Bug Squad

In the blink of an eye... There it was, nestled inside a baby blue eyes blossom, Nemophila menziesii, which is a spring-blooming plant native to California, Oregon and Baja California. "It?" A katydid nymph, a wingless critter with long black-and-white banded antennae.

Back in April of 2021, we wrote: "They're out there, and you don't have to crane your neck to see them." The topic: crane flies. They're often mistakenly called "mosquito eaters" or "mosquito hawks." They're neither. They're members of the family Tipulidae of the order Diptera (flies).

It was a little late. The first flameskimmer of the year usually arrives in our yard in early April. Not this year. The species, Libellula saturata, was late. The easily recognized red dragonfly, also known as "the firecracker skimmer," touched down in our yard today, May 24.

The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is widely used for biological research.

Rain and hail pelted the California Honey Festival, held recently in downtown Woodland, but that didn't deter the estimated 22,000 to 25,000 attendees who simply opened their umbrellas, slipped on their rain gear, or dashed for cover at store fronts.