Bugs

Papscanee Island Insects

May 7, 2007 by Corey 4 Comments

Six-spotted Tiger Beetle

A recent walk around Papscanee Island, on the same day I saw the American Robin’s nest, rewarded me with some cool pictures of insects. A Six Spotted Tiger Beetle is above, an insect with a confusing name not explained by the helpful people at whatsthatbug.com who identified it for me:

This is a Tiger Beetle. More specifically, it seems to be a Six Spotted Tiger Beetle, Cicindela sexguttata. We are not sure why it is called the Six Spotted Tiger Beetle as most specimens appear to have 8 spots, and some have none.

Less confusing is the Mourning Cloak butterfly below.

Mourning Cloak

Next up is a wasp of some kind, I think (maybe a hornet?):

wasp?

And, finally, a Cabbage White, an introduced species, feeding on the invasive Garlic Mustard:

Cabbage White

I think I’m going to buy Kenn Kauffman’s field guide to insects.

Written by Corey
Corey is a New Yorker who lived most of his life in upstate New York but has lived in Queens since 2008. He's only been birding since 2005 but has garnered a respectable life list by birding whenever he wasn't working as a union representative or spending time with his family. He lives in Forest Hills with Daisy and Desmond Shearwater. His bird photographs have appeared on the Today Show, in Birding, Living Bird Magazine, Bird Watcher's Digest, and many other fine publications. He is also the author of the American Birding Association Field Guide to the Birds of New York.