Sunday, August 14th by Ash Arons

Do not fear, the annual blog update is finally here! I apologize for the late entry, I have just been so bee-sy with data collection that I didn’t realize how bee-hind I got. But I am back now, so flip your frown, and lemme tell you about some neat stuff that I’ve found:

[Bee-Search]

Pinned At Long Last

Although they have yet to be uploaded to iNaturalist, all of last year’s collected bees have been pinned! The box you can see is one of three total so far, hopefully this year’s data will be(e) able to fit in its own too!

August 2021 Pollinator Plot Bees

Heckin’ Hymenoptera

Here are a few others in the order that didn’t make the cut to be(e)come model specimens. Take a look at how cool these wasps are, and while their long ovipositors may seem menacing, they are actually quite useful to deposit eggs in hard-to-reach locations!

Hymenoptera Collected Summer 2021

[College Garden]

Living Time Machine

Have you Senna any plants going to seed? Reminiscent of beans, the pods pictured be(e)low are indeed Wild Senna seeds! And a special appearance this week is brought to us by the Ohio Spiderwort… although all other spiderwort plants across campus have withered away, this one bloom at the College Garden says, “I’m here to stay!”

Wild Senna Goes to Seed
Spiderwort Refuses to Quit

Bees, Beetles, & Besties

Bumble Bee on Purple Coneflower
Long-horned bee on Ohio Spiderwort
Bumble Bee Takes a Bee-rake
Spotted Cucumber Beetle on the Smooth Aster
Ant-archy on the Ironweed
Seriously Bro, Like What Are You Trying To Prove

[Pine Patch]

Thrown of the Over-grown

I took this photo before I did some major weeding, but you’ll have to check back in next week to see the after!

Pine Patch on Sunday, August 14th, 2022

Season of Seeds

It’s the bee-uty of pollination baby!

Red Milkweed Seeds Disperse
Seeds of Wild Senna
Red Milkweed Bugs Bother the Red Milkweed
Butterfly Milkweed Pods

Still Here?

The Foxglove Beardtounge diminished at the start of the summer back in June, so its quite the oddity to have seen this lil fellow out and about when I was weeding the Pine Patch this week. Call that a late bloomer!

Foxglove Beardtounge, Penstemon digitalis

Buzz on the Block

Bumble Bee on Wild Senna
Bumble Bee on the Last of the Butterfly Milkweed
Great Golden Digger Wasp & Bee (if you can find it)
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Red Milkweed
Large Milkweed Bug on Milkweed Pods
Soldier Beetle, Family Cantharidae

[Vegetable Garden]

Bun on the Run

Just the one

Having fun

By the suns

Bun 1 in Sister System Set Up

The Bees Knees

Bombus Pollinates Peppers
Close-up of Aforementioned
Braconid Wasp with Antennae the Size of its Body
Ants Shan’t Go Unnoticed

Sunflower Scour

Pollinators in the Plot

American Goldfinch, Spinus tristis
Agapostemon on Sunflower
Bumble Bee
And Anotha’ One

Spot the Bee(s)

It May Take A Second
Hint: You’re Looking For Two!

[Fi.eld Days.]

More Pan Traps Planned

The following pictures are from the pan trap collection I did over the weekend. This round I collected 20 bees; the highest amount I’ve found at Rittman since early July (27 bees), and more than last week’s (6).

Wildflower Pan Trap Set Up
Ladybeetle Spotted Mid-Collection

53 Down

I finally went through the three data collections I’ve completed at the William J. Robertson Preserve over the past couple of months. I counted over 300 specimens, with roughly 28.3% or so be(e)ing bees! In the next several weeks I intend to pin other noteworthy insects from the traps, including Orthoptera (crickets), Coleoptera (beetles), and other Hymenoptera (wasps/cool ants). I will eventually present all of these in a box for future environmental education classes to be held at the WJRNP.

7/4/22, 8/7/22, and 8/12/22 Bees Pinned!

Spot the Swallowtail

Caught Mid Stretch on the Ironweed

Just Bee-cause

Honeybee on Crownbeard (Genus: Verbesina)

[Is This Goodbee or Hello?]

This Bumble Bee Will Wave At You Regardless

(Bee pun counter: 11)

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