280 days of Urbpandemonium #161

I've gotten almost foolhardy with my confidence in my network of friends who are smarter than me. This little tan moth was on my kitchen windowsill, so I photographed it, excited to see a species identification. Don't be silly! @Coolbugs was able to identify it to family Crambidae*, much better than I was able, but still one of 850 possible species in our area. I'm just happy to add the word "Crambid" to my vocabulary.


*Crambidae from type genus Crambus (Fabricius), from Greek meaning "dry, parched." Also, in Greek mythology, the child of Phineus and Cleopatra.

280 days of Urbpandemonium #162

When someone local (Boston area) says they saw a huge spider in a web, this is my first guess: cross orbweaver Araneus diadematus*. This spider has seemed more common in recent years, but that may be my impression since I've realized what they are. These are what across the pond they simply call "garden spiders." We also have garden spiders in eastern North America, but they are a different, larger, yellower species. In fact, it seems to me that I haven't seen a native garden spider in years, while I keep seeing more and more cross orbweavers. Not that native garden spiders are disappearing--friends and acquaintances post pictures of them regularly, usually terrified that something dangerous is in their yard. Neither garden spider is at all dangerous to humans of course.


*Araneus is simply "spider." Diadematus comes from diadem: The word derives from the Greek διάδημα diádēma, "band" or "fillet",[1] from διαδέω diadéō, "I bind round", or "I fasten". Apparently this specific name comes from the spider's "crown-shaped" markings, but I am fond of this double meaning for this animal that binds others.