- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Thar's gold in them thar hills, and then there's that ol' golden dung fly, Scathophaga stercoraria.
It's a red-eyed blond that definitely demands your attention.
You can find the larvae--if you're looking for it and know where to look--in the feces of large animals, including horses, cattle, sheep, deer and wild boar, where the insect breeds. The larvae eat the dung, and that's why this insect is important to natural decomposition. One of nature's recyclers...
The adult is a predator; it hunts for flies and other small insects. The adults also sip nectar, just like honey bees and other pollinators. BugGuide.net provides more information on the golden dung fly.
Carl Linnaeus first described the insect in 1758 as Musca stercoraria, according to BugGuide.net. Cathophaga originates from the Greek word, "skatos," meaning "excrement" and "phagein" for "to eat." Stercoraria is derived from the Latin "stercoris," meaning "of dung."
So, Happy Friday Fly Day--from a Golden Goddess...of sorts.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Two icons, the American flag and the monarch butterfly, are flying high today.
The American flag, or "Old Glory," symbolizes our democracy. The 13 stripes represent the 13 colonies that declared--and won--independence from Great Britain. The 50 stars in the field of blue denote our 50 states.
The glorious monarch, Danaus plexippus, reigns supreme in the world of butterflies, in that it's the most recognized butterfly and its seasonal migration routes to its overwintering sites in coastal California and central Mexico--and its return every spring--are legendary.
How did it get its name? Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus the father of modern taxonomy, named the butterfly "Danaus," for a great-grandson of the mythical Greek god Zeus, and "Plexippus," reportedly one of the 50 sons of Aegyptus, the twin brother of Danaus.
Fifty states. Fifty sons.
The common name, "monarch," is thought to honor "The Prince of Orange," who later became known as the King William III of England. (The butterfly is predominately orange and black.)
Fortunately, the majestic monarch butterfly isn't known as "The Prince of Orange" (or "The Princess of Orange.")