October 24, 2013

Watch for Woolly Bears

For me, fall officially arrives with the appearance of woolly bear caterpillars. These fuzzy black and brown caterpillars are the larva of the Isabella Tiger Moth. During the fall, the caterpillars seek shelter under bark and leaves where they remain protected from winter weather until the spring. Once warmer temperatures arrive, the caterpillar will spin a cocoon, then the adult moth emerges to begin the life cycle once again.

During these mild October days, woolly bears are quite visible crossing roads and you may see them crawling on the ground as you're walking in nearby parks or other natural areas. Many people believe that the width of the brown band can predict the severity of the coming winter, with a wide band indicating a mild winter. This idea came from an informal "study" by C. H. Curran, curator of entomology at AMNH. Beginning in 1948, Dr. Curran and his friends collected caterpillars at Bear Mountain State Park and measured their band widths. After eight years of data collection, he found a very loose correlation between wider bands and milder winter temperatures. Even though Dr. Curran's experiment was all in fun (caterpillar band width is dependent on individual growth and development, not winter temperatures), why not make your own prediction by measuring the bands of as many caterpillars as you see over the coming weeks.

This entry marks the completion of the New York Is Wild! project year. We hope you've enjoyed exploring the invertebrate world of New York City with us and we would love your feedback about your experience. Email us with your comments at programs@amnh.org. Thanks for your participation! Happy exploring!


Woolly Bear Caterpillar/Wiki Images

Posted on October 24, 2013 07:10 PM by americanmuseumofnaturalhistory americanmuseumofnaturalhistory | 0 comments | Leave a comment

September 11, 2013

The Wasps of Fall

Summer is winding down, days are getting shorter, and school is back in session – but the invertebrate world is still active. During this time of the year, you may notice more wasps than earlier in the season. This is because the colonies of social wasps (such as yellow jackets and bald-faced hornets) are larger, with more individuals. And these individuals are actively foraging; seeking fruit and nectar for themselves and food (insects, worms, or bits of meat from your sandwich) to feed the young back in the colony. With the arrival of cold temperatures later in the fall, the colony will die off, and only fertilized queens will survive the winter, hibernating in sheltered locations. Look for different kinds of wasps visiting flowers in your garden, in city park gardens, or even at your fall picnics (but remember to keep a respectful distance)!


Eastern yellow jacket (Vespula maculifrons)
Photo by: Beatriz Moisset/Wiki Images

Posted on September 11, 2013 06:45 PM by americanmuseumofnaturalhistory americanmuseumofnaturalhistory | 0 comments | Leave a comment

August 13, 2013

Nighttime explorations!

Around this time of the year you might be hearing more nighttime insect sounds. Crickets and katydids are most vocal during warm August nights and there are different species of each in the City. Check this website to learn their calls (http://www.songsofinsects.com/iframes/OLG_families.html) and this website (http://www.discoverlife.org/cricket/) to see the results of Cricket Crawl, a 2009 count of the seven most common New York City crickets and katydids. Katydids can be tough to find as most are bright green and blend in well with their surroundings. Send us a picture if you do find them near your home in a bush or garden or let us know where you hear them and which species you’ve encountered.

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Angle-wing katydid – not camouflaged!/Wiki images

Posted on August 13, 2013 02:03 PM by americanmuseumofnaturalhistory americanmuseumofnaturalhistory | 0 comments | Leave a comment

July 11, 2013

Summer at the Beach

New York City's estuarine and ocean waters are home to many different invertebrates. One good way to find them is to do a little beachcombing. At low tide on beaches like Plumb Beach and elsewhere in Jamaica Bay you can find tiny mud snails grazing on algae growing on the mud flats. Use a field guide to help you identify the whelk shells, different clams and mussels, as well as spider crabs deposited by waves at the high tide line farther up the beach. Take a picture of what you find during your explorations and share your findings with us.


Knobbed whelk/Wiki images


Knobbed whelk egg case/Wiki images

Posted on July 11, 2013 04:14 PM by americanmuseumofnaturalhistory americanmuseumofnaturalhistory | 0 comments | Leave a comment

June 13, 2013

Time for fireflies!

June is the time for fireflies, also known as lightning bugs! Fireflies are not flies or bugs at all, but beetles belonging to the family Lampyridae. Most species of fireflies flash with a unique pattern to attract a mate, and the rate of flashing increases with warmer temperatures. Visit a local park just after sunset and watch for the flashing of fireflies. Then tell us where you saw them (with location name) so we know where around the City they are found! Want to know more about these fascinating animals? Check out these websites: https://legacy.mos.org/fireflywatch/ and http://www.firefly.org/ to learn more.


