|
Diving beetles are strong flyers, are attracted to lights and many species winter on land. Go sweep that pond with a net and you might find some the diving beetle larvae, they're huge and voraciuos predators that sometimes even catch tadpoles and small fish.
|
#
?
Mar 12, 2020 10:34
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 25, 2024 20:25 |
|
|
Looks like cicada brood IX will be in the state east of mine this year, but not here.  But they'll be all over the East in 2021! 
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2020 13:35
|
|
|
The Red Queen posted:Looks like cicada brood IX will be in the state east of mine this year, but not here. Experiencing a brood emergence two springs ago up here was awesome, don't miss it. And don't forget to look for all the cicada-specific critters
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2020 15:45
|
|
|
Which brood is coming up in 2021?
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2020 17:07
|
|
|
Brood X, which sounds like a cheesy horror movie. They're due in 2021 and then again in 2038. I still get a kick out of how they only come around on prime numbers.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2020 17:13
|
|
|
I miss those orange screaming bastards, I need to see when we have them again
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2020 17:23
|
|
|
the yeti posted:Experiencing a brood emergence two springs ago up here was awesome, don't miss it. And don't forget to look for all the cicada-specific critters I know about he alarmingly huge wasps, any others I should keep an eye out for?
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2020 23:00
|
|
|
The Red Queen posted:I know about he alarmingly huge wasps, any others I should keep an eye out for? Velvet ants parasatize the burrows of the alarmingly huge wasps, and Massospora sp. fungi make cicadas butts turn into a spore pom pom
|
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2020 03:55
|
|
|
Gross and fascinating - reminds me of the fungus that eats daddy longlegs. I'll keep an eye out for the velvet ants as much for the sake of my feet as them being powerful cuties!
|
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2020 14:36
|
|
|
There was an obnoxiously loud/piercing one going full blast last night here in NC but I couldn't spot him. Definitely not our normal annual ones anyway.
|
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2020 16:56
|
|
|
The Red Queen posted:I know about he alarmingly huge wasps, any others I should keep an eye out for? Cicada hawk wasps are the coolest thing. At first it’s real freaky to see a 3 inch wasp, then you realize that they’re absurdly chilled out. Unless you’re a cicada.
|
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2020 17:08
|
|
|
Dewgy posted:Cicada hawk wasps are the coolest thing. At first it’s real freaky to see a 3 inch wasp, then you realize that they’re absurdly chilled out. The males are pretty doofy in a similar way to male carpenter bees but yeah it’s real hard to actually get stung by one
|
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2020 17:18
|
|
|
It's some kind of weird law of nature that stinging insects get less annoying in direct proportion to how big they are. I've never even heard of someone actually getting stung by a hornet and bumblebees are practically flying teddy bears, too.
|
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2020 17:29
|
|
|
I've been stung by a hornet before! But not a cicada killer. Edit: It was one of those bald faced dudes and it SUCKED. Edit Edit: Apparently they're not really hornets? 
my cat is norris fucked around with this message at 17:53 on Mar 14, 2020 |
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2020 17:48
|
|
|
Cardiovorax posted:It's some kind of weird law of nature that stinging insects get less annoying in direct proportion to how big they are. I've never even heard of someone actually getting stung by a hornet and bumblebees are practically flying teddy bears, too. I've been stung by bumble bees more times* than all other stinging insects combined! * 4 times in my 33 year life my cat is norris posted:I've been stung by a hornet before! But not a cicada killer.  Baldfaced hornets are actually a species of yellowjacket and not true hornets at all.
|
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2020 17:51
|
|
|
Tell me where you live, I also want to move to where you can go thirty years and get stung by mosquitoes less than four times. 
|
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2020 17:53
|
|
|
Mak0rz posted:I've been stung by bumble bees more times* than all other stinging insects combined! I JUST EDITED MY POST AS I LEARNED THIS sometimes your mind just gets blown once in awhile.
