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Insects

Looking Back on Bugs 2015 – iPhone Macros with Plastic Hand Lens

© Frank H. Jump

© Frank H. Jump

© Frank H. Jump

© Frank H. Jump

© Frank H. Jump

© Frank H. Jump

Snakefly (Raphidioptera) – Amersfoort, NL – Lowlands Correspondent, Gaia Son

© Gaia Son

Snakeflies are a group of insects comprising the order Raphidioptera, consisting of about 210 extant species. Together with theMegaloptera they were formerly placed within the Neuroptera, but now these two are generally regarded as separate orders.

Snakeflies are predatory, both as adults and larvae. They can be quite common throughout temperate Europe and Asia, but in North America occur exclusively in the Western United States, namely in the Rocky Mountains and westward, including the southwestern deserts.

Adult snakeflies are characterized by having an elongate prothorax but no modification of the forelegs (as in Mantispidae). They have strong and relatively unspecialised mouthparts, and large compound eyes. Some species also have ocelli. The females typically have a long ovipositor, which they use to deposit their eggs into crevices in bark or rotting wood. The wings are similar in size, with a primitive venation pattern, and a thickened costal margin (or “pterostigma”). – Wikipedia

Very Hungry Caterpillars – Poconos PA

iPhone shot with plastic hand lens © Frank H. Jump

Lymantriidae – Tussock Moth Larva – Hairy Freakin’ Caterpillar – Poconos, NEPA

© Frank H. Jump

© Frank H. Jump

Illustration of Tussock Moth (1917) – CLICK FOR LINK – © Wikipedia

Ailanthus Webworm Moth – Flatbush, Brooklyn

© Frank H. Jump

Ailanthus Webworm Moth

Lophocampa caryae – Hairy White Larvae – Woodpecker Poked Fungied Stump – In the Poconos #haiku

© Frank H. Jump

© Frank H. Jump

Hairy White Larvae – Woodpecker Poked Fungied Stump – In the Poconos #haiku

Pocono Rhododendron & Caterpillar in the Pines

© Frank H. Jump

© Frank H. Jump

Dragonflies, Fungi / Living Things I Yearn For Now / During the Deep Freeze #haiku

© Frank H. Jump

© Frank H. Jump

© Frank H. Jump

Shroom Signs

Shroom Signs © Frank H. Jump

Pocono Insects & Butterflies

© Frank H. Jump

Red Spotted Purple © Frank H. Jump

Grasshopper & Coccinellidae © Frank H. Jump

Bed Bug – Flatlands, New Amersfort – Brooklyn

© Frank H. Jump

I’m assuming this is an ad to get rid of bed bugs and not to sell a single bed bug.

Wikipedia

Good night, Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.

Origin of this phrase according to The Straight Dope:

There are two possible explanations for this expression. We’ll start with the one I personally like, because it’s a lot more interesting, and then we’ll get to what in all probability is the real one.

Explanation #1. Here in Cajun country where I live, before the days of mattresses, beds were square frames elevated from the ground, with ropes tied across in a sort of weave. It was similar to a hammock in concept. Anyway, in order to sleep well, the “mattress” couldn’t sag, so the bed had to be “tight.” (And free of bed bugs, but I thought that went without saying.)

For further insight I spoke to Dr. Jerry Lee Cross, a historian with the state of North Carolina. He confirms that the beds were, in fact, made of ropes tied across a frame. He adds that the origin of the phrase “sleep tight” is almost common knowledge among historians, simply because the modern bed is a little over a hundred years old.

But first a little about bedbugs. The 1996 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, under “bedbug,” shows a critter not unlike a flea. Known to others as Cimex lectularius, this beast is a blood-sucker (literally). It is further described as nocturnal and capable of consuming its body weight in blood in five minutes. This one meal can provide nourishment for the insect for six months! This flat, oval, wingless bug measures about 0.6 cm long and produces irritating bites but is not known to carry disease. How comforting. — Hawk

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