A field experiment in Kenya shows that dung beetles disappear when the African elephants they depend on for their fecal food and shelter also vanish locally. This is the first time that coextinction, the disappearance of one species leading directly to the extinction of another species, has been demonstrated in a large-scale field experiment, according to […]
Tag: insect
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/172167886-56a51ffc5f9b58b7d0daf1ab.jpg?w=750&resize=750,0&ssl=1 "How Do Cockroaches Enter Your House?")
How Do Cockroaches Enter Your House?
All creatures, large and small, have a purpose, and while we are busy with our lives, they also seek an existence for their pleasure. We live in houses and strive to keep other animals out, but smaller animals sometimes find their way in, looking for warmth and food. Have you seen cockroaches inside your house? […]
What to Do if You Find a Wasp Nest
Warm weather drives many people to step outside to soak up some sun. But as you enjoy your summer barbecue with friends and family, suddenly, a striped little visitor buzzes by. That buzzing intruder means one thing—you’ve got a wasp nest in your backyard. By late summer, wasp nests can house up to 10,000 busy […]
Why Microscopic Organisms Rule Evolutionary History
It’s easy to be captivated by the giants—the towering dinosaurs, massive mammals, and colossal pterosaurs. Yet, if we zoom in, quite literally, we’ll find that the true champions of evolution are the tiny organisms, often overlooked but incredibly resilient and ancient. Picture this: the Earth, freshly cooled, about 3.8 billion years ago. It’s a world […]
Thread-winged-Lacewing (Nemoptera bipennis)
One of the most beautiful Iberian insects is the Wood Fairy or Thread-winged-Lacewing (Nemoptera bipennis), known as Duende in Spanish which translates as an elf or a fairy. My two younger daughters and I went out to look for them in one of the smaller pine woods on the edge of Barbate Marismas. Within a […]
Canon’s Best Macro Lens for Nature Photography: Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L
It may surprise you that I believe Canon’s 180mm macro lens to be the best macro lens for nature photography. After all, a few years ago, Canon released a new macro lens, the EF 100mm f/2.8L. It’s smaller, lighter, cheaper, auto-focuses faster, has a wider maximum aperture, and it even sports a new hybrid form […]
Goodness knows
Kindergarteners swarmed around the khaki-clad naturalist, squealing with excitement, shouting out questions and jockeying for a better view.The adult volunteers on this field trip were a tougher audience. “I’m glad they’re having fun but I don’t see why anyone should care about some bug,” one 30-something mom confided to another, adding, “What good is it, […]
Warm enough to fly in mid-December
The fly can be seen in the center of this photograph of the planter still decorated for autumn harvest in mid-December. The temperature peaked at 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4.4 C) on December 18th in Brighton, Michigan, but that didn’t deter a Common Green Bottle Fly from venturing out. Perhaps he had burrowed into the soilof […]