Photuris lucicrescens/Wiki Images

Posted on June 13, 2013 02:07 PM by americanmuseumofnaturalhistory americanmuseumofnaturalhistory | 0 comments | Leave a comment

May 22, 2013

Cicadas Are Coming To NYC!

This spring will mark the emergence of Brood II periodical cicadas. After spending 17 years feeding on tree rootlets underground, the nymphs will emerge later this spring as soil temperatures warm up. In NYC, they will be seen mainly in Staten Island. The adult periodical cicadas are black with orange eyes and wing veins, whereas the annual summer cicadas we hear each July are black with green highlights. To learn more about cicadas, see this link: http://www.magicicada.org/magicicada_ii.php.

Also, visit the Museum's Hall of Biodiversity to see a restored cicada diorama that was first displayed in 1912.The diorama, which highlights the biological features of Brood X cicadas, shows how cicadas emerge from the ground as wingless nymphs, climb the nearest tree, and shed their skin to become winged adults. It will be on temporary display starting May 22nd.

We're looking for your observations - let us know where and when you see and hear these cicadas!


Periodical cicada/Wiki images

Posted on May 22, 2013 01:56 PM by americanmuseumofnaturalhistory americanmuseumofnaturalhistory | 0 comments | Leave a comment

May 9, 2013

It's time to visit the beach!

Late May is a good time to visit the beach to see horseshoe crabs. These intriguing animals come to sandy beaches during high tides between mid-May and early June to lay their eggs. At the same time, migratory shorebirds like ruddy turnstones and red knots stop to feed on the crab eggs during the birds' northward migration each spring. The crabs can be seen at a number of New York City beaches, including Plumb and Coney Island beach in Brooklyn, Orchard beach in the Bronx, and along the southern shore of Staten Island, among other sites. Let us know where you see them as we're always looking for new locations. If you want to become a volunteer horseshoe crab watcher in New York, see http://www.nyhorseshoecrab.org/.


American horseshoe crab/wiki images

Posted on May 9, 2013 02:22 AM by americanmuseumofnaturalhistory americanmuseumofnaturalhistory | 1 comment | Leave a comment

May 8, 2013

April Wildflowers and Spring Bees

Despite the cooler March temperatures, spring is right on schedule, with many of the early spring wildflowers starting to bloom. Insects are also becoming more active. For example, cellophane bees emerged from their underground nests in late March and bumble bee queens also have recently emerged from underground where they spent the winter. These large bumble bees can be seen flying low along the ground in search of a good place to make their underground nests. Watch for them on warm days in April in park woodlands or at the woods edge. If you can’t get a picture of the bee, then send us a photo of where you see them – we'd like to know what habitats they might be using in NYC!

Common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens)/wiki images

Posted on May 8, 2013 12:52 PM by americanmuseumofnaturalhistory americanmuseumofnaturalhistory | 0 comments | Leave a comment

March 8, 2013

Spring is just around the corner.....

Phenology is the study of the timing of life history events for plants and animals, such as, when does a certain flower bloom each year, or when does the first tiger swallowtail butterfly emerge in the spring? Over the next few months, send us your firsts – the first butterfly of the season, first bee, first dragonfly, or other “first” insects you see active outside.

For March, we’re also focusing on butterflies. Some butterflies spend the winter as adults, seeking shelter under tree bark or in other protected crevices. So on the warmer days of March, you might see an eastern comma, question mark, or mourning cloak butterfly basking on the bark of a tree or flying by in the woods. Keep your eyes open for these beautiful butterflies! And don't forget to send in your observations of these butterflies or other interesting invertebrate sightings!

Mourning Cloak

Eastern Comma

Question Mark

Posted on March 8, 2013 09:55 PM by americanmuseumofnaturalhistory americanmuseumofnaturalhistory | 0 comments | Leave a comment

February 17, 2013

February Challenge

A blizzard sure isn’t something that most invertebrates look forward to! Fortunately, most of them were still safely buried in leaves or tucked into nooks and crannies during this last storm. If you do have a chance to take a walk where there are still snowy patches remaining, look at the base of trees and see if you can find snow fleas – they’ll look like tiny specks of dirt jumping in the snow. Best location is right where the tree trunk meets the snow. Snow fleas are actually springtails, small invertebrates that live in the moss and leaf litter. Check this website for pictures and more information (http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/snow_flea.htm). And don't forget to send us your observations!

Posted on February 17, 2013 11:46 AM by americanmuseumofnaturalhistory americanmuseumofnaturalhistory | 0 comments | Leave a comment