Biodiversity Observations June 2024 Report: Jericho, Underhill, Richmond, Bolton, Vermont

Enjoy the benefits of connection with nature. 

Jericho, Underhill, Richmond, Bolton, (VT) Inverting Club Biodiversity monthly report.

JURBIC BIODIVERSITY REPORT

JURBIC  iNaturalist Numbers

 

Jericho June insect observations  https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?d1=2024-06-01&d2=2024-06-30&page=5&place_id=55393&verifiable=any&iconic_taxa=Insecta

Underhill June Insect observations https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?d1=2024-06-01&d2=2024-06-30&place_id=55498&verifiable=any&iconic_taxa=Insecta

Richmond June Insect observations https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?d1=2024-06-01&d2=2024-06-30&place_id=55072&verifiable=any&iconic_taxa=Insecta

Bolton June Insect observations https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?d1=2024-06-01&d2=2024-06-30&place_id=55396&verifiable=any&iconic_taxa=Insecta

My Favorites https://www.inaturalist.org/faves/bugeyedbernie

Click to Compare to the other municipalities (towns, cities, gores) in Vermont 

Click to Read about the "Jericho, Underhill, Richmond, Bolton, Inverting Club" 

 Will you report your observations on iNaturalist?
Links below are short videos on how to upload observations to iNaturalist. Tutorial from North Branch Nature Center. 
iNaturalist: uploading observations using desktops and laptops
iNaturalist: uploading observations with mobile devices

View the latest observations posted on iNaturalist at Jericho, Underhill, Richmond, Bolton

Observing the behavior and the life cycle of insects is like getting to know someone as an individual vs. knowing them by name and infrequent contact only.

 - Bernie

View the 2023 iNaturalist observation numbers at Discovering Life in Jericho - 2023 by the Numbers

The Eight Major Orders of Insects

There are 26 orders of insects, but the vast majority belong to only these eight. Below is a short guide to the identification of the eight major orders.

        Beetles Coleoptera (“sheath wings”)

• -  largest order of living things with over 290,000 species known worldwide
• -  two pairs of wings, but the outer pair is hardened covering the top of the body and meeting in a straight line down the back.
• -  have “chewing jaws”
• -  metamorphosis is complete
  
  
  Moths, Butterflies Lepidoptera (“scaly wings”)
• -  second largest order of insects (beetles are #1) - mostly moths
• -  two pairs of wings covered with small scales that rub off easily
• -  only insects with sucking mouth parts in the form of a coiled tube.
• -  in the larval stage, most butterfly and moth species feed on leaves, often of a particular plant or related group of plants
• -  metamorphosis is complete
  
  
  Bees, Wasps, Ants Hymenoptera (“membrane-winged”)
• -  third largest order.
• -  have 2 pairs of thin, clear, membraneous wings.
• -  females have a well-developed egg-laying organ and/or stinger at the end of their abdomen
• -  ants have wings only at certain stages of life, some have stingers, too
• -  considered the most highly evolved order of insects.
• -  Most wasps are parasites; their young hatch and develop inside the bodies of other insects or spiders. These parasites are our chief ally in the control of many pest insects.
• -  Bees and wasps are important pollinators of food crops and other plants.
• -  metamorphosis is complete
  
  
  Flies, Mosquitoes, Gnats Diptera (“two wings”)
• -  fourth largest order (third in North America)
• -  if an insect has just one pair of wings, it is a fly of some kind.
• -  all adult flies have sucking mouth parts
• -  metamorphosis is complete
  
  
  Crickets, Grasshoppers, Locusts Orthoptera (“straight wings”)
• -  thin, leathery forewings that cover larger hind wings that are folded like a fan when at rest.
• -  important food for birds and other insect eaters.
• -  metamorphosis is gradual

Dragonflies, Damselflies Odonata (“tooth”)

• -  2 pairs of long, narrow, membranous wings that are roughly equal in size.
• -  they also have large eyes and extremely long, narrow abdomens.
• -  at rest, dragonflies hold wings out flat, while damselflies hold wings together above
  their bodies.
• -  adults feed on other insects (gnats, mosquitoes)
• -  metamorphosis is gradual
  
  
  Aphids, Cicadas, Leafhoppers Homoptera (“same wings”)
• -  2 pairs of membranous wings held in a tent-like or rooftop position over the body when at rest.
• -  adults (except Cicadas) feed on plant sap
• -  metamorphosis is gradual
  
  
  Bugs, Backswimmers, Water Striders Hemiptera (“half-wings”)
• -  identified by a triangle on the back just behind the head. This is formed by the way the insects fold their forewings when at rest.
• -  2 pairs of wings; hind wings are membranous, while the basal half of the forewings is hardened.
• -  metamorphosis is gradual
  
  
  OTHER INSECTS OF IMPORTANCE 

Termites: small, soft-bodied, pale with short, straight antennae. Flying forms have 2 pairs of wings. Do not have constricted waist like ants. Have sophisticated societies - the queen may live 10 years. Most of the 41 species live in the SE. Eat cellulose of the wood fibers making them bad for buildings but valuable for breaking down dead wood in the forests.

