280 days of Urbpandemonium #176

I found this little one way back in September, it was at my porch light. I sent the photos in to the "Mothing in Massachusetts" facebook group:



I know two of the people involved, so I'm not too offended. What's going on here I think is that I requested an ID for a super common, super boring, easy to identify moth. What can I say? I'm a beginner when it comes to leps. This cutworm moth Nephelodes minians* is found across the continent. It's larva feeds on grasses, which humans have helpfully planted by the thousands of square miles, everywhere in North America, even places that won't support them without great human effort.

*"Nephelodes" refers to the moth's resemblance to dark clouds. "Minians" has nothing to do with one-eyed twinkies, despite Google's insistence.

280 days of Urbpandemonium #177

This medium sized bee (about honeybee size) was moving pretty slowly as the September afternoon chill arrived. It was collecting nectar or pollen from a bright orange Cosmos blossom.


My bugguide ID request was answered suspiciously quickly. The alert hymenopterist could instantly tell it was a leaf-cutter bee in the family Megachilidae.


Looking through pictures of the listed species in my area, I think it's most likely that this is Megachile (subgenus Litomegachile) mendicus*. These are solitary bees that line natural cavities with pieces of cut leaves to make their brood nests. They provision these nests with pollen for their larvae's food source.

*Simple, large-lipped beggar. (RUDE)

280 days of Urbpandemonium #178

This tiny mushroom has been a favorite of mine since I first saw the eighth-of-an-inch purple bells protruding from the bark of a crabapple at Drumlin Farm. They appeared on a rainy day, and when I checked later on a sunny day there was no sign of them. They have the ability to practically disappear in dry weather and reappear to release more spores in wet weather. The fungus that produces them lives and feeds in the outermost bark, probably not causing much harm to the tree that hosts it. When fresh, Mycena corticola* is purple, but over time fades to tan and orange colors.

*Little bark mushroom

280 days of Urbpandemonium #179

Imagine my delight when our first excursion into the streets of St. Louis resulted in finding a new (to me) species!

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Dred and Harriet Scott monument

Don't tell my father, who taught American history for over 50 years, that I'd forgotten about this shameful chapter. A good reminder that the Constitution is not a perfect document and needs amending when its flaws are hurting the country and its people.

Skylife

Sure, I can find some pest grasshoppers in a city park, but I'll never find wild organisms on the 26th floor bar on a hotel.


Still, it's a nice view of the ballfield, if you are into that sort of thing.


Suddenly a visitor alights on the opposite side of the glass. Is it a stonefly? A caddisfly? I'm not sure, but it probably emerged from the nearby Mississippi River (seen at the left corner of the pic with the ballfield), then caught a nice breeze upward. It makes me want to study aerial plankton.