Dog-Day Cicadas

Annual Cicadas (Genus Tibicen) are often known as Dog-day cicadas because they appear in the "dog days" of July and August. Michelle found this cicada on July 14 during our group hike in Kanawha State Forest, and it's the first cicada I had seen this year.  It is most likely Tibicen canicularis, which is sometimes called the Dog-day Harvestfly.

Cicadas are found almost worldwide (everywhere except Antarctica), and they're in one of two families:  Tettigarctidae (limited to Australia and Tasmania) and the much more common Cicadidae.  They are not related to locusts (swarming grasshoppers), but many people call them locusts mistakenly.

Unlike the 13 and 17-year cicadas, annual cicadas have only a 2-3 year life cycle underground.  And because of overlapping "generations", we see them every year.

Image retrieved from City-Data.com

Over the next few weeks, you might also see the ground-dwelling Cicada-Killing Wasps ( Genus Sphecius).   Image retrieved from City-Data.com





Other photos from the hike in Kanawha (locals seem to pronounce it can-ahh) State Forest:

The whole group:

Cayla with two big crayfish and a big leaf from a streamside Umbrella Tree (Magnolia tripetala).

Young Snapper

Young common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina)

I found this little future monster when I walked down to the ponds to check on a project we started to evaluate soil moisture requirements of three different species of Hibiscus:  Rose Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos), Swamp Rose Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos palustris or syn. Hibiscus palustris), and Hairy Rose Mallow (Hibiscus lasiocarpus).

The common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is a large freshwater turtle with a bad attitude and a very mobile head and neck (presumably the origin of the name serpentina).  Because they don't have many predators, their upper shell can grow to be a half-meter (50cm or almost 20 inches), and they can weigh over 30kg (over 65 pounds), but they're much more common at about half that size.

Last year, just after completing the new turtle pond, we found an adult female laying eggs.  I thought she was merely stuck on the bank and lifted her up the steep muddy slope, only to discover the eggs below.  That ruined my day.

Video of a Hummingbird Moth

On Sunday, July 3 we saw our first Hummningbird Moth of the summer.  These Lepidopterans are in the Family  Sphingidae (the Hawk moths), and I believe the specific name is Hemaris thysbe.  (the Hummingbird Clearwing - can anyone confirm this?)   Here is a video I took with my phone:

First weekend in July

Except for some special projects, I finished my last professional responsibilities for the summer on July 1, and this is my first weekend off.  On Thursday I leave for the the National Youth Science Foundation's West Virginia Youth Science Camp near Ripley, WV for 10 days.  We have a lot to do this weekend, but I'll capture a few photos for posting (click for a larger version).

Diane's butterfly garden

Diane's butterfly garden seems to have naturalized, with just a few weeds.  As most of you know, a butterfly garden must have complementary trees available and also a shallow puddle.  The latter is sometimes a challenge in our part of West Virginia.

A second greenhouse

I found this little greenhouse, complete with doors, heaters, motorized baffles and other features for $500 several years ago.  With Jamie's help, we're finally getting it assembled.  I haven't yet dug the trench for water and electricity, but at least it's started.

Wild raspberries everywhere