Bug Squad

It's definitely a bee friendly plant, packed with nectar and pollen. The cherry laurel, Prunus caroliniana, a member of the rose family, draws honey bees as if there's no tomorrow.

At first glance, it appeared to be a gnat circling our head. Then it landed on our passionflower vine (Passiflora). It cooperatively stayed still for a photo (taken with a Nikon D800 mounted with a 105mm macro lens) and then returned to its nest, a hole in the ground.

What an honor! And so deserving. He's an entomologist, trained to find ways to control insect pests, but now he aims to help humans with medical issues, including diabetes, high blood pressure and depression.

Good news: The first day of spring. Bad news: The future of the Eastern, migratory population of the monarch butterflies. Research published today in Scientific Reports indicates there's a "quasi-extinction risk" for the Eastern, migratory population of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus).

What's the most dangerous animal on the planet? No, not rhinos, cape buffaloes, hippos, lions, elephants, crocodiles or sharks. It's an insect, the blood-sucking mosquito. Mosquitoes that transmit malaria, including Anopheles gambiae, kill more than people than any other animal on the planet.