Comics by Bernie and Nature!
Laugh and Learn
De-bugging insects
Vermont single-panel comics. Captions by Bernie, images by nature. Sponsored by the Insect Alliance, Solidarity for All Life, and our highly valued Local Pollinators.
This comic strip introduced the term "Inverting" which means invertebrate watching as birding is to bird watching.
Inverting is being outside, observing, experiencing
the multitude, the diversity, the daily going ons of LIFE.
No bones about it, I am an 'inverter!
Let's recognize our bond with all living species in nature.
Nature Comic #100, Nov 4, 2023
Knock, Knock.
Who's there?
Invertebrates.
Do we know you?
We are your backyard neighbors!
We are the backbone of your world even though we don't have a backbone.
We Are One of Many
Celebrating 100 editions of Nature-Inspired Comics
Captions by Bernie, Images by Nature
Invertebrates are among the most diverse groups of animals on the planet. More than 1.4 million different species of invertebrates have been identified, but some experts believe that there may be as many as 5.3 million invertebrate species in the world that have yet to be discovered and identified.
There are likely hundreds, perhaps thousands, of species right out your back door. - VT Ctr for Ecostudies
There are estimated to be between 15, 000 and 20,000 invertebrate species in Vermont. - Vermont Biodiversity Project.
Lars Chittka in his book The Mind of a Bee, suggests that to understand what it is like to be another animal we must explore what it might feel like to experience life from an animal's perspective, understanding what is important for that animal. We must grasp that many animals perceive the world through different sensors than ours and that different aspects of the environment are relevant to their well-being and survival.
He offers that an individual bee has a mind - an awareness of the world around it and of its own knowledge, including autobiographical memories; an appreciation of the outcomes of its own actions; and the capacity for basic emotions and intelligence.
Richard Louv in Our Wild Calling says that connecting with animals can transform our lives - and save others.
I invite you to look upon your nearest neighbors (invertebrates) whose perceptual world is distinct from ours, while at the same time remembering how dependent we are on their existence. ~ Bernie
Nature Comic #99, Oct 28, 2023
Trick or Treat
That last Halloween house had bowls of Trick or Treat goodies. I only had room for one Candy Corn.
iNaturalist hotlink: Thin-legged Wolf Spiders Genus PardosaTheir eyes reflect light at night.The egg sac is carried or dragged along and hatched young ride on mom's back.Read more about this genus at Insect Identification and at Illinois dept of nat resources.
Nature Comic #98, Oct 21, 2023
That last Halloween house had bowls
of Trick or Treat goodies.
I only had room for one Candy Corn.
iNaturalist hotlink: Thin-legged Wolf Spiders Genus Pardosa
Their eyes reflect light at night.
The egg sac is carried or dragged along and hatched young ride on mom's back.
Read more about this genus at Insect Identification and at Illinois dept of nat resources.
Nature Comic #98, Oct 21, 2023
Spooky Yet Stylish Halloween Hairstyle
Finally, a day that my hair color fits in! HALLOWEEN DAY
Milkweed Tussock Moth Euchaetes egle Euchaetes egle, the milkweed tiger moth or milkweed tussock moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae and the tribe Arctiini, the tiger moths. It is a common mid- through late summer feeder on milkweeds and dogbane. - Wikipedia Euchaetes egle are native insects thriving on the plants they have evolved to consume. Although they may devour some of your plants faster than the monarch caterpillars can, milkweed tussock moth caterpillars are not causing actual harm. - Clemson Cooperative Extension
Milkweed tussock moth caterpillars devour the leaves of milkweeds. Orange and black coloration warn predators not to mess with them. Caterpillars of both the monarch butterfly and milkweed tiger moth obtain cardiac glycosides and retain them as they develop into a butterfly or moth, respectively. Scientists discovered that cardiac glycosides found in monarch butterflies caused predators such as blue jays to vomit dramatically following an attempted monarch meal. Blue jays exposed to monarchs soon learned to recognize the monarch by sight and avoided eating these beautiful, but nasty-tasting butterflies. Many of the insects that live on milkweed and consume its leaves display vivid patterns of orange and black as both juveniles and adults. This convergence of a similar, easily recognizable color pattern by two or more nasty-tasting insects is called Müllerian mimicry. Other milkweed feeders that participate in the milkweed mimicry ring include milkweed long-horned beetles, milkweed bugs, and milkweed leaf beetles. Like the larvae of the monarch, caterpillars of the milkweed tiger moth obtain cardiac glycosides from milkweeds and retain them as adults. - Bug of the Week
Read more at I Speak for the Milkweed Tussock Moth!
