Asparagus beetles are insects that belong to the family Chrysomelidae. Like the name suggests, these beetles can cause damage to asparagus plants. The two most common species of asparagus beetles are the common asparagus beetle (Crioceris asparagi) and the spotted asparagus beetle (Crioceris duodecimpunctata). Both species are native to Europe but have now spread to other parts of the world, …
Beetles
Beetles in the Dunes
Harsh environments like shorelines and dunes are good places to look for beetles. While on a hike at Radar Hill Beach in late May, I noticed an isolated log in the dunes above the beach. In a hot environment like sand dunes, wood and plants provide shade for small insects. I wasn’t really expecting anything, but thought that it would …
Backyard Beetle
This interesting Ground Beetle (Pterostichus sp.) was hiding underneath some rotting wood in my mother-in-law’s backyard. I found some small black beetles underneath rotting wood up at my mother-in-law’s place in Black Creek a couple of weeks ago and had a chance to check on whether or not they were still there. What I discovered was a large Ground Beetle …
Gorgeous Ground Beetles
One of the joys about having a backyard garden is the opportunity to discover something new. It might be a strange looking slug, an odd looking sow bug, or in this case, a gorgeous beetle. The European Ground Beetle (Carabus nemoralis), a gorgeous introduced ground beetle that can be found in many North American gardens. This week I was prepping …
Amongst the Lily Seeds
A side view of the pod showing the seeds inside. Managed to get out to the garden with the kids today and did a little bit of fall clean-up. Today I focused on trimming the lily seed heads and collecting the seeds. From what I’ve read on-line, growing lilies from seed is a bit of a hit and miss project …
Lunch with Tiger Beetle
This morning I searched for two endangered Pink Sand-verbena (Abronia umbellata) plants reported last week at Florencia Bay. Despite a lack of success, I enjoyed poking around, looking at plants, and examining the flotsam and jetsam brought in with the tide. The beach at Florencia Bay is over 5 km long and even though I had a rough idea of where …