Fifty Species Goal: #24-49

Holy mackerel, we are blowin' this thing out of the water! While I was off in Texas, two old sightings finally got an ID (and damnit, I'm counting them!) plus a whole bunch of new ones showed up.

In fact--a mere three months and some change after starting--we've nearly hit the 50 species goal! One species away!

Dude! Dude! I know I'm the one who's really excited by this--I mean, it's my garden and everybody else probably thinks I'm nuts--but how amazing is that!? We're almost there already! Some of those months were mid-winter and nothing much was showing up!

I sorta feel like this proves--at least to me--that if you just LOOK, there's an insane amount of biodiversity just lurking everywhere. Yes, my garden is particularly buggy, owing to my crazed planting and lack of pesticides, but it's not anything that anybody else couldn't do, given a patch of dirt and a cel phone camera and a really weird hobby.

So, without further ado, the new bugs!

As usual, this is mostly Lepidoptera, thanks to the nice people at BAMONA, but we did add a couple new insects of other varieties! (Some of you on Twitter saw some of these names already, incidentally.)

#24 -- Hydrochara sp. Water Scavenger Beetle

This is a big glossy black beetle that looks like every other big glossy black beetle. I'm tentatively thinking H. lotor, but frankly, there's no way to make a really good id. I am comfortable with the genus level on this one.

#25 -- Euparius marmoreus Marbled Fungus Weevil

I have a snout!

How freaky cute is this thing? It reminds me of the keyboardist from the Star Wars cantina scene.

#26 -- Harmonia axyridis Harlequin Ladybird

An invasive ladybug. These are the little bastards who try to get into your house in droves in winter. I am not fond of them, despite my general positive disposition toward ladybugs.

And now, the moths, with their awesomely weird names!

#27 -- Galgula partita The Wedgling

This sounds like some kind of fairy, probably not terribly well-inclined towards humanity.

#28 -- Hydriomena transfigurata The Transfigured Hydriomena

Have I mentioned that I love it when "The" is part of the name of these moths? (I have no idea what makes this one "transfigured." It's a pretty bland moth.)

#29 -- Hypena baltimoralis    Baltimore Bomolocha Moth

This has got to be a dance.

#30 -- Lithophane innominata   Nameless Pinion

The entomologist was feeling lazy that day.

#31 -- Lithophane petulca    Wanton Pinion

...um.

I...wait, what?

I am forced to assume that the entomologist had been in the field much too long for this one, if he has taken to slut-shaming Lepidoptera.

#32 -- Arogalea cristifasciella   Stripe-backed Moth

The entomologist, having recovered from his weird bout of projection, went back to purely descriptive names.

#33 -- Eupsilia vinulenta   Straight-toothed Sallow

Much like the Curved-Toothed Geometer, I find myself really not wanting to look at this moth's mouth, for fear of never sleeping again.

#34 -- Chaetaglaea sericea   Silky Sallow

This moth uses a very good shampoo.

#35 -- Himella intractata    Intractable Quaker

EEEEEE! OH MY GOD, I GOT AN INTRACTABLE QUAKER MOTH! I saw the name and I wanted to see one, but I figured they probably lived somewhere else!

Mind you, I am not sure what's so intractable about them...

Sure, he looks innocent, but he refuses to ask for directions or change plans once he's made them.

#36 -- Condica vecors   Dusky Groundling

This sounds like a fantasy race of goblins or something.

#37 -- Elaphria grata   Grateful Midget

*boggles*

W...what?

*backs away from entomologist*

#38 -- Ectropis crepuscularia   The Small Engrailed

This sounds vaguely Arthurian.

#39 -- Argyrotaenia velutinana   Red Banded Leafroller Moth

This is an extremely uninteresting (and very small) moth with no apparent red bands. Fortunately I have a 7x zoom lens for my iPhone...

#40 -- Nedra ramosula   Gray Half-Spot

This is actually a pretty handsome fellow. He looks like he's got a fur collar and iridescent cloak.

Take me to the Ren Faire!

#41 -- Nemapogon auropulvella   European Grain Moth

This is one teeny tiny little moth, and what little information I can find says that it's native to the US, despite the name. I don't even know.

#42 -- Phalaenophana pyramusalis   Dark-banded Owlet Moth

The Owlet Moth Tribe returns!

#43 -- Pero ancetaria Hübner's Pero

Holy crap, there's an umlaut in my garden!

#44 -- Paectes abrostoloides   Large Paectes

Also known as the "Sweetgum Defoliator," which is like the most obscure serial killer ever.

#45 -- Ilexia intractata   Black-dotted Ruddy Moth

Another small brown not-all-that-exciting moth.

#46 -- Lascoria ambigualis Ambiguous Moth

Having exhausted his powers with the Grateful Midget, our entomologist slumps back into despair.

#47 -- Poanes zabulon Zabulon Skipper

A butterfly this time!

#48 -- Ancyloxypha numitor Least Skipper

Another butterfly. A very small brownish one.

#49 -- Knulliana cincta  Longhorn Hickory Borer

This is a beetle. And by "This is a beetle" I mean "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD IF GIANT BUGS FREAK YOU OUT, DO NOT GOOGLE THIS THING." It's...large. And bitey. And apparently attracted to porch lights.