Peoria Academy of Science

This is our tentative schedule of meetings for the year. We invite anyone interested in entomology to participate in our meetings. The schedule may change over the year, so we encourage you to contact us or check the site for updates. For field trips, we often leave at 8 a.m. from the Lakeview Museum parking lot.

All meetings are held (or start) at Lakeview Museum (1125 W. Lake, Peoria, IL). Generally, we start at 9 a.m. (usually on the third Saturday of the month). There is no December meeting due to the proximity to the holidays.

• January 16, 2010 – organizational planning meeting
• February 20, 2010 – forensic entomology program
• March 20, 2010 – undecided program at this point
• April17, 2010 – field trip to Horseshow Lake State Park (leave at 8 a.m.)
• May 15, 2010 – field trip to Matthiessen State Park (leave at 8 a.m.)
• June 19, 2010 – field trip to Sand Ridge State Park (leave at 9 a.m.)
• July 10, 2010 – annual butterfly count (call Tracy Fox)
• August 14, 2010 – field trip to Bridget’s Woods (leave at 9 a.m.)
• September 18, 2010 – field trip to Jubilee State Park (night collecting) (meet at Jubilee State Park at 5 p.m.)
• October 16, 2010 – Banner Marsh walk
• November 20, 2010 – fumigate Lakeview Museum insect collection
• No December meeting – Happy Holidays

Below is a possible list of the weekends we may have outings to Banner Marsh for night collecting/ observations. These depend on weather conditions – contact Frank Hitchell if you plan to participate.

• May 21 or 22
• June 11 or 12
• June 25 or 26
• July 10 or 11
• July 23 or 24
• August 6 or 7
• August 20 or 21
• September 10 or 11
• September 24 or 25

This paper wasp (Polistes fuscatus) was photographed by our member Gordon Adams. Paper wasps are members of the insect family Vespidae in the order Hymenoptera. Their nests consist of a horizontal comb of paper cells supported by a slender stalk. These wasps make paper by mixing bits of wood with their saliva.

This photo of a soldier beetle (Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus) was taken by Gordon Adams. Soldier beetles are members of the beetle family Cantharidae and the adults are usually found on flowers.

This photo of a Chinese Mantid (Tenodera aridifolia) was taken by Gordon Adams (a member of our group). There are roughly 2,300 described species of the insect order Mantodea. This particular species was introduced into the area near Philadelphia around 1900 and has become widely distributed.

This photograph og a large milkweed bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus) was taken by our member Gordon Adams. Members of this family (Lygaeidae) of the insect order Heteroptera are commonly called seed bugs. As yu can see, they are conspiculously marked. Typically, such markings warn predators that the insect in not very tasty.

This Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele) was photographed by our member Gordon Adams. This species is typically found in open areas or near the edge of forested areas. It can be common at times (depending on the climate conditions in a given year).

This Giant Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio cresphontes) was photographed by Gordon Adams (a member of our group). Butterflies of this species are the largest butterflies found in Illinois. They are typically encountered in woods and nearby open areas.

This photograph of a Regal Fritillary (Speyeria idalia) was taken by our member Gordon Adams. This butterfly species is typically found in prairie or other open environments (more often in sandy regions). This is a state enangered species. More information can be found in the book – Field Guide to Butterflies of Illinois by John Bouseman and James Sternburg (2001 – ISBN 1-882932-05-6).

This dragonfly (commonly called a twelve-spotted skimmer – Libellula pulchella) was photographed by Gordon Adams (a member of our group). The immature stages of dragonflies (and related damselflies) are aquatic and breath by means of gills. The young feed on a variety of small aquatic organisms. The adults typically feed on small flying insects (such as mosquitoes). Many species can be seen flying erratically near streams and ponds. Dragonflies belong to the insect order Odonata. This species is a member of the family Libellulidae.

Scorpionflies are so named because the terminal segments of certain males resemble the sting of a scorpion (a female of the family Panorpidae is shown here). These insects belong to the order Mecoptera. These insects feed principlayy on dead insects. This female was photographed by our member, Gordon Adams (Peoria, IL).  Most scorpionflies are found in woods or areas of dense vegetation in central Illinois.