FLOG

Entomology Corner

How's this for a return from dormancy? Pretty left field if I do say so myself. Yessir, we got us here some Strange Bugs!

These were sighted at the Nacho Rancho over the summer.

This is a white-lined sphinx moth. It preys mercilessly on helpless flowers such as "columbines, larkspurs, petunia, honeysuckle, moonvine, bouncing bet, lilac, clovers, thistles, and Jimpson weed." It has also been known to plague Utah from time to time.

Here it is with a penny for scale. It's a big-ass moth, kids. That other moth, there, above the penny? It can't even step to the white-lined sphinx. The white-lined sphinx is on a whole 'nother plane. A whole 'nother game.

This is some kind of beefly. Can't pin down which particular beefly it is, but some kind. Beeflies are called beeflies because they are flies that resemble bees. I didn't know the Gud Lowered had even saw fit to make such a critter 'til we found this one crawling around in the bathroom.*

Here is the beefly trapped momentarily under a martini glass for scale. Sadly, it was near death. I released it outside shortly after this, only to find it dead on the pic-a-nic table come the morn. I hope it wasn't the last one.

So there you have it.

This foray into The Terrifying World of Science would not have been possible without the entomological internetical research efforts of FLOG™ette. Also she held up the penny.

*Tangential questions: For colonial insects, would they have brought an entire nest/hive aboard Noah's Ark, or just a queen and a drone? Would such a drone live long enough?

(Sometimes, as Carlin says, I have the sort of thoughts that kept me out of the really good schools. Then there are the thoughts that kept me out of Bob Jones University.)

Posted by FLOG at September 15, 2004 11:14 AM