Bug Squad

Lately we've been fascinated by the migrating Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) heading to coastal California and central Mexico for their overwintering sites. For years we've marveled at the migrating whales passing Point Reyes as we stood glued to our binoculars.

"Look, there's a spider!" A sure-fire way to frighten arachnophobics is the very mention of "spiders"--especially on Halloween. Spiders aren't insects but arthropods, order Araneae. They have eight legs, which according to some, are seven legs too many.

If you see a white cabbage butterfly fluttering by you, net it. The Pieris Project wants it.

Good news for the honey bees! And none too soon. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today (Oct.

Medical entomologist Anthony Anton Cornel knows his mosquitoes--and a few snakes, too. When he was doing research in Brazil in September, he draped a snake around his neck and posed for the camera. His favorite research subjects, though, are mosquitoes.