Nature Comic #97, Oct 14, 2023Like a Bumble Bee
Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation. -Oscar Wilde This may be the most convincing Bumble bee mimic in Vermont. Here this bee is very similar in size and color to the Half-black Bumblebee, though in other parts of the country, the same species has a completely different color pattern to match the local bumblebee species. This species nests in large aggregations in clay banks and as a result this species is most often found near medium and large rivers. - VT Ctr for Ecostudies
Nature Comic #96, Oct 7, 2023 ATC: Pan Pan*
"October Small 312023 to control, TRAFFIC, TRAFFIC" (meaning, Intruder near both horizontally and vertically.)
"Orange Dreamliner 737 to October Small, CLIMB CLIMB or you will be a squashed bug on my windshield."
Spooky Yet Stylish Halloween Hairstyle
Finally, a day that my hair color fits in! HALLOWEEN DAY
Euchaetes egle, the milkweed tiger moth or milkweed tussock moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae and the tribe Arctiini, the tiger moths. It is a common mid- through late summer feeder on milkweeds and dogbane. - Wikipedia
Euchaetes egle are native insects thriving on the plants they have evolved to consume. Although they may devour some of your plants faster than the monarch caterpillars can, milkweed tussock moth caterpillars are not causing actual harm. - Clemson Cooperative Extension
Milkweed tussock moth caterpillars devour the leaves of milkweeds. Orange and black coloration warn predators not to mess with them. Caterpillars of both the monarch butterfly and milkweed tiger moth obtain cardiac glycosides and retain them as they develop into a butterfly or moth, respectively. Scientists discovered that cardiac glycosides found in monarch butterflies caused predators such as blue jays to vomit dramatically following an attempted monarch meal. Blue jays exposed to monarchs soon learned to recognize the monarch by sight and avoided eating these beautiful, but nasty-tasting butterflies. Many of the insects that live on milkweed and consume its leaves display vivid patterns of orange and black as both juveniles and adults. This convergence of a similar, easily recognizable color pattern by two or more nasty-tasting insects is called Müllerian mimicry. Other milkweed feeders that participate in the milkweed mimicry ring include milkweed long-horned beetles, milkweed bugs, and milkweed leaf beetles. Like the larvae of the monarch, caterpillars of the milkweed tiger moth obtain cardiac glycosides from milkweeds and retain them as adults. - Bug of the Week
Read more at I Speak for the Milkweed Tussock Moth!
Like a Bumble Bee
Most people are other people.
Their thoughts are someone else's opinions,
their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.
-Oscar Wilde
This may be the most convincing Bumble bee mimic in Vermont. Here this bee is very similar in size and color to the Half-black Bumblebee, though in other parts of the country, the same species has a completely different color pattern to match the local bumblebee species. This species nests in large aggregations in clay banks and as a result this species is most often found near medium and large rivers. - VT Ctr for Ecostudies
Nature Comic #96, Oct 7, 2023
ATC: Pan Pan*
"October Small 312023 to control, TRAFFIC, TRAFFIC" (meaning, Intruder near both horizontally and vertically.)"Orange Dreamliner 737 to October Small, CLIMB CLIMB or you will be a squashed bug on my windshield."
*ATC: Air Traffic Control. Pan-Pan: When pilots notice something unusual with their aircraft that stops short of an immediate emergency, they use "pan-pan", a signal of urgency and attention. Great Golden Digger Wasp Sphex ichneumoneus & (small Wasp, species tbd)
*ATC: Air Traffic Control. Pan-Pan: When pilots notice something unusual with their aircraft that stops short of an immediate emergency, they use "pan-pan", a signal of urgency and attention.
Great Golden Digger Wasp Sphex ichneumoneus & (small Wasp, species tbd)
Nature Comic #95, Sept 30, 2023Time for a change in diet.
Mom said to eat lots of vegetables.Turns out pumpkins are fruits.All that beta carotene turned my legs orange.
Like all solitary wasps, this species is not aggressive to humans. Great Golden Digger Wasps look like creatures from a sci-fi movie. And behave like them too. They paralyze their prey [grasshopper, katydid, or cricket] and move them to hidden, underground chambers. There they deposit an egg on their catch and seal the chamber. Upon hatching, the young devour the still-living prey. - Missouri Dept of Conservation Read more at Wikipedia.
