Earthworms of the genus Amynthas are also known as Asian jumping worms. As you might guess from the name, Asian jumping worms are not native. I recently found an Asian jumping worm at my neighbor’s house while watching the dogs play.
Asian jumping worm, Amynthas sp. NE DC. 2 September 2023.
Asian jumping worms are not the first invasive Earthworm to enter the United States, and likely will not be the last. Some researchers say 3 species of Asian jumping worms may have been introduced to DC with the cherry trees in 1900. The first thing I noticed was this worm had a very vigorous wriggling motion, to the point that it would be off the ground – clearly this was not the Earthworms I am used to.
Asian jumping worms are a big deal because they can utilize more of the soil nutrients and organic matter than the usual Earthworms. This leads to cascading ecological effects that favor non-native plants and can lead to increased soil erosion.
Asian jumping worms don’t really have a control method. Killing them on sight will only get you so far. Hot compost and mulches (>104° f) appear to kill Asian jumping worms, but it is hard to cover large areas like that.
Maybe these worms have been here for years, maybe my neighbor got them with the container plants he bought this summer.
Larix laricina, the tamarack, is a beautiful, deciduous, confer. Cooperrider-Kent Bog, Kent, OH. 30 July 2023
Cooperrider-Kent Bog is a holdover from the Ice Age and supports the southernmost stand of tamarack in the continental United States. This is a reproducing, healthy population.
Sphagnum (peat) moss and ferns. Cooperrider-Kent Bog, Kent, OH. 30 July 2023.
As the Ice Age ended the glacier associated with the bog began to melt, and formed a deep kettle-hole lake of about 50 acres. The lake was surrounded by coniferous forest dominated by spruce, fir, and tamarack. As the climate warmed, plants colonized the shoreline encroaching upon the open waters. A floating mat of Sphagnum moss and other bog plants began to cover the lake. Although it would take thousands of years, this was the beginning of a natural process by which the basin eventually would fill in with peat until bog meadow replaced glacial lake. What has become of the glacial lake? The natural process of filling with peat has finally been realized. No longer a lake, the kettle-hole has been transformed into a large bog meadow.
Boardwalk trail. Cooperrider-Kent Bog, Kent, OH. 30 July 2023.
This is a small area with a half mile boardwalk/trail. It was raining off and on when I went there and it was surprisingly busy. It is a pleasant and peaceful spot. There are no bathrooms or picnic tables, just a parking lot and a short trail. There are numerous benches along the trail to linger and enjoy the bog.
Chamaedaphne calyculata is a plant in the Ericaceae (blue/cranberry family) that likes bog life. Cooperrider-Kent Bog, Kent, OH. 30 July. 2023.
Bogs are pretty cool places. I was hoping to see some carniverous plants, but I did not. The consolation prize of getting to hang out with southern populations of Larix laricina and Betula populifolia was more than enough to make this a worthwhile visit.
Wagner (2021) wrote an alarming and convincing paper about insect population declines. Living in DC, we find we almost never need to clean the car windshield of bug carcasses. Our 6,100 mile vacation car trip pointed out that automobile/insect collisions can still be a major issue.
Ladybug, Hippodamia sp., part of our vehicular insect carnage. Minnesota. 10 July 2023.
Cars are not the only issue here, but as the photos show we have killed quite a few insects on our journey and that doesn’t help the issue. As the USFWS endangered species act (ESA) listing of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a distinct possibility, the ramifications of roadside milkweed plantings and 75 mph interstate highway speeds will need to be revisited. Most of the time the collisions are only noticed after the fact when the windshield gets smeary, but I know I hit a monarch here in Minnesota and wonder what this unintended take would involve in paperwork and fines? How many motorists could seperate monarchs from viceroys (Limenitis archippus) 75 mph to avoid one and smash the other to oblivian? Perhaps some public service announcement TV ads could point this out to help motorists do the right thing?
Dragonfly, Celithemis eponina, part of our vehicular insect carnage. Minnesota. 10 July 2023.
Clearly in the case of motor vehicle collisions it is clearly better to be the windshield than it is to be the bug. However, the windshield is also impaired by the insects it has smashed. This isn’t just a loss of beauty, this is a loss of the ecological services that these insects could have provided if allowed to live. E,O. Wilson famously called ants: “the little things that run our world” and I think we can extend this concept to insects in general.
The front of our car is covered with smashed insects (front license plate view) – part of our vehicular insect carnage. Minnesota. 10 July 2023.
Our car was just one of many on the highways we traveled. If the monarch were listed, the incidental take by motorists would need to be considered: slower speed limits, roadside buffer strips to force insects to travel over traffic, reduced vehicular frontal areas to reduce impact potential, or some other engineering solution (public transit?) may help. Perhaps we shouldn’t wait for the ESA and start trying to solve the problem now? The canary in the coal mine just might be an orange and black butterfly. Perhaps listening to this canary might just save us.
