For the Little Creatures

North American wheel bug (Arilus Cristatus)

The largest assassin bug in North America!

Assassin bugs are predatory insects that are a welcome sight to any garden, killing pests like caterpillars and Japanese beetles. They do this by biting their prey and injecting digestive and paralytic through their specialized mouthparts, before slurping up the now-liquified contents.

They’re also notable for their very painful bite; luckily, assassin bugs are skittish by nature, and prefer to avoid conflict rather than get into fights. As long as you don’t actively harass them, they’re perfectly safe to view up close!

Apparently, assassin bugs are big fans of goldenrod and fruit-bearing trees, which might explain why I found this guy just a few minutes away from a huge field of the former. Goldenrod is, to my surprise, a very popular plant among species active in late summer/early fall; perhaps because it is one of the most common flowers to bloom during this time.

Is that a crab? Wow.

I have awoken from my months-long fugue state to bring you this critical information.

Crabs are not insects-in fact they're more closely related to spiders-but I still feel obligated to post about them.

Making their earliest appearance some 200 million years ago, crabs are some of the most populous crustaceans on Earth, with over 7,000 recorded species. That's far more than the number of shrimp species, at 2,000, and far, FAR more than the mere 800 known species of lobster. Isopods, however, manage to outpace all of them, with a record-shattering 10,000 species.

Crabs can be found basically anywhere-they live in every ocean on earth, as well as many bodies of freshwater, and even on land (though they do tend to spend most of their lives near water, as they breathe through gills, and these gills must be at least moist to work).

Crabs can vary incredibly wildly both in size and appearance, but most species can be

characterized by their five pairs of legs and large pincers on their front most pair of claws.

I wasn't kidding when I said they vary greatly in size, by the way. The smallest known species of crab, the pea crab, is a mere 4 millimeters wide, while the largest known species, the Japanese spider crab, has a leg span of several meters.

Crabs are famous for the process known as

'carcinisation, where a species of animal evolves into a form closely resembling a crab. Examples of this include the king crab and the porcelain crab, neither of which are true crabs but get to keep the name anyway so as to not feel left out.

I don't know what the species of this guy is. I'm not a crabologist.

Anyway, that's all for now. See you all in March!

(Ignore my extremely disgusting cuticle)

An incredibly small weevil I discovered while collecting acorns for replanting. I am unsure of the exact species; given that I found it among hundreds of discarded acorns, I want to say it is an acorn weevil, but this is highly unlikely as acorn weevils are slightly larger and are, of course, brown. On the other hand, its snout and antennae are remarkably similar to that of the acorn weevil’s. So, what do I know?

You may have noticed its incredibly long and thin nose! Indeed, this feature is what weevils are known for. However, that is not its nose at all—it’s actually the weevil’s mouth! Such a long protrusion is actually useful for a variety of purposes, such as drilling holes in wood and grain (for eating and egg laying, most of the time). When you don’t have thumbs, or hands, or fingers, you make do with what you have.

And weevils ‘make do’ incredibly well! There are over 97,000 described species of Weevil, many of which are considered pests as they devour crops and ornamental plants. Weevils are simply one of the many different types of beetle, the largest and most diverse order of insects in the known universe.

Two very large and very furry caterpillars I found clinging to a large plant near a small river.

I am unsure of their exact species, but am reasonably certain that they are tiger moths. In fact, given #2’s slightly lighter colors and yellow stripes, it is entirely possible that they are two separate species entirely.

Found this dude cruising across the sidewalk a few days ago. It’s always weird seeing a caterpillar in a place where you don’t expect to be—it’s like running into your math teacher while shopping for groceries.

While I am unsure of his exact species (please leave a note if you have an idea!) there are a couple clues that can help me narrow it down:

Butterfly caterpillars are not ‘fuzzy.’ Some species possess spines (sometimes quite a few) but never the hairlike appendages that this little dude has. So, we can reasonably assume that he is a moth caterpillar. Said appendages, by the way, are called setae! Depending on the species, an insect’s setae can serve a large number of functions.

We can infer the subfamily of moths based on the number and distribution of the setae. Based on my research (googling ‘hairy moth caterpillar’ for 30 minutes) I narrowed it down to either a tussock moth caterpillar or a tiger moth caterpillar. Ultimately, I decided to rule out the former, as it lacks the trademark bunches of setae that the tussocks are known for.

Using these two clues, I can safely assume that the jaywalker I saw was some species of tiger moth! I moved him to a nearby bush by letting him crawl on my phone. I was extremely careful not to touch him—caterpillars with spines and/or hairs may be harmless, but more often than not they are a form of defense, being capable of delivering a serious toxin. Better safe than sorry!

A bald faced hornet drinks from a flower on one of the milkweed plants in my garden. Despite what some people may tell you, hornets play an important role in the ecosystem, though not necessarily in the same way as bees. This is because bees collect nectar from in order to feed their larvae, and so naturally they spend a large amount of time going from flower to flower. As a result, bees are critically important pollinators.

Hornets, while they do visit flowers from time to time, are much more aggressive in gathering food for their younger siblings. They actively hunt down and kill other insects, such as caterpillars, crickets, and flies, which they then chew into tiny pieces, in much the same way that birds vomit into their hatchling’s mouths. In this way, hornets function as a sort of natural pest control, and while they probably won’t be winning any awards, they still hunt with enthusiasm.

Hornets are infamous for their aggressive behavior and painful stings, with bald faced hornets in particular being some of the most notorious. However, this girl was passive, and allowed me to get very close in order to take pictures. Hornets typically only act aggressive when they feel that their nest is in danger—though their definition of ‘danger’ typically means ‘if any large animal comes within a certain distance of the nest’. This behavior likely stems from the fact that the majority of animals instinctively steer clear of hornet nests. So, logically, any animal that comes close to said nest must therefore be doing so intentionally, and the hive must react accordingly. Bald faced hornets make their nests out of wood pulp and saliva, which gives their nests that iconic, papery look that all suburban homeowners dread. Like the dandelion, the hornet defies the wishes of the controlling and the wicked.

An eastern forktail! This one is an adult female, as indicated by its dull grey-blue body. Eastern forktails are a species of narrow-winged damselfly, which are essentially dragonflies, only smaller and more lightweight.

Despite their small size when compared to their dragonfly cousins, damselflies are true predators in their own right, feasting on mosquitoes, flies, moths, and other flying insects. If it’s got wings, it’s good enough to eat.

The immature damselfly—called a naiad—spends its juvenile life entirely underwater, where it eats the larvae of other insects and even tadpoles!