Nature Comic #94, Sept 23, 2023
Nature Comic #95, Sept 30, 2023
Time for a change in diet.
Mom said to eat lots of vegetables.
Turns out pumpkins are fruits.
All that beta carotene
turned my legs
orange.
Like all solitary wasps, this species is not aggressive to humans. Great Golden Digger Wasps look like creatures from a sci-fi movie. And behave like them too. They paralyze their prey [grasshopper, katydid, or cricket] and move them to hidden, underground chambers. There they deposit an egg on their catch and seal the chamber. Upon hatching, the young devour the still-living prey. - Missouri Dept of Conservation
Read more at Wikipedia.
Though I usually create single-panel comics, sometimes the insect is so giant and there is so much to say about it that multiple panels best tell the story.
The Green Giant Grows WingsThe Hulk and the Green Giant may be bigger than me, but can they fly from the northern US into Texas and Mexico? And move over Spider-Man, for now, I am the greenest Superhero!
(Spider-man had 20 points deducted for damage to the environment).
PS The name Anax junius most directly translates to Lord of June, as Anax is a Greek word meaning lord, king, or master.
For more photos of this observation view the iNaturalist hot link: Common Green Darner Anax junius
Read more at the National Park Service, and the Montana Field Guide
Nature Comic #93, September 16, 2023Highway in the Sky
Never cross the road when the road crew is painting fog lines.
Diet: The adult Virginia Ctenucha flies primarily during the day, but may also come to light at night. Adults feed on nectar from various flowers, such as goldenrod. The larva body surface is black, covered with tufts of cream-colored or black hairs. Caterpillar hosts include grasses, sedges, and irises. - Adirondacks Forever Wild
The Green Giant Grows Wings
The Hulk and the Green Giant may be bigger than me, but can they fly from the northern US into Texas and Mexico? And move over Spider-Man, for now, I am the greenest Superhero!(Spider-man had 20 points deducted for damage to the environment).
PS The name Anax junius most directly translates to Lord of June, as Anax is a Greek word meaning lord, king, or master.
For more photos of this observation view the iNaturalist hot link: Common Green Darner Anax junius
Read more at the National Park Service, and the Montana Field Guide
Diet: The adult Virginia Ctenucha flies primarily during the day, but may also come to light at night. Adults feed on nectar from various flowers, such as goldenrod. The larva body surface is black, covered with tufts of cream-colored or black hairs. Caterpillar hosts include grasses, sedges, and irises. - Adirondacks Forever Wild
Nature Comic #92, September 9, 2023
A wasp with a 'Cheshire' grin.
A wasp with a mischievous grin.
Behaviour
The adult females dig tunnels in the ground for nesting, while the territorial males mark twigs and other objects with pheromones to claim the territory from competing males. The female Beewolf preys on bees, of which the female then lays her eggs on the bee, supplying food for her larvae. The adults collect nectar from flowers or from squeezing bees they capture for prey. The Beewolf burrows into the sand and clay to build a huge network of tunnels and chambers under the surface.
Predators or Prey?
Beewolves prey on honey bees, which ruins beekeeper's production of honey. This makes Beewolves pests to beekeepers. They are notable for stinging their prey in a membranous location on the ventral surface where the venom quickly paralyzes major voluntary muscles, yet does not kill the prey. The prey may attempt to sting in return, but it is always grabbed in such a way that only well-armored portions of the beewolf's body are presented. The female Beewolf preys on bees, of which the female then lays her eggs on the bee, supplying food for her larvae.
Diet
The nectar is the Beewolf's energy source for flight. This can be taken from flowers, or squeezed from the bees that they capture.
Reproduction
The female Beewolf produces eggs from their captured bees. This provides the larvae with food once they have hatched from the eggs.
- Animals
Nature Comic #91, September 2, 2023
Head-on collision with a leaf.
"Off with his head", said the Queen.
Didn't see that one coming.
At one point, the yellowjacket disappears gradually until nothing is left but its grin, prompting Alice to remark that "she has often seen a [yellowjacket] without a grin but never a grin without a [yellowjacket]".
Nature Comic #90 Aug 26, 2023 Call of Nature
What do grasshoppers sing after pooping?
This one sang Van Hallen's song "Jump", and then did so.