Reference: Wagner DL. Insect Declines in the Anthropocene. Annu Rev Entomol. 2020 Jan 7;65:457-480. doi: 10.1146/annurev-ento-011019-025151. Epub 2019 Oct 14. PMID: 31610138.
Coming into Idaho, we were surprised to see a sign saying all watercraft must stop. We did as told and I was thrilled with what I saw – an invasive species inspection station! The concept is very simple: by inspecting boats, invasive species can be detected and prevented from reaching Idaho waters.
The kayak undergoing inspection. Cottrell Rest Area I-84, Idaho. 7 July 2023.
The questions asked were pretty straightforward: 1) what waters has your boat been on in the past 30 days? and 2) where are you planning to go boating?. The inspectors then looked up the water bodies to find out what invasive species they needed to be concerned about and then inspected our kayak.
The big sign. Cottrell Rest Area I-84, Idaho. 7 July 2023
While nobody likes spending 15 minutes being inspected, this is a brilliant program! Idaho has fantastic aquatic resources that are worth protecting and I am glad to see them doing exactly that.
Let us help you help yourself. Cottrell Rest Area I-84, Idaho. 7 July 2023
Nobody wants to be the person who introduced an invasive species and ruined a body of water. The basic is your boat should be clean and dry when moving between water bodies.
Certificate of inspection. Cottrell Rest Area I-84, Idaho. 7 July 2023
In Burnsville, Minnesota we saw some ash trees (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) in trouble. We were staying in a hotel and of the three ash trees on the property, one was dead and two were moribund. The healthiest of the trees was still in really bad shape.
The healthiest of the moribund trees. Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Burnsville, MN. 11 July 2023.
The first thing I noticed was the complete lack of leaves in the top of the tree. My first thought was emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, was present. This invasive and non-native beetle was discovered infesting ash trees Michigan in 2002, instead of in its Asian home. I have played once forested disc golf courses in Michigan that have lost so many ash trees, that they no longer play as wooded coursas. EAB has since spread to many east coast and midwest states, and continues to spread west. EAB larvae feed on ash tree inner bark, killing the tree within a few years depending on the tree’s size. Sure enough, closer examination revealed the classic ‘D’ shaped holes indicative of EAB.
A little googling showed that in May 2018, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) confirmed an EAB infestation in Burnsville, which is now considered “generally infested” by the MDA. But wait there’s more… The ‘healthiest’ moribund ash tree was infected with Aceria fraxiniflora, the ash flower gall mite (the other trees being unable to have flowered). This mite infests and disfigures the male ash flowers as they produce galls. Normally, this is not considered harmful to the tree. Often moribund trees will put a last gasp effort into seed production, this tree showed no evidence of seed production – only galls. It may not be killing the tree, but the mite is stopping a last ditch reproductive effort that may help continue the species presence in the area.
Galls of Aceria fraxiniflora in moribund Fraxinus pennsylvanica. Burnsville, MN. 11 July 2023.
As if the one – two punch of beetles and mites were not enough, the poor tree was also a victim of auxin mimic herbicide drift. This caused many of the remaining leaves of this tree to be curled and mis-shapened. Since leaves are where all the magic of photosynthesis occur and also a major site of respiration, this man-made problem, at a minimum, does not help this tree survive.
Leaf cupping of a moribund Fraxinus pennsylvania tree. characteristic of exposure to an auxin mimic herbicide. Burnsville, MN. 12 July 2023.
In this manner, a once common, native, forest tree is being removed from the landscape. High value trees can be protected by frequent applications of systemic insecticides, but this is not a viable strategy for the majority of ash trees. Good bye to beauty and shade my forest friend. Hello to the cascading ecological consequences of the loss of a common forest tree.
Promalactis suzukiella on potato plants in the garden. NE DC. 26 June 2023.
A single 4mm moth showed up on my potatoes and I did not know who it was. I can’t say that micromoths in the Gelechioidea are an easy identification for me, but I came up with one Promalactis suzukiella of the family Oecophoridae. I thought it cool that someone named a moth after Canadian conservation celebrity David Suzuki and expected a tale of a micromoth recently discovered in Canada, but such was not the case. This is a moth known from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan and first described in 1931. The USA portion of the story starts in in 2002 in Towson, Maryland. By 2007, it was documented in many Maryland counties, Virginia, central and northern New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The first mention in the scientific literature was Adamski, et al. (2009). Bug Guide (www.bugguide.net) data now shows this species to be known from 22 US states and as far west as Texas.
Adamski and friends (2009) point out that “In retrospect, we could not have documented the biology, described the immature stages, obtained distributional records,, or confirmed the identity of Promalactis suzukiella without open communication from professional biologists and enthusiastic amateurs. In this example, the sharing of information lead to a discovery that would not have occurred.” In other words, sharing is a good thing. Not a bad message from a moth.
