6 days, Warren 14PA05, and strategies for finding insects and other arthropods

Warren 14PA05 is located in the RM of Woodlands and the RM of Rockwood. The town of Warren is near its center. Several parallel drains cross the square joining Sturgeon Creek to the southeast. Agriculture dominates the land use in this square.

At the time of posting, 401 observations had been uploaded by 13 observers led by @friesen5000 . 215 species have been observed including 146 insect species. Two insects that make their homes in plants are the most frequently observed - the leaf miner genus Aulagromyza and the gall maker Diplolepis spinosa . The survey for the Breeding Bird Atlas of Manitoba confirmed 12 bird species nesting here, with another 50 species probable or possible. Here's the full list.

The spring weather that we get during the survey period will have a big impact on insect activity. Insects have a limited ability to warm themselves above the temperature of their surroundings so basking in the sun is a popular spring activity for many. Look for basking insects in sunny spots where there is little wind movement near the ground. Ideally there should also be cover nearby where the insect can retreat if disturbed. On the plus side, when temperatures are lower, the insects are slower giving you more time to photograph them.

Larger active insects like bumblebees are able to maintain stable body temperatures through activity. Activity requires energy so feeding is at the top of the list for many spring insects. Look for insects feeding where sap is seeping on birch or poplar or in the pollen rich catkins of willows and aspens. Dung or scat as well as just plain mud can also attract the interest of spring insects.

It is possible to draw out insects in your own outdoor environment by making sure that the place where you want to photograph them has reasons for them to be there. Pick a sunny sheltered place. Add places nearby where insects might shelter overnight - a layer of dead leaves or a pile of sticks - or both. Add a shallow dish with a layer of pebbles and sand dampened thoroughly with water. There are a variety of baits that can be used to attract different insects - here's one list. If you have success with any of these, let us know in the comments!

Another useful approach is one used very successfully in our focus square by the top observer. Find a plant and then examine it closely for insect activity particularly galls and leaf mines. Many gall makers and leaf miners specialize in a single genus or even a single species of plants so including an image where the plant can be seen as well as the gall or leaf mine is useful. It is also worthwhile to create another observation for the plant itself - your careful attention then wins you observations of two organisms instead of just one. Observation Fields are useful for these situations. You can use the Host Plant ID field to indicate the plant that the organism chose to live in. You can also link the two observations in an Observation group by adding the same value in this field on both observations. The group Galls of North America is a treasure trove of information on galls and the group Leafminers of North America provides the same information for leaf miners.

Happy observing!

Julkaistu huhtikuu 23, 2021 01:50 IP. käyttäjältä marykrieger marykrieger

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