Midnight Forays

It's officially summer vacation and we're officially bored - bored with what's going on around here. I am tired of Entomology and spent the majority of yesterday trying to identify the bugs I have caught and worrying that I do not have enough to meet the requirements (I don't). I am not sure what Aaron is doing, but he started cleaning the basement (proof of boredom).

After dinner, I needed out of the house. We headed to Kohl's for a few things we needed, but they didn't have them, so we wandered around Target. On the way home, I asked Aaron about going to catch bugs at gas stations. And I needed a root beer. So I collected some bug catching supplies, we hit 711 for sugary goodness, and off we went.

Dr. H keeps telling us that insects are attracted to lights, and for city folks to head to country gas stations. Culpeper is not big, but there are so many lights concentrated in one area, not many insects show up other than mosquitoes. Country gas stations are surrounded by darkness so are likely to attract more interesting visitors. As we drove up 229 I tried to assess clouds of insects at light poles... there were definitely more. But light poles are too high up to really reach many.

Ogre Baby (Cicada Pupa)

The first stop was the Rixeyville Post Office. It was well lit and had an outside light about eye level on a white wall - easy pickings. I got a cicada nymph that I am trying to encourage to pupate, some big winged things that I'm excited about but I haven't quite identified, and some beetles. There was lots of stuff there that I didn't need and I knew that because I could identify them! Like Junebugs. Bzzzzzzzzz terrible buzzing bombers.

Terrible flier - Longhorn Beetle

Then we went to the Q-stop at the end of 229. This place had lots of lights and lots of white poles so I wandered. I almost got nailed by a flying long horn beetle landing amongst the outside 12-packs... too bad for him because I snagged him. I got a very fast moving shiny green beetle which I hope is a tiger beetle and some green lacewings. Anyone watching me probably thought I was crazy. And I do not care.

We stopped a few other places with more of the same and I got a few more things and we returned home after midnight. I do not think I will meet all of the requirements for this collection (15 orders, 60 families, 3 male-female pairs), but I am going to try. A lot of the diversity I could add to meet the requirements is on the tiny side and I am just not bothered. Today I need to pin all my new finds and some humpbacked crickets from the neighbors and finish identifying them.

I am in need of a preying mantis and a walking stick if you're looking ;)