NOTE: As a caterpiller Promalactis suzukiella feeds under the bark of trees in the genus Prunus, so my potatoes are safe.
Reference:
Adamski, D., G.F. Hevel, and A. Pultyniewicz. 2009. Redescription and immature stages of Promalactis suzukiella (Matsumura) (Gelechioidea: Oecophoridae), a new introduction into the United States. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 111.1: 204-214.
Propylea quatuordecimpunctata is a small ladybug that I knew I would eventually see after moving to the East Coast. Today was that day. People who study ladybugs use abbreviations for the scientific names of ladybugs (or beetles of the family Coccinellidae as ladybugs are better known) such that Propylea quatuordecimpunctata becomes P-14, which is way more manageable.
Propylea quatuordecimpunctata on Asclepias syriaca. NE DC. 3 June 2023.
P-14 is a common and wide-ranging old world ladybug. As you might expect, for a common and wide-ranging species, it eats a wide variety prey: aphids, scale insects, insect eggs, larvae, etc. It has been repeatedly introduced to North America as a biocontrol (most recently for Russian wheat aphid), but the East coast population may have come from an accidental introduction to Quebec City in Canada which appears to be doing quite well.
P-14 is a ~4mm beetle. With all the spots it is a jaunty little fellow. I was impressed with how it was aware of my presence, how quickly it ran away from me and how difficult it was to photograph. Maybe next time I can spend some time watching P-14 to see what it does and how it does the things it is doing. In general, ladybugs are interesting little predators.
Non-native ladybugs are considered among the reasons for decline of native ladybug species. In my neighborhood I have only seen introduced ladybug species: Harmonia axyridis, Coccinella septempunctata (C-7), and now P-14. BTW, most of my garden aphid control is provided by parasitic wasps – there are more ways to control garden aphids than just pesticides and ladybugs. The pesticide option is pretty short-sighted because: 1) you are also killing the insects that are trying to control your aphids, and 2) the aphids will come back hard after the control insects are removed meaning you will likely need repeat applications.
John Acorn in his book, Ladybugs of Alberta: finding the spots and connecting the dots, coins the phrase: “ladybugsters” for people who happen to be ladybug aficionados. As a proud “ladybugster” myself (I once had a very bad review of my work at an Entomological Society meeting because I referred to my research organisms as ladybugs and not Coccinellidae), I invite you to get out and do some ladybugging – you never know what you will see.
Male Argia fumipennis. Anacostia River, MD. 5 June 2023.
Argia fumipennis is a member of the order Odonata, which is collectively called ‘the dragonflies’. Some people will say that Argia fumipennis is a damselfly and not a dragonfly, but I don’t want to argue about common names. This is an odonate species and shares the aquatic larval phase that makes these insects indicators of aquatic habitat health. This is important because the Anacostia River has not always had a robust odonate population.
Where this photo was taken there a few pairs of Argia fumipennis where the females were ovipositing while the males were mate guarding. Clearly there was a population a least trying to reproduce here. It is also important to note that while many Odonates are capable long distant migrants, the genus Argia is not known for such behavior. Further evidence that these adults are possibly breeding in the Anacostia River. I wish I was able to capture video of ovipositing, but I felt lucky just to capture an identifiable photo of male.
As the Anacostia River continues to become cleaner, we will continue to find species returning to the river.
I was sitting on the porch with Anacostia Riverpup when I noticed I had attracted the attention of a mosquito. Initially I thought it was Aedes albopictus, but then I noticed the thoracic markings and realized this is Aedes aegypti! The DC population of Aedes aegypti is pretty cool, the insect is not anticipated to be able to survive our winters. Lima et al. (2015) postulate that the DC Aedes aegypti population is overwintering underground – not so far-fetchex when it considered that the London (UK) subway system has its very own mosquito (Byrne and Nichols 1999). The presence of this mosquito is a big deal, this mosquito is very good at vectoring human disease. That is why it is often called the yellow fever mosquito.
Aedes mosquitoes tend to be container breeders meaning a a tree rot hole with 100 mls of water is all it takes to raise a new generation. This why removing all standing water from your immediate environment is so important.
Mosquitoes may not be everyone’s favorite, but they are important and knowing your local mosquitoes can help you know how to avoid them.
References:
Lima A, Lovin DD, Hickner PV, Severson DW, 2015. Evidence for an overwintering population of Aedes aegypti in Capitol Hill neighborhood, Washington, DC. Am J Trop Med Hyg 94: 231–235.
Byrne, K., Nichols, R. Culex pipiens in London Underground tunnels: differentiation between surface and subterranean populations. Heredity82, 7–15 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.hdy.6884120
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