Two-striped Grasshopper (Melanoplus bivittatus) ID verification pending.Mating and reproductionMelanoplus bivittatus participate in long hours of mating, with some copulation lasting up to 10 hours. The mating rituals of M.bivittatus are similar to that of red-legged grasshoppers (Melanoplus femurrubrum) in that both species receive and obtain nuptial gifts, in this case, spermatophores Spermatophores are provided during the entire copulation period, which tends to be dominated mostly by male activity. Not only do long periods of copulation increase the likelihood of transferring genes, but time spent in copola can be very productive for sperm and nutrient transfer. Once the females have mated with a male they can delay mating for up to 21 days. Females will often refrain from rejecting males due to the benefits gained from the protein and fitness from eating the spermatophore. - Wikipedia
Nature Comic #89 Aug 19, 2023You can’t pull the wool over my eyes!
You can't pull the wool over my eyes -
I know the difference between sheep’s wool
and vegetable wool.
I’m no Idiom ya know.
Acutaly, I am a Oblong Woolcarder Bee Anthidium oblongatum.
Click on my name for more awesome photos of me.
This interesting bee gets part of its name "Carder" from its behavior of scraping off hair from fuzzy leaves and stems of hirsute plants such as lamb's ears ornamental or the common Mullein weed.
The female Wool-Carder uses her mandibles to scrape and collect the soft downy hairs off hirsute plants (vegetable wool) to use in building her nest for her young. She then transports her carded harvest of soft plant fibers to her nest site and uses them to line her brood cells. - https://www.sharpeatmanguides.com/wool-carder-bees
Nature Comic #88 Aug 12, 2023Well, that sure puts a wrinkle on my day.
Why don't dragonflies iron their clothes?HabitatBlack-tipped Darner breeding sites include clear lakes and ponds often with acid, boggy vegetation in forested regions, as well as some vegetated streams (Dunkle 2000, Paulson 2009). Away from water, this species forages along forest openings and edges and tends to perch on saplings (Dunkle 2000).Food HabitsLarvae feed on a wide variety of aquatic insects, such as mosquito larvae, other aquatic fly larvae, mayfly larvae, and freshwater shrimp. They will also eat very small fish and tadpoles. Adult- The dragonfly will eat almost any soft-bodied flying insect including mosquitoes, flies, small moths, mayflies, and flying ants or termites.Reproductive CharacteristicsMale Black-tipped Darners patrol along shorelines above vegetation as well as over open water. Females often mimic male behavior to avoid unwanted harassment prior to oviposition. Oviposition occurs during the late afternoon and into the evening when a female will lay eggs both well above and at the waterline into a variety of emergent vegetation including cattails, irises, and bur reeds. Floating plants in water, dry grass, or mud of drying ponds are also likely oviposition sites (Dunkle 2000, Paulson 2009). - Montana gov website
Nature Comic #87 Aug 5, 2023Manicure Polish
My manicurist is smaller than my nails.Hoverflies give the best polish!BiologyThe larva feeds on aphids upon bushes, shrubs, and trees. Read more at Wikipedia
Nature Comic #86 July 29, 2023Jackie Kennedy Style Tip
Never be without your sunglasses: I always opt for big sunglasses, or at least ones that cover the whole of my eyes!or With my sunglasses on, I'm Jack Nicholson. Without them, I'm fat and 60.- Jack Nicholson
Genus Ectemnius (ID Verification pending)
Nature Comic #85 July 22, 2023
Two-striped Grasshopper (Melanoplus bivittatus) ID verification pending.
Mating and reproduction
Melanoplus bivittatus participate in long hours of mating, with some copulation lasting up to 10 hours. The mating rituals of M.bivittatus are similar to that of red-legged grasshoppers (Melanoplus femurrubrum) in that both species receive and obtain nuptial gifts, in this case, spermatophores Spermatophores are provided during the entire copulation period, which tends to be dominated mostly by male activity. Not only do long periods of copulation increase the likelihood of transferring genes, but time spent in copola can be very productive for sperm and nutrient transfer. Once the females have mated with a male they can delay mating for up to 21 days. Females will often refrain from rejecting males due to the benefits gained from the protein and fitness from eating the spermatophore. - Wikipedia
You can’t pull the wool over my eyes!
You can't pull the wool over my eyes -
I know the difference between sheep’s wool
and vegetable wool.
I’m no Idiom ya know.
Acutaly, I am a Oblong Woolcarder Bee Anthidium oblongatum.
