- Do you have questions about birds, bugs, bees, butterflies or other wildlife? Send your questions to Wild Things and we will try to find the answers.
Brad asks: “Could you help with identifying a water creature? It could be a nymph or larva. For Arlington’s Town Day I sampled Slender Pondweed (P. pusillus) from Spy Pond. When checking identification with a 10x loupe, I discovered a small but fascinating creature. It was 2 mm to 3 mm long with two dots for eyes, an articulated head, jaws, four or six feet, a translucent body and an equally long, green abdomen that was flatter and about twice as wide as the body, with visible intestine and a dark appendage. The appendage could be gills as you described for the darner.
“It moved quickly along the pondweed – it appeared to be looking for vegetable matter, but could be looking for smaller creatures. I also saw it away from the pondweed, investigating other aquatic plant debris. Any ideas or suggestions of images or books?”
From this description and my research, my best guess is that Brad saw a damselfly nymph. It is also possible, but less likely, that it was a mayfly nymph.
The creature’s abdomen, jaws and quick movements among pondweed suggest that it is a predatory nymph. The dark appendage at the tip of the abdomen could be the nymph’s external gill structure. If the dark appendage looked like three long, flat leaflike structures, it was most likely a damselfly nymph; if the appendage had two or three long strandlike tails, it was more likely a mayfly nymph.
There are two resources that may show images of what Brad saw, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Wild Earth Lab. Thanks for writing!
Goldenrod soldier beetle
Summer’s over, alas. But before we say goodbye, let’s take one last look at a late summer beetle, the goldenrod soldier beetle (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus). The term soldier beetle arose from the red-and-black coloring of many soldier beetles, similar to British military uniforms of long ago. Think British redcoats.
Why did the British army wear red, you might ask. Modern battlefield uniforms are olive green to camouflage soldiers in forests and jungles. Wouldn’t soldiers stick out in red uniforms? Yes, they would stick out – but that was entirely the point. On a battlefield obscured with smoke, the red uniforms helped British soldiers distinguish between themselves and the enemy.
This excerpt from “War and Peace,” which takes place in the early 1800s, can help you understand why soldiers wanted to be seen:
The whole air reeked with smoke. The excited faces of the soldiers were blackened with it. Some were using their ramrods, others putting powder on the touchpans or taking charges from their pouches, while others were firing, though who they were firing at could not be seen for the smoke.
Another reason for red uniforms: Red dye was cheap and colorfast. It did not fade in the sun. The British military wore red uniforms from about the mid-1600s to the 1880s. (And contrary to what you may have heard as a child, the uniforms were not red to hide bloodstains.)
Anyway, back to goldenrod soldier beetles. This half-inch soldier beetle is not red like many, but orangish-brown to help camouflage it among goldenrod, where it is commonly found in abundance. It also frequents yellow flowers, Queen Anne’s lace, milkweed, linden trees, chive flowers and other late summer blooms.
Also, most beetles have hard wing covers, but not these. Their soft and pliable wing covers are why they are sometimes called “leatherwings.” Each wing is orangish with a large black spot near the tip.
Adult beetles emerge from July to September, but are seen most prolifically in August. They are active during the day, and you might find them as you walk through fields or gardens. They feed not only on nectar and pollen but on caterpillars, aphids and insect eggs.
They do emerge suddenly and in great numbers, which can alarm gardeners who think their plants are under attack. In fact, they should be welcome visitors to gardens: They do not bite or sting, and they do not damage plants. They prey on insects that can damage plants.
After throngs of soldier beetles emerge as adults, they immediately start feeding and working on making the next generation. You will often encounter them mating. As one person on Reddit said, “Don’t they know there are children in the neighborhood?”
After mating, the females lay clusters of eggs in the soil or leaf litter. These beetles undergo complete metamorphosis (egg, larva, pupa and adult). The larvae (grubs) that emerge are dark and covered in dense hairs, giving them a velvety appearance. The larvae live in the soil and under leaves, rocks, logs or other debris. They are predators that suck the juices out of other larvae (such as maggots, earworms and borers) and soft-bodied insects (such as aphids). The larvae shed their skin a number of times until they are big enough to pupate. The pupae overwinter in loose bark, leaf litter or rotten logs. The adult beetles emerge – ready to eat and mate – in late summer.
Have you taken photos of our urban wild things? Send your images to Cambridge Day, and we may use them as part of a future feature. Include the photographer’s name and the general location where the photo was taken.
Jeanine Farley is an educational writer who has lived in the Boston area for more than 30 years. She enjoys taking photos of our urban wild things.
A stronger
Please consider making a financial contribution to maintain, expand and improve Cambridge Day.
We are now a 501(c)3 nonprofit and all donations are tax deductible.
Please consider a recurring contribution.