Butterfly w tygodniu

I’ve been a bit remiss at posting regular challenges, so I’ll try to pick up the pace. Who can tell me anything about this butterfly? The most you’re getting is that it is from the Western half of the US. Credit for family, genus or species and ridiculous credit for subspecies and where it is . . . → Czytaj więcej: Butterfly w tygodniu

Moth tasting in Napa

It was a beautiful day today in the bay area, so I headed up to Napa and the Pope Valley. I was scouting some new territory for a small flower moth, Heliolonche celeris, that apparently is waiting for more contiguous nice weather to emerge. This season has been a bit tardy because of all of . . . → Czytaj więcej: Moth tasting in Napa

Geniusz prasy, v. IV

Another installment of Genius of the Press, and perhaps a bit of a softball. (Yikes these are easy to find) Who can tell me whats wrong with this article?

I may drive too much

The clouds broke this afternoon in San Francisco and the sun began to shine. The upcoming warm weather induced an all too familiar feeling, one that I should be out collecting insects and not sitting indoors! While I have already been to a handful of places this spring, I have a long season of collecting . . . → Czytaj więcej: I may drive too much

Aquamoth część 3

Kontynuacja serii aquamoth, this time with video from Science Friday! Tak, Muszę je połączyć, ponieważ nie będzie osadzać wordpress… Dzięki Ted, zdobione!

Rivers of Gold

Kilka zdjęć z mojego weekendu mothing podróż w dół do Shell Creek, San Luis Obispo County. Wczesna wiosna wzdłuż środkowego wybrzeża jest oszałamiający, i drogi z powrotem obserwatorów były pełne kwiatów. Były dziesiątki samochodów zajmowane przez rodziny na przejażdżkę w weekend, many had packed lunches and sat to watch the . . . → Czytaj więcej: Rivers of Gold

Aquamoth część 2

I came across the full-text PDF of the amphibious moth article and extracted the tree showing the radiation of this species group and probable evolution of the amphibious traits. Interesting to note the case shape, and each moth is endemic to its own volcano in the Hawaiian archipelago.

This is a Bayesian analysis of . . . → Czytaj więcej: Aquamoth część 2

Answer to last week’s Genius of the Press

For all those who abstained from voting (I want to assume some readers must have known the identity of our mystery caterpillar, but were too lazy to comment), here is the answer (after the break).

. . . → Czytaj więcej: Answer to last week’s Genius of the Press

Aquamoth!

Another amazing animal from Hawaiia completely amphibious caterpillar (published in the March 22 PNAS). While there are a few aquatic Lepidoptera, all of them have gills that keep them restricted to the water (mind you, we are talking only about the larval stage). If their stream dries up, so does the caterpillar. . . . → Czytaj więcej: Aquamoth!

Kalifornijska Wiosna

Spring has come to northern California and moths are on the wing. I took a quick trip up to the Sierra foothills over the weekend and hiked up the steep slopes above the American River. Above is pictured Xanthothrix ranunculi f. albipuncta (Noctuidae: Stiriinae). It happens to be sitting on a beautiful california . . . → Czytaj więcej: Kalifornijska Wiosna