Click on my name for more awesome photos of me.
This interesting bee gets part of its name "Carder" from its behavior of scraping off hair from fuzzy leaves and stems of hirsute plants such as lamb's ears ornamental or the common Mullein weed.
The female Wool-Carder uses her mandibles to scrape and collect the soft downy hairs off hirsute plants (vegetable wool) to use in building her nest for her young. She then transports her carded harvest of soft plant fibers to her nest site and uses them to line her brood cells. - https://www.sharpeatmanguides.com/wool-carder-bees
Habitat
Black-tipped Darner breeding sites include clear lakes and ponds often with acid, boggy vegetation in forested regions, as well as some vegetated streams (Dunkle 2000, Paulson 2009). Away from water, this species forages along forest openings and edges and tends to perch on saplings (Dunkle 2000).
Food Habits
Larvae feed on a wide variety of aquatic insects, such as mosquito larvae, other aquatic fly larvae, mayfly larvae, and freshwater shrimp. They will also eat very small fish and tadpoles.
Adult- The dragonfly will eat almost any soft-bodied flying insect including mosquitoes, flies, small moths, mayflies, and flying ants or termites.
Reproductive Characteristics
Male Black-tipped Darners patrol along shorelines above vegetation as well as over open water. Females often mimic male behavior to avoid unwanted harassment prior to oviposition. Oviposition occurs during the late afternoon and into the evening when a female will lay eggs both well above and at the waterline into a variety of emergent vegetation including cattails, irises, and bur reeds. Floating plants in water, dry grass, or mud of drying ponds are also likely oviposition sites (Dunkle 2000, Paulson 2009). - Montana gov website
My manicurist is smaller than my nails.
Hoverflies give the best polish!
Never be without your sunglasses: I always opt for big sunglasses, or at least ones that cover the whole of my eyes!
or
With my sunglasses on, I'm Jack Nicholson.
Without them, I'm fat and 60.
- Jack Nicholson
Genus Ectemnius (ID Verification pending)
The background makes it look like a portrait that was taken in a studio.
An expansion of the term portrait. Bee portraits! An art form. - Shirley Zundel
The flower posed with elegance, the bee with impatient prudence.
Pollen and sunshine set the composure.
Alas the portrait remained behind curtains
for lack of human observation, curiosity, and wonderment of the small life.
Ligated Furrow Bee Halictus ligatus (ID verification pending)
Pollinating my blackberries
what a lovely way to say
I love you.
Hawthorn Mining Bee Andrena crataegi
Pollinating my blackberrieswhat a lovely way to sayI love you.
You're pollinating my baby blackberriesWhat a lovely way of sayin' how much you love me
Pollinating my blackberriesWhat a lovely way of sayin' what you're thinkin' of me
I can see it, your face is glowin'I can see it in your eyes, I'm happy you know it
That you're pollinating my blackberries
You're the bees(s) I love and I love what it's doin' to ya
Havin' my blackberry pollen and nectarYou're a bee in love and I love what's your doing for me
The seed inside will soon be growing, I see it showin'Whoa, the seed your helping to grow, baby, do you see it growin'?Are you happy you know it?
Pollinating my blackberrieswhat a lovely way to sayI love you.
This is a common late-spring generalist that can be the dominant species on some flowering shrubs.Identification: Relatively large and nondescript with sparse hairs on the thorax and few if any hairs on an all-dark abdomen. Unlike some other Andrena, the wings are often held at 45-degree angles. - VT Ctr for EcoStudies
Pollinating my blackberries
what a lovely way to say
I love you.
You're pollinating my baby blackberries
What a lovely way of sayin' how much you love me
Pollinating my blackberries
What a lovely way of sayin' what you're thinkin' of me
I can see it, your face is glowin'
I can see it in your eyes, I'm happy you know it
That you're pollinating my blackberries
You're the bees(s) I love and I love what it's doin' to ya
Havin' my blackberry pollen and nectar
You're a bee in love and I love what's your doing for me
The seed inside will soon be growing, I see it showin'
Whoa, the seed your helping to grow, baby, do you see it growin'?
Are you happy you know it?
Pollinating my blackberries
what a lovely way to say
I love you.
This is a common late-spring generalist that can be the dominant species on some flowering shrubs.
Identification: Relatively large and nondescript with sparse hairs on the thorax and few if any hairs on an all-dark abdomen. Unlike some other Andrena, the wings are often held at 45-degree angles. - VT Ctr for EcoStudies
Nature Comic #84 July 8, 2023
Tinsmithing
No, I am not blind. No that is not brail on my back.
