Bug Squad

Bumble bee on bull thistle at Bodega Bay
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This damselfly appears framed "in the red" (a red vehicle light). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Damselflies: Long, Slender and Delicate

August 8th, 2022
If you like your insects long, slender and delicate, and resembling a flying neon needle, the damselfly is for you. Who can resist watching them and photographing them? The common blue damselfly or Northern Bluet (Enallagma cyathigerum) is as thin as a needle, a jeweled blue needle.
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A leafcutter bee, Megachile spp., rests on a leaf of milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis, in a Vacaville, Calif. garden. Both are natives. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Ever See a Leafcutter Bee Sunning Itself on a Milkweed Leaf?

August 5th, 2022
Well, that's something you don't see every day: a leafcutter bee sunning itself on a milkweed leaf. The narrowleafed milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis, beckons monarch butterflies (the host plant), aphids, praying mantids and assorted other insects, but once in a while, you'll see a leafcutter bee.
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Wide angle shot of a western spotted cucumber beetle, Diabrotica undecimpunctata, chewing a hole in a petal of a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Spotted Cucumber Beetles: They Know How to Hit the Spot

August 4th, 2022
Western spotted cucumber beetles know how to hit the spot. Make that "multiple spots." These beetles, Diabrotica undecimpunctata, are agricultural pests that feed on roots, seedlings, flowers and foliage. And they can transmit diseases.
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A crab spider administers a fatal bite on a katydid. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Tough Day for a Tettigoniid on a Tithonia

August 3rd, 2022
It was a tough day for a Tettigoniid on a Tithonia. When a katydid (Tettigoniid) encountered a crab spider on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in our garden, the katydid didn't last long. The spider administered a venomous bite and it was all over.
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