Drama in the Sand

Recently, I was out contemplating the next step on my back deck, when I noticed some activity in the sand alongside one of the footers. This parasitic wasp was hard at work digging a tunnel for its soon to be layed egg.

Parasitic Wasps (I don't know the specific name for this one) have an interesting life cycle. They will dig a burrow in sand or other appropriate soil for their nest.

They will continue to burrow until their entire body fits down below the surface. Once the chamber is complete, they head out to stock it with food.

Unfortunately, for me, it only took a matter of minutes before the adult returned with a parasitized catepillar upon which it would lay its egg. I wasn't ready with the camera for such a speedy return and missed that photo opportunity.

Once the deed is done and the catepillar safely underground, they will use their legs to throw sand back over the opening and even pull adjacent debris over it to help hid it from hungry predators. Having completed their task, off they fly to repeat the process again somewhere else. After incubation, the yound wasp hatches and emerges from the burrow to repeat the life cycle for the next generation.

Pretty cool!

Wings and Wildflowers

Birds are busy protecting territories and raising families so things are pretty slow at the feeders. Replacing the birds are blooming wildflowers and the butterflies that depend upon them. These two - Tiger Swallowtails and one I don't know - are common on sunny days.

Any guesses oin the second one?

In addition to the Snapping Turtles laying eggs, I've encountered several others including Painted Turtles and Blanding Turtles laying eggs for the next generation.

A fine Day for Egg Laying

Today, like most of the past week, was rainy. Regardless I was scheduled to go out and investigate the North Branch of Au Sable watershed. With the rain, we decided to cover the upper headwaters area from Otsego Lake down to Lovells.

The rainy weather and season was perfect for turtles to be out and about making nests and laying eggs. We came upon this gal at the end of her efforts. While she was preoccupied we shot a few pictures to record the event. Snappers are known for their long life, so the reproduction of the species is in fact an real monumental event.

Birds and Bugs

somehow, birds and bugs seem like a natural fit together for a naturalist. The obvious bugs would be butterflies, but I always enjoy seeing Hummingbird Moths. These are smaller day-time moths who feed on nectar more like butterflies than one would expect for a moth. Today, while I sat out after the rain, I found one coming to a pot of Pansies sitting on my steps with me.

As you might tell from the blurred wings, these moths hover much like Hummingbirds as the feed, hence their name.