Keen to impress my bug-loving nephew with my mad bug-identifying skills, I pored over the shots of what at first glance I thought was a wasp in my garden. But the wings in the shot below reminded me of a certain hummingbird moth that I'm so fascinated by, so instead of seeking out information on wasp identification, I looked for a clearwing moth instead. Turns out that the insect visiting the garlic chives in my garden, is indeed a wasp imitating moth, but more importantly it's also an important pest for fruit farmers. Something to keep in mind, if I ever find myself so lucky as to own a piece of land with room for some fruit trees. If my research is correct, this is a male Lesser Peachtree Borer, Synanthedon pictipes, but as usual I'd be happy if I nailed the genus alone. The looking at bugs thing is similar to the looking at plants thing. The more you look, the more you will see and after some time spent looking hard at the small things around you, something does sink in.
I also thought I saw a bright green metallic bee and you know what? I did. Coud it be Agapostemon sericeus, one of our New York native bees? Perhaps. I'll call it at genus Agapostemon, until I know better.
Keep looking Aaron. There's so much to discover.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment