Linda's Nature Page

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The other day I noticed a large wasp struggling in a spider's web. As I watched, I realized the wasp was not caught in the web. It was a Cicada Killer Wasp and it was after a cicada which was caught in the web. The wasp finally gave up and the cicada was left to become a meal for the spider.

Had she been able to free the cicada, she would have paralyzed it with her sting (she may have already) and taken it back to her burrow in the ground. Once in the burrow, she lays an egg on the cicada and the newly hatched larva feeds on the cicada.

Last month we discussed whether a snake could eat a deer. Here are some photos of a newborn fawn. The last photo of the fawn in the woods is a great example of camouflage, which we'll be talking about this month.

After a few rainy days, the woods were full of reproducing fungi. Nothing like rain and high humidity to entice the dispersal of spores from an organism that usually lies unnoticed beneath the soil or inside rotting wood. Fungi are important decomposers (recycling dead
organic matter) and these reproductive parts provide food for many animals (sometimes human).

It's back-to-school time, so I'll be seeing you soon. I have enjoyed nature this summer: I hope you have too!

Berry College - Experience it Firsthand In September 2013, Berry’s original bald eagle couple was once again seen on the Berry College campus in the vicinity of the nest in a tall pine tree situated between the main entrance and the parking lot of the Steven J. Cage Athletic and Recreation Center. Although a young "sub adult," approximate...

I spent the afternoon looking for millipedes, but not a one did I see. Lesson learned: there's always something marvelous to observe, even if it's not what you were looking for!

In class we've talked about not touching caterpillars with 'hairs' sticking out from their bodies (unless you have identified it as non-stinging), and I just happened to find this guy in my yard. Even though it is very beautiful, I did not touch it. I did take some photos so I could identify it later. Turns out it is a White-Marked Tussock Moth which can sting with some of those spines. The spines are hollow and contain a poison (produced in near-by poison glands). Contact with these spines causes them to break away and release the toxin. The caterpillar was very small and about one inch in length.

The captive mantid caught a cricket inside his aquarium. It must have been delicious! I also found a Chinese mantid outside on my zinnia plants. Once I found it eating a kadydid and another time it caught a tiger swallowtail butterfly.

Two of my Black Swallowtail caterpillars that have been visiting schools with me have moved on to their pupa stage. I never get bored with this amazing process!