Insect Observations

A blue dasher on sentry duty By mid-July in Rhode Island, every pond has its resident dragonflies. On July 20 I found one that refused …

A golden scarab with an appetite for grapes On a warm July evening in Rhode Island, something polished and golden was sitting on a leaf …

The assassin bug with a cog on its back On June 18 in Pittsburgh, a large, grey insect was climbing a sunflower stem, and I …

A fly dipped in gold On a late-May morning in Pittsburgh, a tiny fly landed on a leaf in front of me and sat still, …

A gecko on night watch On a January night in the Dominican Republic, I stepped out onto the porch and found a small gecko already …

A banded longhorn on a Caribbean morning On January 4 in the Dominican Republic, a slender beetle was resting on a low branch, and the …

A shrub that paints its own seeds red In early January, on a sunny day in the Dominican Republic, I stopped in front of a …

A colony that never asked for an invitation New Year’s Day in the Dominican Republic, and a trail of ants was streaming across the driveway …

Bark that watches back New Year’s Eve in the Dominican Republic, and I was scanning a lichen-covered trunk when a patch of grey bark moved. …

A horned heavyweight on a winter path On the last day of December I was walking a quiet path in the Dominican Republic when something …

A tree frog with a bony helmet Late on a December night in the Dominican Republic, the garden was full of calling frogs. One voice …

The same song, a different singer A few days before New Year, the garden in the Dominican Republic was singing again. The same loud, repeated …