Harvey's Spiders N Stuff

Baldfaced Hornet - Dolichovespula maculata

2011-08-30T18:49:00.003-06:00

In mid-August B went to St. Peter's Abbey in Muenster. I decided to tag along and check for bugs to photograph. As I was wandering around one of the many beautiful gardens I met Jim who was collecting seeds from some of the flowers that had finished blooming. He told me that he had seen some hornets on one of the sunflowers. I checked it out and found these hornets crawling around holes on the stalks. They seemed to like the frothy goo that was oozing out.

Scarab Beetle - Trichiotinus assimilis

2011-07-23T19:06:00.002-06:00

At a glance one might think this is some kind of bee. That's what I first thought, but when I photographed it, I saw it was a beetle. I found this one in the flower garden.

Prairie Long-lipped Tiger Beetle - Cicindela nebraskana -

2011-06-26T19:47:00.003-06:00

This Tiger Beetle definitely has a fierce look. It somehow ended up in my lap when we were driving around looking for shorebirds in southern Saskatchewan on the May long weekend.

Primitive Minnow Mayfly - Siphlonurus alternatus

2011-03-27T20:04:00.004-06:00

This is another Mayfly from last summer.

Mayfly - Callibaetis ferrugineus hageni

2011-02-19T20:19:00.008-06:00

I'm fascinated with Mayflies and with the help of some of the experts over at Bugguide I now have a better understanding of them. They pointed me to some excellent resources. Right now I am reading a masters thesis by Jeffrey Michael Webb which can be found on the University of Saskatchewan website.

I would have never guessed that there are 675 known North American species of Mayfly; 321 of these occur in Canada, Saskatchewan having 107 species. The possibility of finding and photographing them seem limitless. It would probably take me 107 years to try and get them all. According to the thesis, Mayflies arose during the Carboniferous and are the oldest order of extant winged insects.

Most of all, I am fascinated by their eyes. I've learned that Callibaetis is one of the more sexually dimorphic species. The photos in this post are of the same species as my last post, but these are males, which have turbinate eyes (raised on a stalk), so they look different.

One of my older posts of a different species of Mayfly show just how different the eyes can be.

Mayfly - Callibaetis ferrugineus hageni

2011-02-04T18:39:00.003-06:00

I've been going through my photos from last summer. Here's a Mayfly that I'd found resting on a window screen at work.

Broad-nosed Weevil - Sitona lineellus

2010-11-20T19:11:00.003-06:00

One morning in late June I went out to pick some oregano and found what looked like a mini-hippopotamus. He looked like he was on a mission so I just took a couple of pics and let him carry on.

Montana Six-plume Moth - Alucita montana

2010-11-08T20:32:00.004-06:00

At only about 10mm in size, this little moth flutters about quite gracefully. It's only when I photographed it that I saw its real beauty and understand how it got the last part of its name.
I found this one when we were down visiting southern Saskatchewan in September.

Cream-spotted Lady Beetle - Calvia quatuordecimguttata -

2010-07-07T19:27:00.006-06:00

This lady beetle is often called the Polkadot Lady Beetle and I can see why. I found this one last week in our yard resting on the trunk of a maple. At only 5mm it's pretty tiny but sure stands out.

Golden Dung Fly - Scathophaga stercoraria

2010-05-31T13:31:00.002-06:00

On Saturday, between rains, I was working outside in the yard. I noticed lots of these guys flying around the shed, some in the compost area and others just sitting on the wall. One thing they all had in mind was making more little flies.

Six-spotted Fishing Spider - Dolomedes triton

2010-03-13T15:57:00.004-06:00

A couple weeks of warm weather in early March isn't enough to bring these beautiful spiders out as the bogs are still frozen and covered with snow, but I can hardly wait as this is one of my favorite spiders. Stopping at our favorite spots down the West Arm Road usually yields quite a few. They move across the top of the water with ease and when they feel threatened they simply flip under the leaf or log or floating weeds that they're on and remain submerged till the danger is gone, then they just pop back up on top again.

Single-lined Emerald - Nemoria unitaria and Wavy-lined Emerald - Synchlora aerata

2009-11-07T19:44:00.005-06:00

When we visit the farm I like to get up early and check out the moths that were drawn to the porch light overnight. To my delight one morning in July I found these two beautiful Emeralds.

