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colinpurrington

@colinpurrington@flipping.rocks

Macro photography, spiders, insects, vegetable gardening, and cooking. I post nature pics without content warnings so block me if nature might freak you out. Swarthmore, PA, USA.

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colinpurrington , to random
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Taeniaptera trivittata doing its typical "magician hands" behavior that looks suspiciously like the antennae of an ichneumonid. Wing coloration also gives the impression of a thin-waisted wasp.

colinpurrington , to random
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Golden jumping spider (Paraphidippus aurantius) considering whether to jump onto my camera. You can see the reflection of my flash diffuser quite well in its eyes.

colinpurrington , to random
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Don't forget to fill the bird bath today. This week is going to be a scorcher in many parts of the United States, potentially breaking records.

colinpurrington , to random
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In case you missed it, here's an article that describes my legal battle with Spartan Mosquito, a Mississippi company that makes scam mosquito-control devices. https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2024/06/does-spartan-mosquito-eradicator-work-defamation-lawsuit/

colinpurrington , to random
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Here's the syrphid fly larva I found yesterday. I kept trying to get the eyes in focus but gave up, learning later that they don't have them (never got that memo for some reason). Any guesses on genus? I'm rearing it!

colinpurrington , to random
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Spotted lanternfly nymph on the stem of an Ailanthus tree. Link is to a map of the current distribution in the United States. Not yet reported in Canada but likely just a matter of time. https://lookerstudio.google.com/reporting/b0bae43d-c65f-4f88-bc9a-323f3189cd35/page/QUCkC

colinpurrington , to random
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Close-up of a developing onion umbel with moisture trapped under the spathe. I like how the beads of water look like googly eyes.

colinpurrington , to random
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Neogriphoneura sordida enjoying some bird droppings on a pawpaw leaf. Always grateful when an insect is doing something related to its specific epithet. #fly #bird #guano #diptera #insect #entomology #nature #macrophotography

colinpurrington , to random
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Immature red-headed bush cricket (Phyllopalpus pulchellus) posing on a hydrangea petal. I'm looking forward to hearing all the courting males in a few weeks. Wikipedia says, "It is described as being loud."

colinpurrington , to random
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I found some mosquito egg rafts to photograph today but was instantly distracted by the springtails. I think this might be a male Entomobrya atrocincta. Found females, too (species is dimorphic).

colinpurrington , to random
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I was interviewed by science journalist Brooke Borel about Spartan Mosquito, the Mississippi company that sells a popular but ineffective mosquito-control device ... and that sued me for publicizing the scam. Her investigation was published today in Undark Magazine. https://undark.org/2024/06/12/biologist-blog-spartan-mosquito-eradicator/

colinpurrington , to random
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A male Trypoxylon collinum guarding a nesting tunnel while the female forages for spiders. One of several pairs at the insect hotel in my front yard.

colinpurrington , to random
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Part of my morning ritual is to fix incorrect IDs on iNaturalist for the one species on the planet I'm really, really familiar with, Silene latifolia (my PhD focus). It gives me a quick buzz of competence that lasts several minutes, plus reminds me of good times in graduate school.

colinpurrington , to random
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Margined calligraphers (Toxomerus marginatus) mating on lavender buds. In case you're curious, the male (top) does the flying when the pair needs to relocate.

colinpurrington , to random
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Here's a redbud seed weevil (Gibbobruchus mimus) demonstrating its defensive posture. When viewed from afar it looks like caterpillar frass.

Photograph of the same insect but with its head and antennae tucked in close to its body.

colinpurrington , to random
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If you need to waste 45 seconds, here's a California scrub-jay trying to decide which peanut to take. The one with the broken shell? The one without the broken shell?? Oh, the suspense! #bird #BirdFeeder #peanuts #jay #optimizing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C3f08dAi08

colinpurrington , to random
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Just some chickens enjoying some reject papaya. I googled whether the seeds are safe for them to eat and apparently yes (link), so I'll offer that up as well next time. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10650362/#:~:text=Additionally%2C%20papaya%20seed%20has%20high,production%20performance%20of%20the%20chickens.

colinpurrington OP ,
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@stevenbodzin Oh, that's fantastic. Of course, I was instantly distracted by the insects hovering around the fruit when they zoom in. Looked like stingless bees, maybe?

colinpurrington OP ,
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@stevenbodzin I think there are species of stingless bees that eat rotting fruit (and dead animals).

colinpurrington OP ,
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@futurebird I once found stingless bees tending (or maybe just visiting) treehoppers. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/62287659

colinpurrington , to random
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A male golden dung fly (Scathophaga stercoraria) hanging out in my lettuce bed after I dumped out some composted manure. Dozens of them showed up and I got the sense they were waiting for females.

colinpurrington , to random
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Found this on my arm after a run. I'm wondering whether it might be a strawberry clipper (Anthonomus signatus), though most pics show a more pronounced pattern on elytra. It's tiny, maybe 2 mm. Cute, but loathed by growers of strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries.

colinpurrington , to random
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Everyone should have a supply of Mosquito Dunks and Mosquito Bits. The former are donut-shaped cakes of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti), a strain of bacteria that kills mosquito larvae (use in bird baths, rain barrels, etc.). The latter has the Bti toxins (but not live bacteria) and can kill larvae within minutes if you are impatient. Buy some for the neighbors. Buy some for everyone on your block. #mosquitoes #mosquito #bacteria

colinpurrington , to random
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Some good news: after seeing that a garden center near me was selling water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) and common water hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes, formerly Eichhornia crassipes), both invasives, I pleaded with them to reconsider. Their vendor had insisted the species couldn't overwinter in Pennsylvania but that's not true and I provided evidence. Within hours the plant center had pulled the plants. So, folks, if you see something say something. It doesn't hurt to ask.

Screenshot of an Instagram post that contains shelves of aquatic plants, plus comments on the side that includes message from me that says, "Could I beg of you to stop selling water hyacinth and sea lettuce? Both species are invasive and are banned in some states. Still legal in Pennsylvania but makes me cringe to see them sold at my favorite garden store. Even when buyers are responsible, flooding invariably releases plants and propagules into natural areas."
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    colinpurrington , to random
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    Cleaned and deployed my autocidal gravid ovitraps today. These devices lure pregnant mosquitoes with stagnant water, then trap them with sticky cards. All filled with water, a handful of leaf compost, and some sphagnum moss. Screening within prevents any deposited eggs from maturing into larvae, so the devices take out the female and all of her progeny. I situate them around my yard near shaded vegetation. From left, AGO traps from BioCare, a BG-GAT (gravid Aedes trap) from Biogents, and BG-GAT2s from Biogents. Tad expensive but they last for years. And no pesticides needed.

    colinpurrington OP ,
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    @jencmars That was my concern but have found the bycatch not too bad. There are some super small fungus gnats that end up in there, plus an occasional crane fly.

    colinpurrington OP ,
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    @jencmars I have a preference for the Biogents because of the clear dome. That allows you to casually look inside to see what is trapped. Sometimes there will be several mosquitoes still flying around inside, and it's nice visual confirmation to show neighbors who might also be be converted to this system.

    colinpurrington OP ,
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    @jencmars Here's a mosquito inside a DIY version I made a few years ago. Sadly got crushed by a tree so longer own. It seemed to attract more mosquitoes than the commercial devices.

    colinpurrington OP ,
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    If you like the idea of autocidal gravid ovitraps but balk at the price, here's how to make your own. https://colinpurrington.com/2018/10/diy-trap-to-kill-pregnant-mosquitoes/

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