|
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2020 17:54
|
|
|
Cardiovorax posted:Tell me where you live, I also want to move to where you can go thirty years and get stung by mosquitoes less than four times.  mosquitoes don't sting
|
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2020 17:56
|
|
|
Tell that to my poor itching feet. Maybe it'll help, lol.
|
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2020 18:03
|
|
|
Mak0rz posted:
Along these lines, anyone else seethe whenever they hear someone talk about getting "bit" by a bee or other stinging insect?
|
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2020 22:15
|
|
|
CaptainSarcastic posted:Along these lines, anyone else seethe whenever they hear someone talk about getting "bit" by a bee or other stinging insect? Yes. But at least those insects can and do bite, even if that's not their primary mode of attack or what the victims usually mean when they say it.
|
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2020 22:42
|
|
|
I was actually bitten by a bumblebee when I was a little kid - as in, properly bitten, with the mouth-equivalent bits. When I was four years old or so, I accidentally kneeled on a bumblebee while playing on a lawn. It grabbed right on to my leg and refused to let go, the little bastard. I must have been screaming and trying to shake it off almost half a minute, from what I'm told. Apparently it looked completely hilarious. I don't hold it against them, I'm just kind of amused that the only bumblebee I've ever managed to annoy that much still refused to pull out the stinger.
|
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2020 22:49
|
|
|
Cardiovorax posted:I was actually bitten by a bumblebee when I was a little kid - as in, properly bitten, with the mouth-equivalent bits. When I was four years old or so, I accidentally kneeled on a bumblebee while playing on a lawn. It grabbed right on to my leg and refused to let go, the little bastard. I must have been screaming and trying to shake it off almost half a minute, from what I'm told. Apparently it looked completely hilarious. It was probably a male carpenter bee. Bumble bee jaws aren't very strong and any female bee wouldn't hesitate to sting something that kneels on them.
|
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2020 23:11
|
|
|
Mak0rz posted:It was probably a male carpenter bee. Bumble bee jaws aren't very strong and any female bee wouldn't hesitate to sting something that kneels on them. I was very little at the time and the shaking may not have been all that impressive.
|
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2020 23:23
|
|
|
Bald faced "hornets" being yellowjackets makes perfect sense. To date yellowjackets are the only bee-family bug I've been stung by. Still in awe that I let paper wasps make a nest over the back door that I and my rowdy dogs go through all the time and they left all of us alone. Took the chance after I nearly weed-whacked one and he just flew away completely unbothered.
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2020 13:42
|
|
|
Cardiovorax posted:It's some kind of weird law of nature that stinging insects get less annoying in direct proportion to how big they are. I've never even heard of someone actually getting stung by a hornet and bumblebees are practically flying teddy bears, too. Unless you're in Japan I think this holds up? I know all the large wasps here in Australia are way less trouble than honeybees and european wasps.
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2020 15:35
|
|
|
I once felt a paper wasp take a shot at me and slide its stinger across my thumb instead but it was because I was literally harassing it across a windowsill with my fingers so I could get a better photo
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2020 15:35
|
|
|
A Sometimes Food posted:Unless you're in Japan I think this holds up? I know all the large wasps here in Australia are way less trouble than honeybees and european wasps.
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2020 15:40
|
|
|
Recently I've been going to various SoCal marshes and wetlands for school and volunteer work. I've been saving some of these up but to say I've been super lucky in some of my sightings is a great understatement. These are going to be birds, because I love birds. But rest assured there are plenty of other great critters and I will try to get good footage of them on future trips. Many of these are also distant shots, because birds. If any of these are wrong, please feel free to correct! I am new to IDing most birds. Turkey vultures aren't generally on the ground An irritated black-crowned night heron Black-necked stilt A rightly pissed off redtail hawk (We spotted the nest nearby on our way out) A bufflehead who decided he didn't like our duck calls. Great horned owl just trying to get some drat sleep White-tailed kite near their nesting area A great egret on the hunt (they were successful! It was a fish) We don't see redhead ducks that often down here Handsome pintail Probably the most bold mallard I have ever seen I keep mixing up my scaups. I think this is a lesser scaup? A goddamn golden eagle holy poo poo Sleepy barn owl American Kestrel A wild clapper rail! This is an endangered species (at least locally) that I am volunteering to help monitor with video traps, but it was very exciting to see one in person.
