Metamorphosis transforms many insects
One of the most fascinating transformations in nature is the change a caterpillar undergoes to become a butterfly. Small, wriggly caterpillars hide within a chrysalis…
Category: Invertebrates
Some animals capable of growing new appendages
Lizards are one of the more well-known animals to regrow their tail after shedding it to evade predators. Last week, I wrote about autotomy (the…
Animals utilize self-amputation for numerous reasons
Northern alligator lizards and western blue-tailed skinks possess two unique abilities in the animal world–they can self-amputate their tail and grow it back. The process…
Ant hills only a portion of the nest
When wandering through the woods I’ll occasionally stumble across an ant hill. Sometimes the ant hills are only a few inches high, sometimes a few…
Antlions lurk at bottom of mini sand pits
Have you seen the small pits that resemble craters on the moon at the base of large trees? Or maybe in the sandy soil under…
Water striders walk on water
While throwing rocks into Boulder Creek, I noticed the insects that look like big mosquitos walking on water in the eddies. I call them water…
What are those big beetles?
Big insects are hard to miss, especially big beetles. This summer I’ve encountered two big beetles I’ve never seen before–the ten lined June beetle and…
Spit bug most powerful jumping insect
Spit bug, spittlebug, froghopper. They’re all the same insect that produces the globs of spit-like froth on stems of grasses, flowers and shrubs this time…
Polyphemus moth: One of our largest moths
Fluttering at the base of a bush caught my attention. I thought it was a butterfly but the antennae indicated it was a moth–a moth…
Millipedes don’t really have 1,000 legs
While sweeping the garage last fall, I came across small carcasses that were c-shaped, hollow, white and smaller than a dime. I hadn’t seen any…
Did you know? Daddy longlegs are not spiders or venomous
As a child I remember daddy longlegs in the basement bathroom, especially in the shower. Not liking spiders, I never got close and took quick…
What is that big beetle?
Whether a bird, plant or insect, identifying one I haven’t seen before is always interesting. So when I received an email that Cal Russell was…
Some animals capable of growing new appendages
Lizards are one of the more well-known animals to regrow their tail after shedding it to evade predators. Last week, I wrote about autotomy (the…
Animals utilize self-amputation for numerous reasons
Northern alligator lizards and western blue-tailed skinks possess two unique abilities in the animal world–they can self-amputate their tail and grow it back. The process…
Ant hills only a portion of the nest
When wandering through the woods I’ll occasionally stumble across an ant hill. Sometimes the ant hills are only a few inches high, sometimes a few…
Antlions lurk at bottom of mini sand pits
Have you seen the small pits that resemble craters on the moon at the base of large trees? Or maybe in the sandy soil under…
Water striders walk on water
While throwing rocks into Boulder Creek, I noticed the insects that look like big mosquitos walking on water in the eddies. I call them water…
What are those big beetles?
Big insects are hard to miss, especially big beetles. This summer I’ve encountered two big beetles I’ve never seen before–the ten lined June beetle and…
Spit bug most powerful jumping insect
Spit bug, spittlebug, froghopper. They’re all the same insect that produces the globs of spit-like froth on stems of grasses, flowers and shrubs this time…
Polyphemus moth: One of our largest moths
Fluttering at the base of a bush caught my attention. I thought it was a butterfly but the antennae indicated it was a moth–a moth…
Millipedes don’t really have 1,000 legs
While sweeping the garage last fall, I came across small carcasses that were c-shaped, hollow, white and smaller than a dime. I hadn’t seen any…
Did you know? Daddy longlegs are not spiders or venomous
As a child I remember daddy longlegs in the basement bathroom, especially in the shower. Not liking spiders, I never got close and took quick…
What is that big beetle?
Whether a bird, plant or insect, identifying one I haven’t seen before is always interesting. So when I received an email that Cal Russell was…