Sepiatone Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Hmmph! I think those flies you mention simply found their way to MY house! I don't know HOW they keep getting in, but they find a way. No shortage of fireflies around here. We also used to call 'em "lightnin' bugs". They have black wings bordered with orange and emit light from their b u t t s, it appears. Nice sight on a mild summer night. Beats the HELL out of mosquitoes. I mentioned my close proximity to a creek, and plenty of bugs to go around. For the second time since I moved to this house, I found a praying mantis clinging to my front screen door this morning. I'll leave him (or her?) alone for now, doesn't seem to be a threat. Sepiatone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJH Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 Hmmph! I think those flies you mention simply found their way to MY house! I don't know HOW they keep getting in, but they find a way. No shortage of fireflies around here. We also used to call 'em "lightnin' bugs". They have black wings bordered with orange and emit light from their b u t t s, it appears. Nice sight on a mild summer night. Beats the HELL out of mosquitoes. I mentioned my close proximity to a creek, and plenty of bugs to go around. For the second time since I moved to this house, I found a praying mantis clinging to my front screen door this morning. I'll leave him (or her?) alone for now, doesn't seem to be a threat. Sepiatone I haven't seen a mantis in years. I remember picking one up as a kid and getting a good sting from him with his pincers. Served me right, too. I think they're one of the more fascinating of insects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGayDivorcee Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Not one ladybug yet this summer. And still no butterflies. Maybe due to the drought? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamradio Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Not one ladybug yet this summer. And still no butterflies. Maybe due to the drought? If I don't see any ladybugs this fall, I will do cartwheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepiatone Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Are you sure those are ladybugs, Ham? There WAS an invasion of some weird asian beetle that looked a lot like ladybugs, but weren't. Had tons of them into the flaps of my canvas "gazeebo" patio thing, and my neice had tons of them settled on her front screen door. I thought they WERE ladybugs until an article in my local paper centered on them and explained what they were. Sepiatone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJH Posted August 4, 2014 Author Share Posted August 4, 2014 If I don't see any ladybugs this fall, I will do cartwheels. Why celebrate the absence of ladybugs? They're great for the garden with their aphid control. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamradio Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Are you sure those are ladybugs, Ham? There WAS an invasion of some weird asian beetle that looked a lot like ladybugs, but weren't. Had tons of them into the flaps of my canvas "gazeebo" patio thing, and my neice had tons of them settled on her front screen door. I thought they WERE ladybugs until an article in my local paper centered on them and explained what they were. Sepiatone Whatever they're called, I hate them. (Also the stink bugs) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dabb Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 I'm seeing more and more butterflies around lately. I saw three today - all different patterns and sizes. Sometimes I just sit and watch in amazement as they flutter by in their (apparent) haphazard manner. Sometimes they look as if they just came from Joe's Bar & Grill's Happy Hour. How do they manage to get anywhere? Then I notice they've gone quite a ways in the few seconds I've watched. I think their using some kind of Jedi mind trick on me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJH Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 I've been hearing more cicadas lately (even though it's hardly been a hot summer). However, we are now into August, and I've yet to hear a single cricket this summer or sight a single grasshopper, the first summer I can recall in which that is the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swithin Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 I've been hearing more cicadas lately (even though it's hardly been a hot summer). However, we are now into August, and I've yet to hear a single cricket this summer or sight a single grasshopper, the first summer I can recall in which that is the case. I've been up in the country a couple of times recently, Putnam County, about 1 1/2 hours north of New York City. There seem to be plenty of insects up there, of all kinds. Didn't see any butterflies, but then I rarely do. But just about everything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamradio Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 TomJH, on 06 Aug 2014 - 10:12 PM, said: I've been hearing more cicadas lately (even though it's hardly been a hot summer). However, we are now into August, and I've yet to hear a single cricket this summer or sight a single grasshopper, the first summer I can recall in which that is the case. I've been up in the country a couple of times recently, Putnam County, about 1 1/2 hours north of New York City. There seem to be plenty of insects up there, of all kinds. Didn't see any butterflies, but then I rarely do. But just about everything else. Explanation http://www.magicicada.org/magicicada_2014.php They are referred to as Jar Fly in my area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGayDivorcee Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 If I don't see any ladybugs this fall, I will do cartwheels. Aren't they good luck, especially if they land on you? Well, how about you send me some of yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamradio Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Aren't they good luck, especially if they land on you? Well, how about you send me some of yours? I should have won the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes by now - 3 times over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dabb Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 I should have won the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes by now - 3 times over. You've got enough there to open your own Chocolate Covered Lady Bugs operation. The grasshopper version is a thriving business. Sayy.. maybee... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamradio Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 You've got enough there to open your own Chocolate Covered Lady Bugs operation. The grasshopper version is a thriving business. Sayy.. maybee... Sometimes I feel like these two. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJH Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 As a rather coolish summer approaches its final weeks in southern Ontario, I have to report that nothing has changed since I initiated this thread regarding the relative absence of butterflies. This applies to butterflies of any kind, not just the monarchs that have received so much publicity with their dwindling numbers. A week ago I encountered a lady with camera in hand in a marsh area nearby, Her hobby is nature photography, and she lamented the absence of butterflies to me before I even had a chance to say anything. There are still a few around, of course, but their decline from just last summer has been DRAMATIC, from my perspective. The dramatic reduction of bees continues, of course, in this area. I can report having heard cicadas in the past month or so, as well as, crickets, within the past couple of weeks. On the other hand, I've seen almost no snails, nor do I recall having seen any ladybugs. Another thing. Having gone out of my way to walk through some patches of tall dry grass I can honestly say that this is the first summer in my life in which I have failed to see ONE SINGLE GRASSHOPPER! And I mean that literally. Not one! That includes walking through some tall grass in a naturalized area near my home where there were definitely grasshoppers last summer, as there were, indeed, all summers before that. I could just as well rename this thread: Has Anyone Noticed There Are No Grasshoppers This Summer? It's difficult to say if the bird population has been impacted yet. I will make this observation, though. Every summer I marvel at the large flocks of starlings that will suddenly descend upon lawns or trees, making a loud cacophony of chatter. There appear to be hundreds in these blacks flocks at times, which can suddenly take flight in unison and form dramatic and striking cloud formations in the sky because of their dense numbers. I have not seen a single starling cloud formation of any kind this summer in southern Ontario. That makes me wonder if, in turn, whatever appears to be happening to our ecosystem has already gone beyond the insect world, and is reducing the numbers of birds, as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dabb Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 As a rather coolish summer approaches its final weeks in southern Ontario, I have to report that nothing has changed since I initiated this thread regarding the relative absence of butterflies. This applies to butterflies of any kind, not just the monarchs that have received so much publicity with their dwindling numbers. A week ago I encountered a lady with camera in hand in a marsh area nearby, Her hobby is nature photography, and she lamented the absence of butterflies to me before I even had a chance to say anything. There are still a few around, of course, but their decline from just last summer has been DRAMATIC, from my perspective. The dramatic reduction of bees continues, of course, in this area. I can report having heard cicadas in the past month or so, as well as, crickets, within the past couple of weeks. On the other hand, I've seen almost no snails, nor do I recall having seen any ladybugs. Another thing. Having gone out of my way to walk through some patches of tall dry grass I can honestly say that this is the first summer in my life in which I have failed to see ONE SINGLE GRASSHOPPER! And I mean that literally. Not one! That includes walking through some tall grass in a naturalized area near my home where there were definitely grasshoppers last summer, as there were, indeed, all summers before that. I could just as well rename this thread: Has Anyone Noticed There Are No Grasshoppers This Summer? It's difficult to say if the bird population has been impacted yet. I will make this observation, though. Every summer I marvel at the large flocks of starlings that will suddenly descend upon lawns or trees, making a loud cacophony of chatter. There appear to be hundreds in these blacks flocks at times, which can suddenly take flight in unison and form dramatic and striking cloud formations in the sky because of their dense numbers. I have not seen a single starling cloud formation of any kind this summer in southern Ontario. That makes me wonder if, in turn, whatever appears to be happening to our ecosystem has already gone beyond the insect world, and is reducing the numbers of birds, as well. It's difficult to second guess Mother Nature. As far as the birds are concerned, it may just be a matter of local weather. They may be right next door somewhere - maybe just some tens or perhaps a hundred kilometers away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGayDivorcee Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 It's the same situation here in my little patch of the woods in Northern California. No ladybugs, no butterflies, fewer insects in general. Some of our flowers and greenery have died due to the drought, so maybe the critters are going elsewhere. There will be another six weeks or more of warm weather, so I'll report if there are any sightings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamradio Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 It's the same situation here in my little patch of the woods in Northern California. No ladybugs, no butterflies, fewer insects in general. Some of our flowers and greenery have died due to the drought, so maybe the critters are going elsewhere. There will be another six weeks or more of warm weather, so I'll report if there are any sightings. I had some perennials to die on me during the past couple of months. This year has been weird weather wise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJH Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 Just as a quick followup on my post from yesterday, what is the grasshopper situation in anyone's area, and what area would that be? Are you still seeing them, or, like myself in southern Ontario (at least around Toronto), do they appear to be missing in action? At least, with butterflies, I have seen a few. That is not at all the case with grasshoppers.They are completely missing. I've never seen a summer before without those hopping grass critters around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dabb Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Central Florida: East of Tampa No major grasshopper presence - stop - may be too hot - stop - temps in the 90s many days - stop Kid_Dabb 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJH Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 Central Florida: East of Tampa No major grasshopper presence - stop - may be too hot - stop - temps in the 90s many days - stop Kid_Dabb Your temps are the opposite of southern Ontario, where people are complaining that there's not enough heat. Still, you indicate that the grasshopper population appears to be down around Tampa. That you have in common with us (our grasshopper population actually non-existent from what I've (not) seen of it so far). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGayDivorcee Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Just as a quick followup on my post from yesterday, what is the grasshopper situation in anyone's area, and what area would that be? Are you still seeing them, or, like myself in southern Ontario (at least around Toronto), do they appear to be missing in action? At least, with butterflies, I have seen a few. That is not at all the case with grasshoppers.They are completely missing. I've never seen a summer before without those hopping grass critters around. I have not seen a grasshopper here (Northern California) in a few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkblue Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 I was watching some squirrels scampering around out back today and a small butterfly flapped by. I'd probably not have thought about it had this thread not existed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJH Posted August 22, 2014 Author Share Posted August 22, 2014 I have not seen a grasshopper here (Northern California) in a few years. Really? A few years? Grasshoppers need hot, dry conditions in order to prosper. As I said earlier, it's been a relatively cool summer (no temps over 86 degrees so far for the first time in recorded history, and few even in the 80s) in southern Ontario. Still, I've never seen a complete absence of the insect before. I've read that hoppers are disappearing across the States (probably not causing many tears from farmers). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now