Bumblebee & Beetle
One of the many, many bumblebees in my yard looked just off. When I caught it for a closer look, it had a hitchhiking beetle attached to one of its antenna! These flower beetles (Antherophaga sp.) feed on flowers as adults, but their larvae feed on detritus inside bumblebee nests. Apparently, the easiest way to get from one place to the other is to latch onto a passing bumblebee and go along for the ride! Who knew? Photographed for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. Twan Leenders RTPI President
Read MoreKick Off For NISAW
Happy National Invasive Species Awareness Week (NISAW)! As events are taking place around the country, spreading the word about invasive species, we teamed up with our friend Andrea Locke WNY PRISM Coordinator to kick things off with a training session on Asian Long-horned Beetle (ALB), Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) and Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA). We had 16 people in attendance of the training session and had a brave few stay for the outdoor survey portion of the training, bearing the cold temperatures while searching for HWA here at RTPI. We are happy to report that we didn’t find any in...
Read MoreDowny Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)
Downy Woodpeckers (Picoides pubescens) are a common sight in the region and can typically be seen hammering away at the bark of a tree, attempting to uncover a nice juicy larval insect. These woodpeckers aren’t terribly picky, and have recently been found to munch down Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) larvae, an invasive species of beetle attacking ash trees. As EAB has spread throughout several states, scientists have been seeing rising population numbers as a result of increased food resources in at least four bird species, including the downy woodpecker. While woodpeckers may have some...
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