Instead of tattoos, the Saint John's Wort Beetle is decorated with tinsmithing-like art! No nail or hammer or punch is required. This is art created by nature. If they get bored, they gather together and play connect the dots on each other's back.
The species lays up to 2,000 eggs on the host plant during the early fall.[1] They lay their eggs on the undersides of leaves of new fall basal growth on its host plant, St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum). The larvae feed for a month on the leaves, emerging at night and hiding during the day. When full grown they move to the soil to pupate. After two weeks they emerge as adults. In the spring the adults feed upon new growth of their host plant. - Wikipedia
This beetle was brought to the United States in 1944 in the first attempt at controlling weeds with insects. The beetle is a natural enemy of St. Johnswort*, Hypericum perforatum, a weed that displaces forage plants in rangelands throughout the temperate regions of the world. - Michigan State University
*St. Johnswort: Native to Europe, western Asia, and North Africa, St. Johnswort (Hypericum perforatum) is now widely distributed across the temperate regions of the world. It was likely introduced to North America many times and was established in many western states by the early 1900s. - National Park Service
Nature Comic #83 July 1, 2023
No, I am not blind. No that is not brail on my back.
The species lays up to 2,000 eggs on the host plant during the early fall.[1] They lay their eggs on the undersides of leaves of new fall basal growth on its host plant, St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum). The larvae feed for a month on the leaves, emerging at night and hiding during the day. When full grown they move to the soil to pupate. After two weeks they emerge as adults. In the spring the adults feed upon new growth of their host plant. - Wikipedia
This beetle was brought to the United States in 1944 in the first attempt at controlling weeds with insects. The beetle is a natural enemy of St. Johnswort*, Hypericum perforatum, a weed that displaces forage plants in rangelands throughout the temperate regions of the world. - Michigan State University
*St. Johnswort: Native to Europe, western Asia, and North Africa, St. Johnswort (Hypericum perforatum) is now widely distributed across the temperate regions of the world. It was likely introduced to North America many times and was established in many western states by the early 1900s. - National Park Service
Why am I Bare Naked?
Because it is July, and it is hot!
Mallota bautias is a species of hoverfly (Diptera: Syrphidae). It is known for being particularly bee-like. It is found in eastern North America. The larvae are said to be filter feeders in water-filled tree holes. The adults feed on flowers and thereby pollinate them.
Nature Comic #82 June 24, 2023
Hey, I am new to this, ok if I just Wing It?
Hang on, I am going to try a new twist
and put the 'petal' to the flower metal!
Narcissus bulb fly is a pest of Narcissus but may also attack Cooperia (evening rain lily), Galanthus (snow drops), Galtonia (summer hyacinth), Habranthus, Hymenocallis (spider lily), Leucojum (snowflakes), Pancratium, Sprekelia (Aztec lilies), Zephyranthes (rain lily), and Cipollini.
The adult is a large, hairy yellow and black fly. It resembles a small bumble bee. The female lays eggs on or near the crowns of narcissus or other hosts. Usually, only one larva will develop in each bulb. The larva is plump, white to yellow, wrinkled and ½ to ¾ of an inch long. As a result of the feeding, the bulb is reduced to a soft brown mass. Infested plants have yellow, stunted foliage or very little growth and the bulbs will feel spongy. - Univ. of Maryland
Definition of the term Flower metal - https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Flower%20metal
Nature Comic #81 June 17, 2023
They do a dirty job - Somebody has to do it.
"Madam chair, committee members, honorable wildlife, and co-inhabitor humans, I would like to speak to you about the need for a quantifiable resolution in order to set goals for habitat suitable for all types of wildlife, regardless of their appearance, their particular type of benefit to the ecosystem, their preferred, food, or place to set up a home.
We are more likely to attain what we set for (quantifiable) goals and what we measure.
Humans are dividing up the finite habitat amongst themselves through a resolution for various types of homes in order to rectify socioeconomic injustices. Though they offered that they will ensure opportunities for land conservation are identified and prioritized, perhaps in conjunction with a development project; they have not included our habitat needs in the quantifiable target resolution.
Granted they are working on detailed mapping of Natural Resources to establish protective boundaries.
However, I propose to you that leaving any potential inhabitant out of the target resolution, by implication, if not by definition of the purpose of the resolution, diminishes the assigned importance of that party.
