More Turkey Mullein observations

Last Friday morning I visited another Turkey Mullein patch which I now call patch 5. It was around 9 in the morning and the temperature was probably between 85F to 90F. There was a lot of activity on this patch this morning and I got several new species, including a Familiar Bluet which I caught predating another insect, an Acmon Blue, a Gray Hairstreak, a fly from the Bellula Species Group, and a couple of what I think are Anthophorula bees.

This morning I went to another patch, which I call patch 1 because it was the first patch I noticed the amazing ecosystem that is associated with Turkey Mullein - Croton setiger. The first time I was on this patch there were many small plant fleas which I think are Longitarsus. However, today I saw none of these insects. Maybe the reason for the lack of these beetles is that their season has past, or maybe it is the high temperature days we have been having. I collected two samples and brought them home to photograph them using my Raynor 1.5 close-up lense on a tripod. One sample I think are pupae of some beetle, possibly Longitarsus. The other sample turned out to be some growth, maybe a fungus.

I have been wondering how the temperature affects the insects, so this afternoon I went back to patch 5, then to 3 and 4. When it was in the 90s there was a lot of activity on Patch 5. Today, when it was 103F, there were was very little activity. The great majority of the insects were on the underside of the leaves, maybe taking advantage of the shade. On patch 3 and 4 I noticed several Tripartite Bees on the underside of the leaves - these bees seemed to be torpid. I did see a Western Honey Bee on Pennyroyal which was quite active.

Posted on July 24, 2023 01:04 AM by joerich