{"id":1858,"date":"2013-08-18T10:53:36","date_gmt":"2013-08-18T16:53:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/?p=1858"},"modified":"2020-07-01T15:07:18","modified_gmt":"2020-07-01T21:07:18","slug":"insects-of-the-southwest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/?p=1858","title":{"rendered":"Insects of the Southwest"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Mantis<\/p>\n

When I was a little kid, I used to lie on the ground behind our house, watching ants and trying to figure out their business. I captured other insects and fed them to the black-and-yellow garden spider who had strung her huge web along the side of our house. The neighbor kid got an extravagant model rocket for his birthday, and we caught crickets for astronauts, launching them into the sky over the creek. And one night after I went to bed, a big, beautiful luna moth flew in my window on a moonbeam (see Windows<\/a>).<\/p>\n

I was intimate with insects throughout childhood. Lightning bugs added magic to summer evenings; woolly worms were plush and comical. Under every rock were sinuous centipedes and pillbugs that curled up into tiny balls when disturbed. Fat bumblebees sailed drunkenly through flower gardens. I was stung by wasps and bees, but I still found them captivating, and it bothers me that, considering all the pollinator photos I’ve included below, not a single one shows a bee.<\/p>\n

We used crickets and grasshoppers as fishing bait, and in summer the neighborhood boys all had their prize fighting pinching bugs. My pets included tropical fish, frogs and salamanders, snapping turtles, lizards and snakes, and birds and bats with broken wings, and they all enjoyed various kinds of insect food. A man in the neighborhood raised bait in his oversize garage, under grow lights. I bought mealworms (beetle larvae) from him in wire-handled takeout boxes and stored them in the fridge at home.<\/p>\n

My home in New Mexico is an insect crossroads. I run across lots of magical creatures on my hikes in the surrounding mountains, but some of the most astounding have shown up right in my yard \u2013 like the fantastic\u00a0Automeris cecrops caterpillar shown below, which became the talk of my neighborhood as it spent several weeks browsing my front hedge.<\/p>\n

Growing up in the rural midwest, I took lacewings for granted \u2013 they were among the bugs that gathered around lamps in the evening. A couple days ago, I\u00a0glanced out a window and saw some tiny things hanging from a leaf and wondered what they were.\u00a0Later, putting together this gallery, I found my photo of a lacewing and googled it. Lo and behold, those things I had seen hanging from the leaf were lacewing eggs!<\/p>\n

In the gallery, you’ll find several pictures of my long-time favorite moth, the sphinx moth. I fell in love with them on my land in the Mojave desert, where they sometimes swarm in the desert willow trees in May, so much like hummingbirds, gorging on nectar.<\/p>\n

Don’t be misled by my title; centipedes and tarantulas are not insects. And I haven’t tried to identify everything; please let me know if you recognize any of these or notice any errors!<\/p>\n

break<\/span><\/p>\n

Ants<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"Silver <\/a>
Silver City, June 2008 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Silver <\/a>
Silver City, June 2008 <\/div> <\/div>
\"Struggling <\/a>
Struggling with a piece of snake skin, Signal Peak, August 2009 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Gomez <\/a>
Gomez Peak, July 2011 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"San <\/a>
San Francisco River canyon, September 2011 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

break<\/span><\/p>\n

Beetles<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"Longhorn <\/a>
Longhorn beetle, over 2″, found in my kitchen, July 2006 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Net-winged <\/a>
Net-winged beetles outside my house, July 2007 <\/div> <\/div>
\"Ladybug <\/a>
Ladybug swarm, Gomez Peak, July 2010 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Gomez <\/a>
Gomez Peak, July 2010 <\/div> <\/div>
\"Calligrapha <\/a>
Calligrapha serpentina in my yard, August 2011 <\/div> <\/div>
\"Gomez <\/a>
Gomez Peak, July 2012 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Bark <\/a>
Bark beetle damage on Burro Peak, October 2012 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

break<\/span><\/p>\n

Bugs<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"Leaf-footed <\/a>
Leaf-footed bug, San Francisco River canyon, September 2011 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

break<\/span><\/p>\n

Butterflies<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"Mimbres <\/a>
Mimbres Hot Springs Ranch, April 2006 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Signal <\/a>
Signal Peak, July 2009 <\/div> <\/div>
\"Signal <\/a>
Signal Peak, July 2009 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"My <\/a>
My yard, August 2009 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Railroad <\/a>
Railroad Canyon, June 2010 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"On <\/a>
On my truck, in the driveway, September 2010 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Signal <\/a>
Signal Peak, September 2010 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Signal <\/a>
Signal Peak, June 2012 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