Spotted Tussock Moth - Lophocampa maculata

2009-10-03T20:19:00.009-06:00

Just about everyone has seen these little guys crawling around in late summer. They feed on the leaves of poplar, willow, alder, birch and maple and if you touch them they roll up in a ball. The moth, on the other hand, is a little trickier to find. They come to lights, which is where I found this guy one morning. It was on the wall by the front door.

Green Lacewing - Chrysopa chi

2009-09-12T20:19:00.006-06:00

In the summer when you see a delicate-looking bug fluttering about it's probably a Green Lacewing. Sometimes if you're lucky they will land on you. I found this one flying over the lawn back in June. The weather was pretty strange this summer but there seemed to be a more than normal amount of them in our yard. One day, while filling the bird feeder, I noticed tiny lacewing eggs hanging from a willow twig. I wasn't lucky enough to see them hatch, but I did manage to find one of the larva.

Firefly - Pyractomena borealis

2009-08-17T20:13:00.003-06:00

I think everybody likes fireflies. You often see them on warm summer nights. Kind of magical. Well I found this guy sitting on the trunk of a tree at one of the usual stops on the West Arm Road. I thought, hey, a bug with a pink neck, how cool. When I found out it was a firefly, it kind of took the magical summer night image away. Oh well.

Phidippus borealis

2009-06-23T13:15:00.012-06:00

Finding a jumping spider isn't the easiest, but last week when we were out trying to relocate a tiny green orb weaver in a boggy area just off the West Arm Road, B , who has an uncanny ability to spot these little guys, found this one. I was thrilled as this is the largest jumping spider that we have in SK.

Powdered Bigwing - Lobophora nivigerata

2009-06-19T22:38:00.003-06:00

I love cryptic moths. It's amazing how well they blend in. It was cool and rainy the other day when I found this one in the yard on a poplar tree. It almost seemed sluggish which was a good thing for getting pics.

Trashline Orb Weaver - Cyclosa conica

2009-06-05T11:18:00.010-06:00

It's still pretty cold here for this time of the year. I found this guy when we were out looking for warblers on the Mystic Lake Road. Didn't see too many bugs on that trip.

Greenish Blue - Plebejus saepiolus

2009-03-14T21:23:00.001-06:00

I like all butterflies, but this is one of my favourites. It's color is hard to describe. We usually see them in early summer gathered around puddles. I found this one resting on our rose bush one evening in early July when I went out to check the webs around the house.

Leafhopper - Cuerna alpina

2009-03-05T21:02:00.004-06:00

When I first saw this leafhopper I was on my knees in the leaf litter trying to get some shots of a spider. I was amazed to see such beautiful color on something so small. If I had been just walking down the trail there is no way that I would have seen it. It really makes me appreciate how much we see if we actually get down and look. This one was down the West Arm Road which is one of our favorite places.

Common Branded Skipper - Hesperia comma

2009-03-04T19:18:00.004-06:00

I love these little guys. They seem to show up around late summer and are always fluttering along the edge of our walking trail. They seem to stop at every weed and flower along the way. I photographed this one last August.

Green Comma - Polygonia faunus

2009-03-01T20:09:00.012-06:00

Last July I found this beauty climbing up the wall of our house. I took a bunch of photos and right before my eyes it started to turn into a beautiful chrysalis. I kept it in a jar till the metamorphosis was complete, got a few more photos then opened the door and released it. I watched it fly off. Pretty amazing.

Variable Oakleaf Caterpillar Moth - Lochmaeus manteo

2008-09-04T18:22:00.003-06:00

Genus - Suillia

2008-08-24T12:43:00.007-06:00

White Furcula - Furcula borealis

2008-08-19T18:50:00.002-06:00

Dingy Cutworm - Feltia jaculifera

2008-08-17T19:14:00.003-06:00

Big-Eyed Mayfly - Stenacron interpunctatum

2008-08-03T21:07:00.005-06:00

Gladiator Meadow katydid - Orchelimum gladiator

2008-08-03T14:13:00.007-06:00

Lappet Moth - Phyllodesma americana

2008-08-02T09:45:00.002-06:00

Satin Moth - Leucoma salicis

2008-07-22T19:11:00.011-06:00

Carolina Grasshopper - Dissosteira carolina

2008-07-05T19:33:00.009-06:00

Northern Apple Sphinx - Sphinx poecila

2008-07-03T17:18:00.001-06:00

American Barred Umber - Plagodis pulveraria

2008-06-30T18:25:00.002-06:00

Large Brown Spider - Tegenaria

2008-06-28T20:02:00.003-06:00

Goldenrod Crab Spider - Misumena vatia

2008-06-14T14:57:00.005-06:00

Running Crab Spider - Philodromus rufus

2008-06-14T12:35:00.004-06:00

Chestnut Schizura - Schizura badia

2008-06-13T21:27:00.005-06:00

Crab Spider - Thomisidae sp.

