There isn’t a more calming experience than strolling along the shorelines of the Inland Bays, watching visitors fish and ospreys clasp their own fresh catches, showing them how it’s done. Nothing more perfect than a cotton candy colored sky reflecting off the calm waters of Rehoboth Bay. No better smell than the salt in the air.
I’ve always loved being along the coast, but it wasn’t until I reached adulthood that I realized that sharing that love of nature isn’t enough. We have to protect it. And, like in many things in life, sometimes we have to start off small.
That’s why I’m choosing to feature Bugs of the Bays for the fundraiser, with plans to post one photo a day of an insect I find in the Inland Bays watershed, through the end of September. I don’t expect that I’ll be able to identify them all, and I’ll definitely need your help!
Luckily, the Center for the Inland Bays not only protects one of the most beautiful places on the East Coast, but also has some of the smartest, most talented and dedicated supporters and volunteers I’ve ever met. I’ll be bugging <hehe> one of them - entomologist, educator and Center volunteer Dennis Bartow - to help me identify the multi-legged and winged critters I discover in the sands, grasses and nooks and crannies around the bays.
Any donation to this campaign, no matter how small, will make a difference. And for those who can’t donate, please consider supporting the Center as a volunteer or in any way that you can.
Thank you!!
🐛🦋🐌🐞🐜🦟🦗🕷🐝
BUGS OF THE BAYS
This unidentified spider was found on the face of my co-worker Zach Garmoe right before we got to get out on the calm waters of Indian River Bay last weekend! I'm dubbing this entry a "metal face spooder" until someone more qualified corrects me.
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I can't believe this is the first mantis that allowed me to photograph it for my Bugs of the Bays campaign!
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Bzzzzzz! I'm not sure what kind of wasp this is, maybe some kind of mud dauber?
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Could this be a kind of long-jawed orb weaver (Leucauge)? (Stay tuned.) Whatever kind of spider it is, I love its colors! And now that the rain has passed, it looks like a good day to get outside.
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I'm not sure what kind of damselfly this is, but I do love its beady eyes. It was soooo tiny, too! It's been so fun keeping an eye out for insects like this while exploring the Inland Bays.
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This may be one of my favorite Bugs of the Bays shots so far, even if the focus could be a little sharper. I love how jumping spiders look at you like they can see your soul. This one's colors once I got to see the photo are just magnificent!
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So many butterflies around the bays! I believe this one is a pearl crescent, and they love colorful meadows. This is a common species, and a huge element of conservation is to maintain efforts to keep common species common, so that they don't end up on the endangered species list (or worse).
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Rawr! This spider (some kind of funnel spider?) is very protective of its home, which it would like to keep.
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This little cabbage white was another very cooperative butterfly participant in my Bugs for the Bay campaign.
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Sunday fun-days are for daddy long legs, which can apparently drop a leg much like a lizard would break its tail to escape a predator. Found this fun article for anyone interested in more fun Pholcidae facts:
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This common buckeye practically posed for me along the trail at Holt's Landing State Park.
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This little one is working diligently in a corner near the Center for the Inland Bays' office, and it looks like there are a few more on the way. With help from Dennis Bartow, I'm going to guess that this is a cobweb weaver, or it may just be a common house spider. Either way, I'm happy it's here, and that I'm learning all sorts of new things about insects along the way!
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Look at this fuzzy little sweetie pie! My best guess was a bumblebee with its little legs all covered in pollen! A big thank you to Dennis Bartow for proving me right on this one! Pollinators are so incredibly important to our bays.
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Alright, I know, technically the same species, same spot, but I love the juxtaposition of yesterday's youngin' to this adult monarch that looks like it's seen some things. I love them both equally.
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I'm always thrilled to see monarch caterpillars munching away on milkweed! I found this one at James Farm Ecological Preserve this afternoon (9/15), and it reminded me of summer days spent searching the open field next to Cape Gazette to save as many as caterpillars as possible from impending mowers! I was luck to have had an environmental steward to take them from there....
Read that story here: https://www.capegazette.com/…/milton-man-mission-mon…/138110.
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This yellow garden spider goes by a lot of different names and makes a super cool zigzag web. This one has made a home on the deck at our office along the Inlet.
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Dennis Bartow and an iNaturalist user both pointed to the possibility that it is in the family Bombylidae, a family of flies commonly known as bee flies. It could, however, be in the family Syphidae, or hover flies. Stay tuned as we keep trying to positively identify this Bug of the Bay!
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Just look at this itty-bitty cutie-patootie!! This is an eastern tailed blue, a tiny butterfly that's common in eastern North America.
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This fast-flying common wood nymph was near the DE Center for the Inland Bays office this week and I swear it asked me to ask you if you would support protecting and restoring its coastal home? Usually this little butterfly is found around woodlands, but also can be spotted flitting around meadow flowers. Thanks Dennis Bartow for sharing this info!
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First up we have a TYPE of paper wasp - but not the one normally seen on your house's eves and windows making a nest. The ever-helpful Dennis Bartow narrowed it down to the genus Polistes:
