May, 2025 Field Trip
On May 17, 2025, we visited Henry Alan Gleason Nature Preserve (south and west of Manito, IL just off the Goofy Ridge blacktop). This is an area with immense sand dunes (deposited after the last glaciation). Many plants and animals which are more common in the...
Insect of the week (May 19, 2025)
Our insect of the week is Laphria thoracica Fabricius, 1805 [DIPTERA: Asilidae]. As you can see in this stacked photograph, it resembles a common eastern bumblebee (which it often eats). Although not common, it can be found in central Illinois from late May through...
Insect of the week (May 12, 2025)
We next turn our attention to the insect order Diptera (the true flies). I plan to spend a number of weeks on these insects. Obviously you are familiar with the blood suckers (such as mosquitos, deer flies, horse flies and black flies). There are roughly 120,000...
Insect of the week (May 5, 2025)
Our insect of the week is Feniseca tarquinius (Fabricius, 1793). [LEPIDOPTERA: Lycaenidae] This is a most interesting butterfly. Commonly called the harvester butterfly, it is the only carnivorous butterfly in North America. Larvae feed on various species of aphids....
Peoria approximella (a moth named in New York for Peoria, IL). Photo of Michigan specimen courtesy Jim Vargo (used with permission).