22 August 2020

In late August the birds are silent but bugs are busy everywhere. Here are a few examples of recent bugs at work.

Above, pollinators visit green-headed coneflowers (Rudbeckia laciniata) at Moraine State Park.

Below, a midge laid its eggs on a flower head which grew into a huge gall. My guess at the midge’s identity is Asphondylia rudbeckiaeconspicua based on the description and photos posted here by The Michigan Nature Guy.

Fall webworms are building webs and enclosing tree branches as they eat the leaves. The webs protect the caterpillars from predators and can become quite large, as shown below.

The caterpillars won’t permanently damage the trees because the growing season is nearing its end.

See a photo of the adult moth and read more about fall webworms here.

Cicadas are still “singing” in Pittsburgh. Occasionally I find a molted exoskeleton like this one in Frick Park.

And finally, at Duck Hollow I almost walked into a tiny caterpillar dangling from an invisible filament. The caterpillar blows in the wind, his filament touches another tree and he scrambles up. It’s an effective form of transportation. Much faster than walking.

(photos by Kate St. John)