photograph it better, but I did not want to harm any of the work this spider was doing and actively working on. With the help of iNaturalist app, I have identified this spider as a western spotted orb weaver. Notice the spiral wheel-shaped web, orb, used to capture other insect prey.

Notice the spokes of the web.
Notice the silk.

As I was looking at nearby plants, I noticed another insect. Butterflies are a challenge to photograph; however, this one was slow in the heat of the day so I took advantage of that. This is a common gray hairstreak. They are found throughout North America and only live 3-4 weeks on average.

Butterflies appear in many myths around the world with the butterfly as a spirit guide. Depending on the stage of its metamorphosis there can be various meanings. Overall, they remind us to expand our awareness and insight, done in many ways such as: reading, travel, art and in healthy relationships with others who encourage us to grow and be better versions of ourselves.

I then thought I was seeing a bee, yet it was a type of hoverfly. Three hundred species of these Copestylum flies exist. Four of the species exist outside America having probably been introduced inside cacti. This is a Copestylum marginatum:

So they are the insects on the plants today, but tomorrow is a new day! Take time to notice the insects making use of or enjoying your yard of plants. No insecticides are used on our property so we can enjoy a variety of insects! They are important animals in the overall web of life and need to survive even for their short lifetime!

Is It a Bird?

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While weeding in our backyard I am often distracted by whatever living thing is moving around in the area. Often it’s a bird and I have wished my camera was available. On this day I decided to bring my camera out back where I needed to work.

I saw caterpillars and other crawling bugs among the weeds. In the air, plenty of yellow moths and colorful butterflies, but I was most interested in a larger flyer … a hummingbird moth! The couple of them flying around our desert willow tree, while I worked, enticed me to pick up my camera. An easy choice … time for a break and my camera was nearby! Perfect!

Here are a few photos of this hummingbird moth.

It looks like a bird, but it is a moth; technically named a white-lined sphinx (Hyles lineata)! And now you know!

Cicadas Sound Like A Buzz-saw!

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Traveling through midwest USA to the eastern coast, one could not help hearing the nuisance noise of cicadas and see thousands of them descending on a square meter of land. Brood X cicadas emerge every 17 years. Through the month of June and by now many are dying off. These periodical cicadas spent many years feeding on tree-root fluid, and have now emerged, mated, laid eggs and soon all will be quiet again.

While many of us are buzzed-out with the cicada noise, let’s remember the good things about cicadas. A female cicada can lay 500 eggs on new tree leaves and those young ones provide natural tree pruning. The holes in the ground provide natural aeration and cicadas are food for birds and other animals. Finally, when they die they are natural fertilization for trees.

In Arizona, we have 50 of the 3,000 species of cicadas in the world and these cicadas are annual cicadas, not the periodical cicadas of Brood X. When I hear cicadas in Arizona, I know 100 degree weather is not far behind.