Archivos de diario de mayo 2017

05 de mayo de 2017

Costa Rica Trip

I just returned from an AMAZING short week in Costa Rica where I did NOTHING but iNat! I've started to upload some observations, but I took over 6,000 pics (O.M.G.) so I have a lot of trash pics to sort through. Expect to see a variety of stuff in the beginning, but a HECK OF A LOT OF MOTHS near the end!

If you are on Facebook and want to see the 200+ pics I posted, feel free to friend me or just visit my page. (They are public pics, so anyone can see them.) www.facebook.com/kimberlietx

Or you can check in on my iNat observations here: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=6924&subview=grid&user_id=kimberlietx

Publicado el mayo 5, 2017 02:48 MAÑANA por kimberlietx kimberlietx | 2 comentarios | Deja un comentario

14 de mayo de 2017

Tick Identification

It's tick season - if that ever ends in Texas - and I've had my share already. I've heard about lots of them being found this weekend as I've been the East Texas woods with other iNatters. There is a site with great pictures of all the major tick species across the US, including juveniles, male and female adults, and engorged adults. Feel free to tag anyone that might need help ID'ing one.

Here's the link:
http://www.tickencounter.org/tick_identification/tickid_nonflash

Publicado el mayo 14, 2017 12:47 TARDE por kimberlietx kimberlietx | 1 comentario | Deja un comentario

21 de mayo de 2017

Endless observations...

I have FINALLY finished uploading the pics from the Pat Mayse BioBlitz. 193 species so far, and 78 lifers! Not bad at all for a day and a half! I wish I'd been able to stay for the 2nd night of mothing.

I think I'll switch to uploading the pics from our City Nature Challenge Celebration yesterday, and follow that up with a bunch of random observations that have been piling up since Costa Rica.

Speaking of which, I haven't even finished day ONE yet. SO many more to go, but @sambiology keeps asking me to follow him around to all these events and ID the things he doesn't know. At least his groupies are good company! :P

More iNatting plans for next weekend, so I'm just going to keep pushing through. A BIG THANKS to everyone who has helped me ID, or just laughed at my crazy IDs and politely corrected me. I would spend all day researching and making notes on how to ID all the new things I see, but then my family would cut me off my nature obsession completely.

Publicado el mayo 21, 2017 05:25 TARDE por kimberlietx kimberlietx | 7 comentarios | Deja un comentario

28 de mayo de 2017

Identification of Bees and Wasps

@phm8871 gave an EXCELLENT description of how to begin to identify bees and wasps. I thought it was worthy of sharing, and I wanted to save it, too!

"Field marks can be confusing, start with size, general body shape then take the critter apart. START AT THE FRONT with the antennae, length, number of segments (often hard to count in field photos) color(s). Then look at the head, its shape oval, blocky, etc, eye placement, where antennae connect color, hair and the mandibles, big, small & shape. On the thorax look at the shape, colors & markings on the shell(plates), hairs, placement and color, the tegula (the things that the wings attach to, placement and color. Abdomen follow the same drill and try to describe it, long short, round flattened, extending beyond the wings (important on wasps), colors and banding; hair, coloration and location. Wings color, length, shape, shiny vs dull. Legs color(s), length, presence of scopa and their location on the hind leg, their color and length of scopa hair. A lot to look for! but learning to discriminate those marks you can see will help you distinguish families sub families and genus. Then you can try to parse species. Use something like the higher level info tabs on BugGuide like http://bugguide.net/node/view/117315 to get started on bees. Or, http://bugguide.net/node/view/59 for bees and wasps. For body partt diagrams go to the bottom of page http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Apoidea for printable of the names and locations of all those fiddlybits taxonomists use. For a quick picture guide to print got https://www.greatsunflower.org/node/1143200. to print the guide you have to join the free project."

The original post is here:

http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/3907751

Feel free to tag others that might be interested in this info!

Publicado el mayo 28, 2017 03:37 MAÑANA por kimberlietx kimberlietx | 1 comentario | Deja un comentario

30 de mayo de 2017

Excellent key for Assassin Bugs (Reduviidae)

I was trying to ID an assassin bug from Costa Rica and came across this REALLY AWESOME photo illustrated key to subfamilies and tribes of Reduviidae. THIS is how all keys should be!!

http://cjai.biologicalsurvey.ca/wetal_26/wetal_26.pdf

Publicado el mayo 30, 2017 04:05 TARDE por kimberlietx kimberlietx | 4 comentarios | Deja un comentario

31 de mayo de 2017

WHOA! Costa Rica moths

I'm nearing the end of uploading the FIRST day of Costa Rica pics. I haven't even started to try to ID them, but one person is helping A LOT! Out of the 66 identified to genus or species level so far, 32 of those had not been observed on iNat before. That's incredible! I can't imagine what that will be when I get everything loaded and attempt IDs. That's so exciting to me!

Publicado el mayo 31, 2017 03:16 MAÑANA por kimberlietx kimberlietx | 1 comentario | Deja un comentario