Springtails: tiny, wingless with prominent antennae. The forked structure allows them to “spring” into the air. Among the most abundant creatures on earth, are millions per acre. Immensely beneficial in breaking down leaf litter and fungi into soil components. Include “snow fleas.”

Bristletails: wingless, crawling, terrestrial with long segmented antennae and 3 long “tails”. Include silverfish and firebrats. Eat decaying plants outdoors and starchy substances including books, wallpaper, and clothing indoors. Among the most primitive of insects.

Reference: Peterson First Guides / Insects by Christopher Leahy Observing Insect Lives by Donald Stokes, 1983

Traditional research on pollinators has focussed on specific bee groups, such as honeybees and bumblebees (Kremen et al., 2002; Klatt et al., 2014; Lemanski et al., 2022). However, recent studies have demonstrated the equally critical roles played by other insect groups, including ants, beetles, bugs, butterflies, flies, and wasps (Rader et al., 2016; Rader et al., 2020; Requier et al., 2023).  - Masari Date, Yuya Fukano, Sayed Ibrahim Farkhary, Kei Uchida, Masashi Soga, (April 2024).

The Portrait of a Fly

 Flies, we swat them in the house, and we ignore them mostly, outdoors. Yet as Erica McAlister's book titled The Secret Life of Flies, shows, it is obvious flies rock!

Below is a small portion of the gallery of fly portraits taken in our yard in Jericho, Vermont (and one photo of a golden-colored fly taken in Jericho Research Forest). 

Before you swat, take a closer look!

Each fly name is a hot link to the iNaturalist post. For more information about each, once in the iNaturalist post click on the fly name on top of the iNaturalist post, to get to the iNaturalist information page.

Genus Gymnoclytia

Flies are pollinators too

Deer Flies Genus Chrysops more here. 

Flies come in many colors

Condylostylus patibulatus

Just in time for the lilac season.

Violet Leafwalker Chalcosyrphus chalybeus

Acrobatic mating

Eastern Phantom Crane Fly Bittacomorpha clavipes

Many have large eyes relative to their body size. 

Marsh Snipe Fly Rhagio tringarius

This one has the Midas touch or at least the Midas look. 

Ornate Snipe Fly Chrysopilus ornatus

This fly looks like a bumblebee

Eastern Yellow-backed Laphria Laphria thoracica

Another mimic

Falsehorn Flies Genus Temnostoma

Hover flies, of which there are many species, are a favorite of mine. 

Globetails Genus Sphaerophoria

This species is an important part of its native ecosystem as adult Syritta pipiens flies are critical pollinators for a variety of flowering plants and the species supports parasitism by various parasitic wasp species.

Common Compost Fly Syritta pipiens

Flies are decomposers even of other flies. 

Flies Order Diptera

Some flies are cute if not adorable looking. 

Myopa vesiculosa

Yes, flies do rock - they are essential for maintaining healthy ecosystems. As Erica McAlister states, they pollinate flowers. They are excellent pest controllers, for instance, hover fly larvae eat the aphids that destroy our garden blooms, and they are a key food source for many other animals, especially birds. They are also very good at decomposing waste, a job no one else really wants to do, and they can indicate the quality of our water systems. - From The Secret Life of Flies by Erica McAlister. 

Covered with pollen

Transverse-banded Flower Fly Eristalis transversa

Blera analis, the orange-tailed wood fly, is an uncommon species of syrphid fly.

Orange-tailed Wood Fly Blera analis

Pollinating

Oblique-banded Pond Fly Sericomyia chrysotoxoides

View more Jericho fly observations at https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?taxon_id=47822

Biodiversity Observations May 2024 Report: Jericho, Underhill, Richmond, Bolton, Vermont

Enjoy the benefits of connection with nature. 

Jericho, Underhill, Richmond, Bolton, (VT) Inverting Club Biodiversity monthly report.

JURBIC BIODIVERSITY REPORT

JURBIC  iNaturalist Numbers

Click to Compare to the other municipalities (towns, cities, gores) in Vermont 

Read about the "Jericho, Underhill, Richmond, Bolton, Inverting Club" 

 Will you report your observations on iNaturalist?
Links below are short videos on how to upload observations to iNaturalist. Tutorial from North Branch Nature Center. 
iNaturalist: uploading observations using desktops and laptops
iNaturalist: uploading observations with mobile devices

View the latest observations posted on iNaturalist at Jericho, Underhill, Richmond, Bolton

Observing the behavior and the life cycle of insects is like getting to know someone as an individual vs. knowing them by name and infrequent contact only.

