Bug Squad

We're not the only ones "celebrating" the first week of spring. The oleander aphids are doing a happy dance on our milkweed plants. We think they're doing a mixture of the tango, cha-cha-cha, salsa and merengue.

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).