I note that in the resolution passed by the humans, there is no percentage (target goals) of land for wildlife or growing food - for animals and people.
I think this makes it look like the vision, even the target, is that they will prioritize a trajectory of having the lands developed with only a secondary view of our habitat needs. For the same reasons that make building targets a good idea, so too is having targets for, undeveloped land - for the wild things that in turn make this a place many want to live (and share with the biodiversity we need and love).
Habitat is a natural resource that has a finite limit. Planning for nature must (and should measure) take this into account numerically as well. We can and must rectify habitat injustices that are impacting all natural life species as well as human socioeconomic injustices.
As a reminder of the importance of including all wildlife in the target goals, I offer you to consider what the landscape would look like if others like my family (American Carrion Beetle) were not here fulfilling an important job of consuming dead animals.
Who here is willing to step up to our job and that of pollinators, and others if the appropriate habitat and the appropriate volume of habitat are year by year eroded away?
I now yield my time to my esteemed colleagues".
The American carrion beetle (Necrophila Americana), is a North American beetle of the family Silphidae. It lays its eggs in, and its larvae consume, raw flesh (particularly that of dead animals) and fungi. The larvae and adults also consume fly larvae and the larvae of other carrion beetles that compete for the same food sources as their larvae. - Wikipedia
Also, see NYS Dept of Environmental Conservation and Univ of Maine cooperative extension - A. Carrion Beetle.
Nature Comic #80 June 10, 2023
Who is that Masked Man?
Wear a mask, stamp out the human plague
Mask required for all fly-ers!
There are only four species in eastern N.A., M. clausa, vicaria, virginica and vesiculosa. This is therefore M. clausa, as it's the only all-red species east of the Rockies, as well as having clear wings (unlike the other three eastern spp.) and semi-circular patches of very fine white hairs on each side of several abdominal segments. - From iNaturalist userid Alisonnetta
Life Cycle
The female pounces on a host bee while in flight. She inserts her ovipositor between two abdominal segments, inserts a single egg, and flies away. The entire process takes a very short time. The larva feeds within the abdominal cavity, eventually killing the host. The adult fly emerges from the abdomen of the dead host. Read more at Minnesota Seasons
Nature Comic #79 June 3, 2023
Hitchin' a Ride
Troubled times, you know I cannot lie
I'm off the wagon, and I'm hitchin' a ride
hitchin' a ride
(Don't know where to go) hitchin' a ride
-Lyrics from the song "Hitchin' a Ride".
Dragonfly: American Emerald (Cordulia shurtleffii)
Note the bee riding the dragonfly's abdomen.
The dragonfly kept contorting its body, and moving about on the ground, then eventually the dragonfly did fly some distance, then land but the bee was still attached.
Is this a case of the (confused) male bee getting extra confused by pheromones, trying to mate with the dragonfly? Or is the bee taking in salt or liquid? Or is the bee simply Hitchin' a ride?
Nature Comic #78 May 27, 2023
THE SEARCH FOR LIFE
IN SPACE
of
YOUR OWN BACKYARD
Are you looking?
Nature Comic #77 May 20, 2023
"Can I give you a hand? No, thanks Mike Maloney, I have this covered."
It's a long way to Tipperary to the sweetest girl I know.
Goodbye, Piccadilly, farewell Leicester Square!
It's a long, long way to Tipperary, but my heart's right there.
For love has fairly drove me silly: hoping you're the same!
It's a long way to Tipperary
It's a long, way to go
It's a long way to Tipperary, to the sweetest girl I know.
Goodbye, Piccadilly, Farewell, Leicester Square!
It's a long, long way to Tipperary, but my heart's right there.
It's a long, long way to Tipperary, but my heart's right there.
It's a long, long way to Tipperary, but my heart's right there.
Nature Comic #76 May 13, 2023
The smallest gestures you do can
sometimes carry the most weight.
- Joe Vitale
What will you do to
Share the world
to
save the world?
Remember to leave room for the Wild Things.
Nature Comic #75 May 6, 2023
Share the world, save the world.
Vermont Green Up Day - Vermonters pick up true litter.
Leave the leaves, they are not only not litter,
they are also home to many pollinators
including some caterpillars
that if left undisturbed
will become butterflies.
Nature Comic #74 Apr 29, 2023
Just Wing it!
Just Wing it!
Easier said than done when you leave one behind.