 - Bernie

View the 2023 iNaturalist observation numbers at Discovering Life in Jericho - 2023 by the Numbers

The Eight Major Orders of Insects

There are 26 orders of insects, but the vast majority belong to only these eight. Below is a short guide to the identification of the eight major orders.

        Beetles Coleoptera (“sheath wings”)

• -  largest order of living things with over 290,000 species known worldwide
• -  two pairs of wings, but the outer pair is hardened covering the top of the body and meeting in a straight line down the back.
• -  have “chewing jaws”
• -  metamorphosis is complete
  
  
  Moths, Butterflies Lepidoptera (“scaly wings”)
• -  second largest order of insects (beetles are #1) - mostly moths
• -  two pairs of wings covered with small scales that rub off easily
• -  only insects with sucking mouth parts in the form of a coiled tube.
• -  in the larval stage, most butterfly and moth species feed on leaves, often of a particular plant or related group of plants
• -  metamorphosis is complete
  
  
  Bees, Wasps, Ants Hymenoptera (“membrane-winged”)
• -  third largest order.
• -  have 2 pairs of thin, clear, membraneous wings.
• -  females have a well-developed egg-laying organ and/or stinger at the end of their abdomen
• -  ants have wings only at certain stages of life, some have stingers, too
• -  considered the most highly evolved order of insects.
• -  Most wasps are parasites; their young hatch and develop inside the bodies of other insects or spiders. These parasites are our chief ally in the control of many pest insects.
• -  Bees and wasps are important pollinators of food crops and other plants.
• -  metamorphosis is complete
  
  
  Flies, Mosquitoes, Gnats Diptera (“two wings”)
• -  fourth largest order (third in North America)
• -  if an insect has just one pair of wings, it is a fly of some kind.
• -  all adult flies have sucking mouth parts
• -  metamorphosis is complete
  
  
  Crickets, Grasshoppers, Locusts Orthoptera (“straight wings”)
• -  thin, leathery forewings that cover larger hind wings that are folded like a fan when at rest.
• -  important food for birds and other insect eaters.
• -  metamorphosis is gradual

Dragonflies, Damselflies Odonata (“tooth”)

• -  2 pairs of long, narrow, membranous wings that are roughly equal in size.
• -  they also have large eyes and extremely long, narrow abdomens.
• -  at rest, dragonflies hold wings out flat, while damselflies hold wings together above
  their bodies.
• -  adults feed on other insects (gnats, mosquitoes)
• -  metamorphosis is gradual
  
  
  Aphids, Cicadas, Leafhoppers Homoptera (“same wings”)
• -  2 pairs of membranous wings held in a tent-like or rooftop position over the body when at rest.
• -  adults (except Cicadas) feed on plant sap
• -  metamorphosis is gradual
  
  
  Bugs, Backswimmers, Water Striders Hemiptera (“half-wings”)
• -  identified by a triangle on the back just behind the head. This is formed by the way the insects fold their forewings when at rest.
• -  2 pairs of wings; hind wings are membranous, while the basal half of the forewings is hardened.
• -  metamorphosis is gradual
  
  
  OTHER INSECTS OF IMPORTANCE 

Termites: small, soft-bodied, pale with short, straight antennae. Flying forms have 2 pairs of wings. Do not have constricted waist like ants. Have sophisticated societies - the queen may live 10 years. Most of the 41 species live in the SE. Eat cellulose of the wood fibers making them bad for buildings but valuable for breaking down dead wood in the forests.

Springtails: tiny, wingless with prominent antennae. The forked structure allows them to “spring” into the air. Among the most abundant creatures on earth, are millions per acre. Immensely beneficial in breaking down leaf litter and fungi into soil components. Include “snow fleas.”

Bristletails: wingless, crawling, terrestrial with long segmented antennae and 3 long “tails”. Include silverfish and firebrats. Eat decaying plants outdoors and starchy substances including books, wallpaper, and clothing indoors. Among the most primitive of insects.

Reference: Peterson First Guides / Insects by Christopher Leahy Observing Insect Lives by Donald Stokes, 1983

Traditional research on pollinators has focussed on specific bee groups, such as honeybees and bumblebees (Kremen et al., 2002; Klatt et al., 2014; Lemanski et al., 2022). However, recent studies have demonstrated the equally critical roles played by other insect groups, including ants, beetles, bugs, butterflies, flies, and wasps (Rader et al., 2016; Rader et al., 2020; Requier et al., 2023).  - Masari Date, Yuya Fukano, Sayed Ibrahim Farkhary, Kei Uchida, Masashi Soga, (April 2024).