Prophetic collecting forcast..

I think Michael saw into the future:

http://bugguide.net/node/view/120650

collecting forcast

I'm going to make the prediction that any bug collecting done during the upcoming "bugstock" weekend, will be rewarded with unusually large numbers of insects!
=As everyone knows, we've been spending all of our free time trying to get the farm ready for the big event. I was out there last weekend, and I managed to collect about 20 chiggers! Needless to say, I brought all of them home with me, and incubated them. (I KNOW!! 20 CHIGGERS!!!) And that was without even trying!! Imagine what I would have made off with if I had made any sort of attempt!! I'm sure this is a good sign!=

Michael

"Big L" Run - 6/1/07

Michael, Travis, Emma and I traveled up to "Big L" again last Friday. We had started out just planning on setting up a light at the farm, but... you know how the farm is 1/2 way there.. (we were almost there anyway), plus I have a soft spot for "Big L" that got pushed on by the guys.

We setup at the farm then went for food (of course we couldn't just visit ONE drive through). We were all in the car with the flashlights and containers anyway; so we left from there. We had to gas-up on the way so we stopped by Pseudo-Sammy's. There were so many back-swimmers and other things flying around that there was a fog or cloud around the pumps. We sat at a safe distance for a moment, while I searched for charged batteries for my camera, and watched people attempting to fuel their vehicles: wiggling, swatting and cursing the air. We took some photos of the swarm (will post soon), then drove to real-Sammy's (I wasn't going to get out of the car in the middle of THAT storm). Sammy's was a little less infested.

Once there we hit: Lupé's, Chevron, "that one place where James found that huge Ox beetle" and the gas station that is over by Lee's. We found four Ox beetles (S. aloeus), mostly males, and some nice, big moths (after my run-in with "out of focus moth" I didn't try to take any pictures of them). We did not go to "tiger truck stop" but the furthest station had quite a few water beetles. Surprisingly, Lupé's didn't offer anything except for four or five Strategus that were the victims of hit-and-run accidents and an attendant that was wondering what we were doing; she must be new.


Back at the farm the sheet was nearly covered but there was nothing that we kept. The rig was so full of insects that we turned the lights off (Travis figured out a quick way to turn all the lights off at once) and left it there. I found out later that the quickest way to take down a rig is to run it over with a lawn mower (it was like the magic trick where you pull the table cloth out from under the stuff on the table: gone in a flash)

Steven

Farm Visit

We recently had a great visit to the Farm. We met Steven’s parents who were hard at work clearing undergrowth around the cabin. Enjoyed socializing with their two fine dogs. The pond hosted numerous Odonata, including the uncommon Arigomphus maxwelli (Bayou Clubtail).
Value of having a bug on your shirt: When we left, we stopped at a eating place near Washington, and while we were selecting our food, I heard a quiet voice behind me, "Gayle?", I looked around and there was Steven whom we had not previously met. He had spotted the Dragonfly (picture) on Jeanell’s shirt, and guessed who we were.
To see our photos of creatures from the Farm, open BugGuide http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740 and enter Barney Farm in the search window.
Gayle & Jeanell

St. Landry Par. LA, Barney Farm, near Washington LA 19 May 2007
9:30 AM-12:30 PM, Clear, Temp 75-85.

Asilidae:
Efferia aestuans male (images on BugGuide)
Promachus bastardi
Atomosia pusilla

Only Salticids - couple of Anasaitis canosa
Other spiders: Pair of Neoscona, probably arabesca (images on BugGuide)

Odonata:
Ischnura hastata- 4
Ischnura posita- 2
Argia tibialis- 10 (at Bayou Cortableau)
Arigomphus maxwelli- 4 (images on BugGuide)
Erythemis simplicicollis- 8
Pachydiplax longipennis- 20+
Pantala hymenaea- 1 (early LA flight date, previous 11 Jun.)
Perithemis tenera- 15+
Plathemis lydia- 40+
Tramea lacerata- 15+

No Crane flies!!

Several Tabanids, 2 or 3 probably new to our collection (images on BugGuide)

Long-horned Beetles: (images on BugGuide, see comments at dorsal view of each)
Strangalia luteicornis female
Strangalia famelica male (08 June 2007: After considerable discussion on BugGuide, make that S. solitaria)

Caterpillar, Geometrid, Nematocampa, probably resistaria (image on BugGuide)

Other:
Several Ribbon Snakes, some busily chasing frogs, also a very musical Bullfrog. Based on the volume of his reveberating song, not worried about any predator short of an Anaconda.