Nature Comic #73 Apr 22, 2023
My you have Eft'ng big hands - said the Newt!
"Diagnostic are tiny brilliant orange spots rimmed in black, and horizontal stripes through their eyes. This is an adult, which is remarkable because (as clued by the flattened tail) they’re almost exclusively aquatic. Looking carefully, it’s often possible to see them hanging motionless in shallow water or walking slowly on the bottom, but catching them without a net is difficult because they can sense pressure changes and vamoose when they need to. Consequently, while everyone has seen efts—they’re hard to miss—few people have seen an adult up close." - Karl R. Underhill, VT
Nature Comic #72 Apr 15, 2023
I want to wake up in a city
That never sleeps
And find I'm king of the hill
Top of the heap
Lyrics from New York, New York by Frank Sinatra
Camponotus novaeboracensis is a species of Hymenoptera in the family ants. They visit flowers of goldenrod, white meadowsweet, and aster. They are diurnal. Individuals can grow to 6 mm. - Encyclopedia of Life
Nature Comic #71 Apr 8, 2023
FOY (First of year for me - native bee observed 4/1/2023)
Frigid Mining Bee Andrena frigida
This appropriately named species is likely the first species to be active in the spring. Males have been found in late March, even with snow still on the ground. Many of these early records are from sap buckets or wounded maples, which provide sugar before the first flowers bloom. Females are specialists on Willows, and this species disappears by mid-May. Primarily a northern species, most records so far are from east of the Greens. - VT Ctr for Ecostudies
Andrena frigida (Frigid Andrena) is a species of Hymenoptera in the family mining bees. They visit flowers of willow, Red Maple, and crocus. Encyclopedia of Life.
Nature Comic #70 Apr 1, 2023Who will chase and catch the last Monarch?
A Jester's role was sometimes more than to make people laugh.
A fool’s errand: A foolish undertaking, especially one that is purposeless, fruitless, nonsensical, or certain to fail.
Is the Jester wise enough to save the Monarch?
Who will chase and catch the last Monarch?
The last members of a dying insect species, the Danaus plexippus plexippus, the commonly known Monarch (subspecies) or wanderer - for as long as there have been children to chase them - have flown up to 2,700 miles. Now with too few native plants (milkweed and nectar-producing native plants) for them to eat along the way, they must be rescued from deforestation in their wintering grounds, urban development, and pesticide applications including toxic neonicotinoids and herbicides on their feeding grounds.
The species has entered the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Endangered.
The IUCN Red List now includes 147,517 species, of which 41,459 are threatened with extinction.
What are the consequences of extinction? If a species has a unique function in its ecosystem, its loss can prompt cascading effects through the food chain (a “trophic cascade”), impacting other species and the ecosystem itself.
It's not too late to chase a Monarch butterfly; we are probably not going to catch them, but we can reduce our lawn size and grow native plants to help SAVE THEM. And we can provide our kids with unstructured outdoor time to observe and discover for themselves all that nature has to offer.
“Kids get to chase things. And as parents, we’re happy when they do — even if they’re probably not going to catch all those butterflies. You know why? Because sometimes they will catch a butterfly. And, even if they don’t, the chase makes them happy.
As we grow up, we chase a little less. Too often, we only run after the things we know we’ll catch. We stop taking those leaps of faith, and slowly we forget how good it feels to chase after something worthwhile.” - Chasing Windmills
What do you love about nature in Jericho and Underhill?
What would you miss if it disappeared?
JFiN - Jericho Families in Nature
Join in: The Vermont Butterfly Atlas returns and is scheduled to kick off in April. For those wishing to participate in this butterfly atlas contact Nathaniel Sharp at nsharp at vtecostudies.org. (change the at to @) or visit The 2nd Vermont Butterfly Atlas (2023-2027) Read more at Vermonters Invited to Help Search for Butterflies
Monarchs Status - US Fish and Wildlife
Let's say "Yes in my backyard - to Nature and Rewilding".
References: https://www.iucn.org/press-release/202207/migratory-monarch-butterfly-now-endangered-iucn-red-list & https://www.chasingwindmillskids.com/blog/2016/5/11/chasing-butterflies
Recognize all life species deserve the habitat they need
- sharing the planet starts at home.
Continue Laughing and Learning with Nature-Inspired Comics
You are also invited to view Single-panel Comics - Insect Sex Series and Single-panel Comics - Insect Predation Series
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