break<\/span><\/p>\n

Caterpillars<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"Whitewater <\/a>
Whitewater Canyon, July 2006 <\/div> <\/div>
\"Gomez <\/a>
Gomez Peak, July 2011 <\/div> <\/div>
\"Saddle <\/a>
Saddle Rock Canyon, September 2011 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Automeris <\/a>
Automeris cecrops in my yard, September 2012 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Automeris <\/a>
Automeris cecrops in my yard, September 2012 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Gomez <\/a>
Gomez Peak, August 2013 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

break<\/span><\/p>\n

Centipedes<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"Beneficial <\/a>
Beneficial but freaky house centipede helps keep my house free of other insects, April 2009 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

break<\/span><\/p>\n

Cicadas<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"Giant <\/a>
Giant cicada (2-1\/2″) outside my house, August 2006 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Miniature <\/a>
Miniature cicadas (1″), Signal Peak, May 2012 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

break<\/span><\/p>\n

Flies<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"Crane <\/a>
Crane fly, with lint on its foot, outside my house, June 2006 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Whitewater <\/a>
Whitewater Canyon, June 2006 <\/div> <\/div>
\"Gila <\/a>
Gila Hot Springs, July 2007 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"My <\/a>
My yard, August 2009 (small patch of tiny flowers that were driving the pollinators crazy) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"My <\/a>
My yard, August 2009 (small patch of tiny flowers that were driving the pollinators crazy) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"My <\/a>
My yard, August 2009 (small patch of tiny flowers that were driving the pollinators crazy) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Signal <\/a>
Signal Peak, July 2012 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Burro <\/a>
Burro Peak, October 2012 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

break<\/span><\/p>\n

Grasshoppers<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"Mimbres <\/a>
Mimbres Valley, October 2006 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Saddle <\/a>
Saddle Rock Canyon, September 2011 <\/div> <\/div>
\"Saddle <\/a>
Saddle Rock Canyon, September 2011 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Saddle <\/a>
Saddle Rock Canyon, September 2011 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

break<\/span><\/p>\n

Katydids<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"Whitewater <\/a>
Whitewater Canyon, September 2011 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

break<\/span><\/p>\n

Lacewings<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"Outside <\/a>
Outside my house, March 2009 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Lacewing <\/a>
Lacewing eggs on pyracantha leaf outside my house, August 2013 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

break<\/span><\/p>\n

Mantises<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"Outside <\/a>
Outside my house, September 2007 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Whitewater <\/a>
Whitewater Canyon, September 2011 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Mantis <\/a>
Mantis on bear poop, Eighty Mountain, October 2011 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Mantis <\/a>
Mantis on my truck tire at Signal Peak trailhead, August 2012 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

break<\/span><\/p>\n

Moths<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"Sphinx <\/a>
Sphinx moth at Gila Hot Springs, July 2007 <\/div> <\/div>
\"Sphinx <\/a>
Sphinx moth at Gila Hot Springs, July 2007 <\/div> <\/div>
\"Gila <\/a>
Gila Hot Springs, July 2007 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Outside <\/a>
Outside my house, September 2007 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Sphinx <\/a>
Sphinx moth on my screen door, April 2008 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Outside <\/a>
Outside my house, August 2008 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Sphinx <\/a>
Sphinx moth outside my house, March 2009 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Outside <\/a>
Outside my house, July 2011 <\/div> <\/div>
\"Outside <\/a>
Outside my house, July 2011 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Outside <\/a>
Outside my house, July 2012 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Outside <\/a>
Outside my house, July 2012 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

break<\/span><\/p>\n

Mystery Insects<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"Gomez <\/a>
Gomez Peak, July 2011 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Signal <\/a>
Signal Peak, June 2013 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

break<\/span><\/p>\n

Spiders<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"Outside <\/a>
Outside my house, September 2007 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Outside <\/a>
Outside my house, September 2007 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

break<\/span><\/p>\n

Tarantulas<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"Very <\/a>
Very wet tarantula on Signal Peak, July 2010 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

break<\/span><\/p>\n

Wasps<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"In <\/a>
In my yard, August 2009 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"In <\/a>
In my yard, August 2009 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I was a little kid, I used to lie on the ground behind our house, watching ants and trying to figure out their business. I captured other insects and fed them to the black-and-yellow garden spider who had strung her huge web along the side of our house. The neighbor kid got an extravagant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2013,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[89,50],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-animals","category-nature"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/IMG_1387.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1858"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1858\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10498,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1858\/revisions\/10498"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}