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2020 20:41
|
|
|
Chaosfeather posted:
A few of these guys hang out along a flooded section of service road near us. Watching them hunt and lounge around makes sitting in traffic almost bearable. Theyre super cool birds. Also that barn owl sleeping in what looks like a little library is adorable. We have a few little libraries around here so my boys are going to flip out when I show them that picture.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2020 07:53
|
|
|
I found this guy in the yard at our complex in Brisbane, Australia. Thought about getting my big camera out but I don't have any colour film at the moment. 
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2020 11:14
|
|
|
Chaosfeather posted:
That expression is getting me randy
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2020 17:24
|
|
|
Cardiovorax posted:It's some kind of weird law of nature that stinging insects get less annoying in direct proportion to how big they are. I've never even heard of someone actually getting stung by a hornet and bumblebees are practically flying teddy bears, too. Usually true in my experience. However I will say that stepping on a spider hawk is not a recommended experience - felt like someone had plugged my foot directly into the mains electricity but the sensation kept going for quite some time. Hard to adequately describe how unpleasant it was but that's about the best I can do. Apparently they've got negligible toxicity to mammals, honey bee venom is 7 times more potent (and that's excluding allergenic potential) - just extremely painful as insect stings go. Other than directly stepping on one once though all I've ever seen them do is buzz loudly at you if you get to close while they're moving a paralyzed spider so pretty hard to piss them off.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2020 06:27
|
|
|
Chaosfeather posted:Recently I've been going to various SoCal marshes and wetlands for school and volunteer work. I've been saving some of these up but to say I've been super lucky in some of my sightings is a great understatement. These are going to be birds, because I love birds. But rest assured there are plenty of other great critters and I will try to get good footage of them on future trips. Many of these are also distant shots, because birds. If any of these are wrong, please feel free to correct! I am new to IDing most birds. Cool birds!
|
|
#
?
Mar 24, 2020 13:07
|
|
|
Going through my an old SD card when I remembered this thread is a thing. These were taken a few years ago in the central VA area.   
|
|
#
?
Mar 26, 2020 18:26
|
|
|
My university has a pond with a bunch of turtles and I used to feed them in between a few of my classes. This is one of the softshells. Her name is Nessie.  One of the turtles got me a flower for Valentine's day.   They're very photogenic. https://gfycat.com/closedexaltedaurochs They fuckin love watermelon but I mostly fed them carrots, chicken, and kale.  So many turts.  Sometimes they like to climb on me. I was kind of a local celebrity and sometimes people would come by and talk or take pictures or videos, which I didn't mind. Someone even gave me this picture they made (currently framed on my desk)  The university's been shut down due to COVID-19 since two weeks ago (feels like it's been forever), and I miss my little buddies. 
Kaiju Cage Match fucked around with this message at 21:56 on Mar 27, 2020 |
|
#
?
Mar 27, 2020 21:53
|
|
|
drat that's a lot of turtles. I seriously need to figure out how to cut video clips and such. My own university's Nile Geese are currently breeding and it's just adorable. Kaiju Cage Match posted:
|
|
#
?
Mar 27, 2020 21:58
|
|
|
 I just got opossumed
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2020 04:21
|
|
|
I wonder if that one's carrying babies in its pouch or if it's just fat. Looks like it has a big tummy.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2020 12:49
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 25, 2024 20:25 |
|
|
The Red Queen posted:I wonder if that one's carrying babies in its pouch or if it's just fat. Looks like it has a big tummy. hopefully babies I was driving, so no pic, but I saw an adult bald eagle perched on a house on my street in Virginia Beach the other morning. I know they're in the area but this is the first time I've ever seen an adult up close here just chilling around the human poo poo. My best previous close sighting was a juvenile eating roadkill a couple of years ago.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2020 15:40
|
|