{"id":2078,"date":"2018-10-17T09:30:42","date_gmt":"2018-10-17T14:30:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsallmalarkey.com\/staging\/?p=2078"},"modified":"2020-03-16T11:21:00","modified_gmt":"2020-03-16T16:21:00","slug":"not-all-bugs-are-considered-equal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.itsallmalarkey.com\/staging\/2018\/10\/17\/not-all-bugs-are-considered-equal\/","title":{"rendered":"Not all bugs are considered equal"},"content":{"rendered":"

We loves the bugs, we do, we do. We like their little faces. But not all of them. I am selective as to which bugs are adorable, and which are not, and the defining difference is whether or not they are in my house.<\/p>\n

In the past week we have been infested with fruit-flies and my daughter managed to pick up lice. It is a good thing we didn’t get a locust invasion, or we would have started to get paranoid. As it is, we have confirmed that I am quite biased where bugs are concerned, and if the inappropriate glee I experience as I count up the number of fruit-fly carcasses is any indication, I might not be a very nice person.<\/p>\n

HOWEVER. Bugs outside my house, approached with intent, are a different story entirely. North Dakota has a photo contest<\/a> every year and under the theory that it never hurts to throw in I sorted through some of my photos from the summer. Since I haven’t gotten out with my camera all that much this year, and mostly it argued with me when I did, I didn’t think I had many photos to sort. However, apparently sneaking out for a half hour here and there add up!<\/p>\n

My attempts to remove some of my staggering ignorance of the natural world have not been completely in vain. In addition to learning the difference between hover flies and bees<\/a> I have now learned the difference between dragonflies and damselflies<\/a>. If I keep this up much longer, I shall be able to easily identify my bugs in about three thousand years. That said, much searching on the internet and flipping back and forth through my bee book<\/a> did not actually yield up any clear idea of how to identify my current bee, and I decided to give up and wait for one of my entomologist friends to take pity on me. Then, as I was about to pout off to bed, I looked at it again and realized that perhaps I had made a mistake and it was a fly, after all. Consulting with my personal entomologist proved that at least I am not the only one confused, since he thought it was a fly at first, but has changed his mind and decided it is, in fact, a bee (lots of anatomy reasons)–but he doesn’t know what kind. More consulting is to follow, and hopefully we figure it out later. Eventually I will figure out how to get one of those identifying apps on my phone. Maybe in February, when I forget how to paint<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The upside is that every time I stumble across something “new” (to me), it’s always a lovely little present\/miracle\/puzzle. Which may be part of the reason I never quite get around to getting the easy identification app.<\/p>\n

Or I am lazy.<\/p>\n

One of those.<\/p>\n

Regardless, here are the five photos I submitted for the contest. Chosen or not, it was a lovely excuse to dig through a bit of summer since North Dakota decided to skip autumn and dive straight into winter this year.<\/p>\n

\"Image<\/a>
Image taken at the Northern Plains Botanic Garden at Yunker Farm, Fargo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Image<\/a>
Image taken at the Northern Plains Botanic Garden at Yunker Farm, Fargo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Image<\/a>
Image taken at the Northern Plains Botanic Garden at Yunker Farm, Fargo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Image<\/a>
Image taken in Fargo, North Dakota<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Image<\/a>
Image taken at the Northern Plains Botanic Garden at Yunker Farm, Fargo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n