Last week, I went out for an insect walk and saw several old friends I hadn’t encountered since last fall. I thought it was still summer, but these insects have sensed something else in the air. Maybe it’s the cooler night air or the shorter days, but here they are, before some of the fall foliage is blooming.
Above is a Gymnosoma genus fly. “Gymno-” means naked and “soma” is body, so its name reflects the lack of hairs (for a fly). This one was grooming itself for a minute, and I caught a photo of it with its head twisted around:
In this picture, you can see the white fuzzy hairs between its head and thorax. You can also see how excellently this fly mimics a lady beetle! I only see these flies in the fall. There’s a good reason for that–they parasitize stink bugs that don’t reach adulthood and lay eggs until this time of year.
I’ve seen Pyrausta genus moths in summer months too, but it’s when the wild mints are blooming in the fall that they are more reliably fluttering around. There are dozens of species of these Mint Moths, so I won’t guess at this one’s i.d. In Googling it, I learned the name is from mythology. Pyrausta was a Greek name for a four-legged insect that lived in fire, and died when it left the flames. Most of these moths are orange, and they can be quite bright. Although it’s invasive, there’s a gorgeous, bright pink Pyrausta that’s been found in Oregon.
Cylindromyia genus flies like this one are also common in autumn. A few years ago when I first saw one, I labeled it as an unknown wasp. Now I know better–the short antennae, hairy abdomen, and the halteres, or snubby second set of wings, give it away as a fly. They are parasitoids of shield bugs.
In a couple of days it will indeed be fall, which is a great time to look for insects. So get out there!
Cheers.
Ticklehead 