originally posted: December 25, 2002 | by chelsie

In Europe, one of the first butterflies to emerge in the spring is the tiny holly blue (Celastrina argiolus Linnaeus). These butterflies are reported to be the same species called the azure blues in North America. At this time, the 'blues' appear to consist of a number of similar-looking sibling species or subspecies. The blues of North America are undergoing a revision of taxonomy. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: December 18, 2002 | by chelsie

Daddy-longlegs or harvestmen (Order: Opiliones) are a gardener's friend. With eight long legs, these arachnids are often confused with spiders. There are more than 3,000 species of these spider look-alikes. But daddy-longlegs have no constriction between the thorax and the abdomen. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: December 11, 2002 | by chelsie

The dogbanes, Apocynum androsaemifolium and A. cannabinum are misnamed. Linnaeus named the genus after the ancient Greek, apokynon, a plant believed toxic to dogs. Ingested, the dogbanes are certainly poisonous to mammals, but the flowers are fatal to visitors of the wrong type. At the base of the pistil are five nectar producing glands which attract any sweet-loving insect--bees, flies, moths, and butterflies. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: December 4, 2002 | by chelsie

In North America, there are three species of cattail--the broad-leaved (Typha latifolia Linnaeus), the southern (T. domingensis Persoon), and, introduced from Europe, the narrow-leaved (T. angustifolia Linnaeus)--and a hybrid, the blue-leaved (Typha X glauca Godron). Cattails are considered obligate wetland species, but the soils do not have to be wet when the plants are normally dormant during winter. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: November 27, 2002 | by chelsie

In 1519, Hernan Cortes reported beekeeping by natives of Mexico. Maya, Aztec, and other indigenous groups kept domesticated Melipona bees. The meliponids are warm-climate bees and are the natural pollinators for the Vanilla orchid. Unlike the introduced European honeybee (Apis mellifera Linnaeus) which constructs combs, meliponid bees store honey in wax cups. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: November 20, 2002 | by chelsie

Native Americans developed all the major lineages of corn--flint, dent, sweet, flour, and pop--by the time Columbus arrived in the New World. Settlers adopted and continued the hybridization of corn, and pushed natives into increasingly marginal lands. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: November 13, 2002 | by chelsie

A daisy or mum 'flower' is actually an inflorescence made up of two types of flowers, ray flowers which appear as petals and are usually sterile, and disk flowers which tightly cover the center each producing a single seed. These inflorescences are typical of the Asteraceae [as ter a' see ee]. Two species within this family, the Dalmatian insect flower (Tanacetum cinerariifolium ((Trevir.) Vis.) Schultz-Bip.) and the Persian or painted daisy (T. coccineum (Willd.) Grierson), are the primary sources of pyrethrum. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: November 6, 2002 | by chelsie

White is a color that generally does not work in favor of an animal. It is readily seen at great distances by predators. But for the European cabbage butterfly (Pieris rapae Linnaeus) white serves as a warning. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: October 30, 2002 | by chelsie

Virginia peppergrass (Lepidium virginicum Linnaeus) is native to North America. Like other members of the Brassicaceae (mustard family), peppergrass produces pungent-tasting glucosinolates (mustard oil glycosides) to deter herbivory. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: October 23, 2002 | by chelsie

There are an estimated eighty species of Oenothera; all are native to the New World. A few bloom during the day and are known as suncups or sundrops; the majority bloom during the night, the evening primroses. The evening primroses are pollinated by sphinx or hawk moths (Family: Sphingidae). [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: October 16, 2002 | by chelsie

The burrows of the blue land crab (Cardisoma guanhumi) extend down to the water table. This habitat protects the crab from the desiccating heat of the midday. The mangrove killifish (Rivulus marmoratus) will bunk with the crab and act as housekeeper until rains encourage the killifish to move on. One other little creature takes advantage of the land crab's generous quarters, the crabhole mosquito (Deinocerites cancer Theobald). [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: October 9, 2002 | by chelsie

The mangrove killifish (Rivulus marmoratus Poey) is a peculiar little vertebrate growing to only five centimeters (2 inches). A native of the New World tropics ranging from Brazil through the Caribbean to central Florida, this killifish adapted to surviving in whatever water was available. It is found in ephemeral habitats from saline mangrove swamps to brackish stagnant pools. Often this killifish sets up residence in the burrow of a blue land crab (Cardisoma guanhumi Latreille). [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: October 2, 2002 | by chelsie

The blue land crab (Cardisoma guanhumi Latreille) is found throughout the world's tropics. These crabs live in colonies in mud flats, brackish marshes, and mangrove swamps. In Florida, they also select yards where they are considered a nuisance by those who expect lawns to behave like carpets. The problem comes from the aesthetic expectations of the crab colonies. They prefer a nice clean look free of messy vegetation like lawn grasses. [Click here to read more...]