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Meet the Neighbors: Asian Lady Beetle For the introduction to this series, see here. Meet one of the most variable creatures you will find in your yard. This beetle comes in a wild array of patterns and shades. Some have as many as 22 spots and some have none at all. Some have spots that […]

Meet the Neighbors: Meal Moth These little moths are pests because they lay their eggs on grain. The larvae eat the grain and spoil it. This species is found all across the world and is a problem in many places. This moth does the most damage if the grain is stored improperly or if the

What’s In My Backyard? Explore and Learn: Swarming Ants For the introduction to this series, see here. Imagine that you are out in your yard in late summer. It is a hot day and you notice unusual activity around an ant colony so you move closer to see what is happening. Around the entrance, there

Meet the Neighbors: Mallard For the introduction to this series, see here. When many people think of ducks, they think of this species. They are common and live everywhere in the US. Unlike many other duck species that nest and raise their ducklings in Canada, mallards nest all over the place. The ducklings hatch out

Meet the Neighbors: Checkered White For the introduction to this series, see here. This butterfly is a member of the large family called whites. Some of these butterflies are pests. They lay eggs on cabbages and kale that we want to eat! If you find a little green caterpillar in your greens, it is probably

Meet the Neighbors: Yellow-legged Mud-dauber Wasp For the introduction to this series, see here. These brightly colored wasps are master builders. They make nests of mud in shady sheltered places like bridges, garages, barns, and behind shutters. Their Latin name means builder of walls! They place captured spiders in the nests for their larvae to

Meet the Neighbors: Field Crescent For the introduction to this series, see here. This beautiful little butterfly lives in the western half of the country. Here in Colorado, I am on the eastern edge of its range. There are many species of Crescents so there is certainly one near you if you live in the

Meet the Neighbors: Elegant Grass-carrying Wasp For the introduction to this series, see here. This wasp is a member of the grass-carrying wasp group (genus Isodontia). These interesting wasps live up to their name. You will often see them flying along carrying a blade of grass longer than themselves. What are they doing with the

What’s in my Backyard? Backyard Safari: Moths and porch lights For the introduction to this series, see here. Night. It is mysterious to us daytime creatures. It is home to a whole host of nocturnal creatures. Today we are going to find out how to study nocturnal insects. The main problem with looking for nocturnal

Meet the Neighbors: Widow Skimmer For the introduction to this series, see here. Here is a beautiful species of dragonfly that is very common around ponds across much of the US. You also might see them in your yard in the late summer looking for mosquitoes and other insects to eat. Why are these dragonflies