June 15, 2018 Final day ASIW
Habitats
This was the final day of Art and Science in the Woods for 2018. We had the major class all day. We visited a number of different habitats (including the old white oak and Dry Run Creek). Here are a few photos of the habitats we visited today (and on prior days).
This is the main pond by our tent.
This is the smaller pond (half way up the hill).
Lastly, this is Dry Run Creek.
Final List of Insect taxa encountered in 2018
As we explored the fields and woods, we continued to put together a list of insects we encountered. We were able to identify most to family level. I have organized these below (by order). This is an updated list (new families/ orders encountered today are marked with an asterisk). This list expands on the insects encountered on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
For those who are curious about our running total. Over the course of all five days, we have encountered:
- 17 orders of insects (16 if you exclude Collembola)
- 87 families of insects (86 if you exclude Collembola)
Again, most of these insects were captured by students in the Illinois Insects classes (both major [morning] and minor [afternoon] classes). Since they are just learning about insects this week, I find this to be a most impressive list so far. Since this is the final list, I have also included links to more information for each of the families on Wikipedia (just follow the links).
Class Entognatha – Subclass Collembola
Order Entomobryomorpha
Class Insecta
Order Blattodea
- Family Ectobiidae (wood cockroach)
- Family Rhinotermitidae (termites) *
Order Coleoptera
- Family Buprestidae
- Family Cantharidae (soldier beetles)
- Family Carabidae (ground beetles and tiger beetles)
- Family Cerambycidae (long horn beetles)
- Tetraopes tetraopthalamus [milkweed beetle]
- Family Chrysomelidae (leaf beetles)
- Family Cleridae (checkered beetles)
- Family Coccinellidae (lady beetles)
- Family Curculionidae (weevils)
- Family Dytiscidae (predaceous diving beetles)
- Family Elateridae (click beetles)
- Family Gyrinidae (whirligig beetles)
- Family Haliplidae (crawling water beetles)
- Family Lampyridae (fireflies)
- Family Lycidae (net winged beetles) *
- Family Scarabaeidae (scarab beetles)
- Popillia japonica [Japanese beetle]
- Family Silphidae
Order Dermaptera
- Family Forficulidae (earwigs)
Order Diptera
- Family Asilidae (robber flies)
- Family Bombyliidae (bee flies)
- Family Cecidomyiidae (gall gnats) *
- Family Culicidae (mosquitoes)
- Family Dolicopodidae (long legged flies)
- Family Muscidae (house flies)
- Family Mycropezidae (stilt-legged flies)
- Family Rhagionidae
- Family Syrphidae (hover flies) *
- Family Tabanidae (horse flies)
- Family Tachinidae
- Family Tephritidae
- Eurosta solidaginis (goldenrod gall fly)
- Family Tipulidae (crane flies)
Order Ephemeroptera
Order Hemiptera
- Family Aradidae (flat bugs)
- Family Belostomatidae (giant water bugs)
- Family Cercopidae (spittle bugs)
- Family Cicadellidae (leaf hoppers)
- Family Coreidae (leaf-footed bugs)
- Family Corixidae (water boatmen)
- Family Gelastocoridae (toad bugs)
- Family Gerridae (water striders)
- Family Membracidae (tree hoppers)
- Family Myridae (plant bugs)
- Family Naucoridae (creeping water bugs)
- Family Nabidae (damsel bugs)
- Family Nepidae (water scorpions)
- Family Reduviidae (assassin bugs)
- Family Scutelleridae (shield-backed bugs)
- Family Tingidae (lace bugs)
- Family Veliidae (riffle bugs)
Order Hymenoptera
- Family Apidae (bumble bees and honey bees)
- Family Bethylidae
- Family Braconidae
- Family Chrysididae (cuckoo wasps) *
- Family Evaniidae (ensign wasps)
- Family Formicidae (ants)
- Family Ichneumonidae
- Family Megachilidae (leaf cutter bees) *
- Family Sphecidae (thread waisted wasps)
- Family Tenthredinidae (sawflies)
- Family Vespidae (potter wasps and others)
Order Lepidoptera
- Family Erebidae
- Family Geometridae (geometer moths)
- Family Lycaenidae [blues]
- Family Noctuidae (owlet moths) *
- Family Nymphalide
- Asterocampa celtis [hackberry emperor butterfly]
- Checkerspot butterfly
- Limenitis arthemis [red spotted purple]
- Speyeria cybele [great spangled fritillary]
- Family Papilionidae (swallowtails)
- Family Pieridae (sulphurs and whites)
- Family Pterophoridae (plume moths)
- Family Pyralidae
- Family Satyridae (wood nymphs)
- Family Tortricidae
Order Mantodea
- Family Mantidae
- Tenodera sinensis [Chinese mantis nymphs]
Order Mecoptera
- Family Panorpidae (scorpion-flies)
Order Neuroptera
- Family Chrysopidae (green lacewings)
Order Odonata
- Family Aeschnidae (darners)
- Family Coenagrionidae (damselflies)
- Family Libellulidae (skimmer dragonflies)
Order Orthoptera
- Family Acrididae (band-wing grasshoppers)
- Family Gryllidae
- Phyllopalpus pulchellus [handsome trig]
- Family Rhaphidophoridae (cave crickets)
- Family Tettigoniidae (katydids)
- Family Tridactylidae (pygmy mole crickets)
Order Phasmatodea
- Family Diapheromeridae
- Diapheromera femorata (common walkingstick)
Order Plectoptera
- Family Nemouridae (spring stoneflies)
Order Thysanoptera
- Family Thripidae (thrips)
Other Arthorpods
- Diplopoda (millipedes)
- Isopods
- Geophilomorph centipede
- Scolopendromorph centipede
- Spiders (mostly wolf spiders and relatives and Salticidae)
- Geolycosa wrighti was the large brown spider we found in the afternoon)
We spent most of the day walking. My total mileage was over 8 miles (not the usual 7). Coupled with the 33 miles I walked previously, I have now walked over 41 miles at the Sun Foundation in 2018. I think that must be some sort of record. In case anyone is curious that is roughly 85,000 steps.
Again, my sincere thanks to Allison, Olivia, Elijah, and Mary for all their help during this week. You helped make the class what it was.
Allison decorated her hat throughout the week and recorded those insects that she found most interesting. Here is one view of her hat at the end of the week.
Personally, I am already looking forward to the class in 2019. I hope to see you there.