Bug Watching

Kendall Kroesen

Sometimes the best wildlife watching isn't birds.

I spend most Tuesdays at the Simpson Farm habitat restoration project site and lately I've been taking a little time out to photograph a range of bugs. (Click on photos to enlarge.)










This was a pretty good summer for flowering plants. The summer bloom associated with the monsoon rains often brings a plethora of insects. I know what some of these are, but not others. Write in a comment below and name them! I'm always impressed by the variety and number this time of year.










Desert broom is a miracle plant for insects. Particularly when it is blooming, the variety of insects it hosts is quite impressive. Here are some insects seen on a desert broom, all on a single plant and within a few hours. Although some people don't like desert broom, having some of them around your property assures a range of insects are present for birds to eat. It can also help control outbreaks of insects in your garden because the presence of insects means that insect-eating insects will be around to help control outbreaks.






























Again, write a comment and name these insects!

Comments

  1. The butterflies are: American Lady (underside), American Lady (upper side) and Texan Crescent.

    Herb Trossman

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Herb. I wondered if it was a painted or American lady--wasn't sure. One of these butterflies is a snout (the one with the long snout!).

    Kendall Kroesen

    ReplyDelete
  3. What is the black beetle with the Red spot?

    ReplyDelete
  4. The beetle with the red spot, what is it?
    We had them emerge as terrible pest in our garden. They can be a real problem...

    ReplyDelete

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