|
www.sidandlisa.net |
|
|
|
The Backyard Zoo By Jim Dunlap "Scarab Beetle" |
| People, people, people, if I’ve
told you once, I’ve told you, well I know it’s more than once, the
definition of the term "drive-through" at the post office. You
will not find anywhere in that definition where it says stop, lick
stamps, affix address labels, read it first, make out a check, stuff
envelopes, or any other of those annoying things while I wait patiently
in the pick up truck right behind you! Now where were we? Oh yes, the
topic this week is really a bugger.
We have been invaded! My theory is that a big storm during the night caused about twenty of them to Kamikaze into the big windows to the back patio here at the center. They almost look like June bugs, but upon closer inspection, they still look like June bugs. There are subtle differences, e.g., pointy abdomen, tapered wings, furry chest, and some others that only his mother would notice. He is a scarab beetle. Science and hobbyists know him as Scaptolenus leconti. That just drives my spell check crazy. You can call him anything you like because there is no common name. He is part of a large family that numbers 1,300 North American species. Both adults and larvae are nocturnal and many are important scavengers that recycle carrion, vegetable matter, and dung. You know we can never have enough of those. Eggs are laid and develop in the soil where the larvae eat and grow. I tell people this all the time; I am no expert. I just have more reference books and email addresses of experts than most people. I want to thank Mike Merchant, PhD, Urban Entomologist, Texas A&M University, for once again clearing up the fog that prevails in my head when confronted by a new bug. I am sure people bug him all the time. I know that is not funny but I think apropos. |
|
| Back to Main Menu | |