JEFF DODSON, MG 2014
Hello Everyone from the Clinic Desk,
As what may prove for some of you to be a frightening look into Jeff Dodson’s brain….while thinking about writing this article for the April edition, a song popped into my head, “I’m no fool, no siree, I’m gonna live to be a hundred and three….” That’s right, Jiminy Cricket. Naturally, this put me in mind of insects aaaaaannnnddd…..
The other day I got into a discussion at the clinic with one of your fellow Master Gardeners regarding keying an insect that a client brought in from one of their rhododendrons. As with plants, identifying insects can be a daunting endeavor. Fortunately, there are some qualities to insects that make it easier and I am prepared to pass them along to you!
Unlike plants, insects do not respond readily or greatly in their physical appearances to environmental and physiological influences. Therefore, the internet makes it possible to identify unknown insects by using your powers of observation. All you need are some terms to put into your “Search.”
(1) As usual, start with what you have in front of you and what you know about it. You know if what you see is a beetle, a butterfly, an ant, a dragonfly…..PERFECT! If it is a beetle (as it was in this case), you are halfway there. Note from the editor: Study our in-house collection to get a feel for the different insect orders (e.g., beetles, bugs, flies, butterflies and moths, etc.)
(2) Any information the client has provided, such as what sort of plant the beetle was found upon, can be useful too. You already know the locale it was found (Whatcom County, Washington) and that is a very important bit of information.
(3) In our example, we entered “beetle rhododendron washington” in our search box, but instead of going to the “Web” we clicked on “Images”. What appeared on the screen was an array of pictures that fit our search criteria. By matching the photos to our sample and then clicking on the “Visit Page” feature, we were able to zero in on our sample, read about the insect, then rapidly and accurately identify the insect as a black vine weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus). No, I did not know the black vine weevil’s scientific name before this search, but include it here as a matter of form so that there can be no confusion as to what insect we are talking about – a good practice to follow when identifying plants, animals and insects for our clients and each other. Note from the editor: An excellent resource for insect photos is BugGuide.net - they even have an ID request feature.
(4) Some of the clues used to positively identify this bug as a weevil (it has a “snout” and its antennae have crooks or “elbows” in them) were stored in our memory banks to be used again in the future. All insect groups have these sorts of identifying characteristics.
Our gardens and other surroundings are terrific sources of material to learn from in clinic. In the case of insects, capture in a jar or closable baggie and bring in some that you are curious about. I will be happy to walk you through the procedure. Or, try the above method out at home and let me know what you think of it.
Best regards to all,
Jeff
Resources
BugGuidehttp://bugguide.net/
WSU Hortsense: Common Invertebrates
http://hortsense.cahnrs.wsu.edu/Search/MainMenuWithFactSheet.aspx?CategoryId=13