beetle

The Many Pollinators of Wild Parsnips

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When reviewing the photos I took of wild parsnip I noticed that there were many insects among the tiny flowers. The odd thing was the number of different kinds of pollinators who were present.

It drew my attention to see several kinds of insects on the one type of plant. Was this because of the great taste of wild parsnip pollen? Or the fact that there were many flowers to collect the pollen from?

Here’s a series of photos that show ants, mosquitoes, flies of various kinds, bees and wasps alighting on the wild parsnip umbels.

Beetle Love on a Wild Parsnip
A little beetle love happening on a wild parsnip umbel.

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Asian Long-Horned Beetle Look-a-Like Pine Sawyer

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Q: What large black beetle has really long antennae and white spots on its back?

A: The Asian Long-Horned Beetle and its look-a-like the White-Spotted Pine Sawyer.

We were sitting out on the deck one afternoon for lunch when a really loud bug flew by. It made a rattling sound that really caught my attention. Was it her wing covers clicking together as she worked her wings to get to her destination?

When it landed on the edge of the deck I got these pics. Photos taken 3 June 2014.

Pine Sawyer resting on a 1 x 1" deck railing.
Pine Sawyer resting on a 1 x 1″ deck railing.

At first we thought it was the Asian Long-Horned Beetle as the general characteristics seemed right.

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