2008-05-31T10:11:00.003-06:00

Red-sided Garter Snake - Thamnophis sirtalis partietalis

2008-05-16T20:40:00.018-06:00

Ya I know these aren't bugs but we stopped at the snake pit at Narcisse, Manitoba and I was able to get down on my hands and knees and get these shots.

Maple Spanworm Moth -- Ennomos magnaria

2007-09-02T19:21:00.003-06:00

Rusty Tussock Moth and Caterpillar- Orgyia antiqua

2007-08-05T12:48:00.001-06:00

Canadian Tiger Swallowtail - Papilio canadensis

2007-07-15T10:19:00.003-06:00

Luna Moth - Actias luna

2007-07-01T19:33:00.003-06:00

Jumping Spider - Evarcha proszynskii

2007-06-17T14:33:00.007-06:00

Jumping spiders are one of my favorites. They appear to have personality and seem more curious than anything. This guy kept jumping on the end of my lens as I was trying to get these shots. I found him on one of our rose bushes.

Leafhopper - Cuerna and Hahnid Spider sp.

2007-05-24T14:07:00.001-06:00

Tall Clustered Thread Moss - Bryum Pseudotriquetrum

2007-05-05T13:50:00.001-06:00

This moss can be found pretty much anywhere up here in the Boreal Forest. It prefers fens to bogs as the water is less acidic. We found these down the West Arm Road

Two-Spotted Looper - Autographa bimaculata

2007-04-01T10:39:00.002-06:00

This beautiful and bizarre looking moth was busy pollinating the Delphiniums. There were at least a half a dozen of them going from flower to flower.

Deer Fly - Chrysops venus

2007-03-16T20:13:00.002-06:00

Trying to bite through my jeans while we were sitting outside.

Mexican Tiger Moth - Notarctia proxima

2007-03-07T16:01:00.001-06:00

Molts

2007-03-03T16:54:00.001-06:00

Cat-faced Spider -- Araneus gemmoides

2007-02-25T07:46:00.003-06:00

Wolf Spider sp.

2007-02-25T07:45:00.003-06:00

Wolf Spider sp.

2007-02-25T07:44:00.005-06:00

Wolf Spider - Hogna

2007-02-25T07:41:00.001-06:00

Running Crab Spider - Philodromidae

2007-02-25T07:40:00.001-06:00

Ground Crab Spider - Xysticus

2007-02-25T07:39:00.001-06:00

Not all crab spiders are this grumpy looking. This male is probably just waiting for a female to come along. :-)

Long-jawed Orbweaver - Tetragnatha

2007-02-25T07:38:00.003-06:00

This tiptoeing spider was doing everything possible to catch a breeze and get a free flight to somewhere else.

Asian Jumping Spider - Sitticus fasciger

2007-02-25T07:36:00.003-06:00

Jumping Spider sp.

2007-02-25T07:35:00.002-06:00

Jumping Spider sp.

2007-02-25T07:34:00.001-06:00

Marbled Orbweaver - Araneus marmoreus

2007-02-25T07:33:00.005-06:00

Bold Jumping Spider - Phidippus audax

2007-02-25T07:30:00.001-06:00

I got a call from my sister who is the produce manager at the local grocery store, saying there was a spider on some grapes that came in. I quickly went and picked it up and thanks to Bugguide I knew it was a docile little jumping spider and that it also eats crickets. Since we were heading to the city, I bought it some and lunch was served.

Goldenrod Crab Spider - Misumena vatia

2007-02-25T07:29:00.003-06:00

Orb Weaver sp.

2007-02-25T07:28:00.001-06:00

Crab Spider - Bassaniana utahensis

2007-02-25T07:27:00.001-06:00

Social Cobweb Weaver sp.

2007-02-25T07:26:00.001-06:00