talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer
@talkingrootworm.bsky.social
260 followers 72 following 170 posts
PhD entomologist & insect photographer. Scientist & Program Leader in Insect Behavior in the Illinois Natural History Survey/Prairie Research Institute at University of Illinois. I like & share images & stories about insects, rootworms, agriculture & more!
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Reposted by Joseph Spencer
talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · 7d
“Who’s in charge now?” If asked, I’d affirm the wheel bug, #Arilus cristatus, as the top predator in my yard. A recent encounter w/ one of the many cross #orbweavers, #Neoscona crucifera, in my yard reminded me that the tables can, and do, turn. #Arachtober #spider #Reduviidae #Araneidae #arachnid
A large tan-colored, orb-weaving spider with red legs is struggling with a partially silk-wrapped wheel bug. They are dangling in a tattered web against a black background A large tan-colored, orb-weaving spider with red legs is struggling with a partially silk-wrapped wheel bug. From this angle, the spider is almost completely eclipsed by the struggling wheel bug. They are dangling in a tattered web against a black background. A large tan-colored, orb-weaving spider with red legs is struggling with a partially silk-wrapped wheel bug. They are dangling in a tattered web against a black background
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talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · 7d
“Who’s in charge now?” If asked, I’d affirm the wheel bug, #Arilus cristatus, as the top predator in my yard. A recent encounter w/ one of the many cross #orbweavers, #Neoscona crucifera, in my yard reminded me that the tables can, and do, turn. #Arachtober #spider #Reduviidae #Araneidae #arachnid
A large tan-colored, orb-weaving spider with red legs is struggling with a partially silk-wrapped wheel bug. They are dangling in a tattered web against a black background A large tan-colored, orb-weaving spider with red legs is struggling with a partially silk-wrapped wheel bug. From this angle, the spider is almost completely eclipsed by the struggling wheel bug. They are dangling in a tattered web against a black background. A large tan-colored, orb-weaving spider with red legs is struggling with a partially silk-wrapped wheel bug. They are dangling in a tattered web against a black background
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Reposted by Joseph Spencer
talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · 9d
I've been following the "progress" of this little (<1 cm) #inchworm #caterpillar for a couple of days. It is wearing a trio of #ectoparasitic wasp larvae (in Family #Chalcididae). They're siphoning the caterpillar's blood & bodily fluids. It'll die soon & they will form pupae near the cadaver.
Brown inchworm caterpillar perched on a nearly vertical green leaf petiole against a black background. Three creamy orange parasitic wasp larvae, each approximately the size of the caterpillar's head, are attached to the caterpillar's back.
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talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · 9d
I've been following the "progress" of this little (<1 cm) #inchworm #caterpillar for a couple of days. It is wearing a trio of #ectoparasitic wasp larvae (in Family #Chalcididae). They're siphoning the caterpillar's blood & bodily fluids. It'll die soon & they will form pupae near the cadaver.
Brown inchworm caterpillar perched on a nearly vertical green leaf petiole against a black background. Three creamy orange parasitic wasp larvae, each approximately the size of the caterpillar's head, are attached to the caterpillar's back.
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talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · 10d
I see them with some frequency. Female release of sex pheromone to attract a mate may draw in >1 male. I suspect that if males arrive at about the same time, it may lead to a bit of confusion until one gets the upper hand.
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talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · 15d
The pops fluctuate tremendously between & w/ years. Besides availability of nectar sources @ any given location, I think the winds and weather, along w/ the presence/absence of any nearly competing nectar sources combine to make numbers rise or fall. Day #s seem low 'cause some are unseen in trees?
talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · 16d
I have done that for a couple of years. I make a count of adults active in my flowers and yard during the day and then go out after dark to count the monarchs I can find roosting in my trees. I typically find more roosting adults than I saw active at any one time.
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Reposted by Joseph Spencer
talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · 16d
Three’s a crowd! The wheel bugs (#Arilus cristatus) in my garden seem confused about how many individuals are needed to start a family. They worked it out about an hour after my photos and the “third wheel” hit the road. #Reduviidae #AssassinBug

[Champaign County, Illinois. USA. 19 September 2025]
An amorous trio of two males and 1 female gray-colored wheel bugs with red antennae and beaks hang together off of the left side of a brown and dried purple coneflower against a black background.
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talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · 16d
Three’s a crowd! The wheel bugs (#Arilus cristatus) in my garden seem confused about how many individuals are needed to start a family. They worked it out about an hour after my photos and the “third wheel” hit the road. #Reduviidae #AssassinBug

[Champaign County, Illinois. USA. 19 September 2025]
An amorous trio of two males and 1 female gray-colored wheel bugs with red antennae and beaks hang together off of the left side of a brown and dried purple coneflower against a black background.
1 1 3
talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · 22d
This afternoon, a group of #migrants on their way to Mexico stopped in my yard to grab a bite and rest. They are staying the night. I count 64 lodgers tonight. On Saturday evening, I had 142! #butterflies #monarchseason #monarch.
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Reposted by Joseph Spencer
talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · 26d
I returned home from work tonight to find a collection of #monarch butterfly wings within and beneath a blazing star plant next to my driveway. Then I noticed the culprit, a giant #Chinese #mantid! The mantid was caught for relocation...to a student insect collection! #invasive
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Reposted by Joseph Spencer
talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · 24d
Days like today, when the yard is full of butterflies, remind me why I planted and tend my gardens of prairie plants.
[Champaign County, IL. 13 September 2025]
Orange, white and black monarch butterfly is perched on the top of a taco-shaped, purple blazing star flower with a small alfalfa butterfly lurking over the edge below. Image is set against a field of green foliage and out of focus grass stems.
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Reposted by Joseph Spencer
talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · 24d
Though they were vastly out-numbered by #monarchs, painted lady #butterflies, were still showing off as they completed for opportunities to sample the floral delights offered up by the Liatris blossoms. #Colias.
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talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · 24d
Though they were vastly out-numbered by #monarchs, painted lady #butterflies, were still showing off as they completed for opportunities to sample the floral delights offered up by the Liatris blossoms. #Colias.
1 7
talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · 24d
Days like today, when the yard is full of butterflies, remind me why I planted and tend my gardens of prairie plants.
[Champaign County, IL. 13 September 2025]
Orange, white and black monarch butterfly is perched on the top of a taco-shaped, purple blazing star flower with a small alfalfa butterfly lurking over the edge below. Image is set against a field of green foliage and out of focus grass stems.
1 4
talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · 26d
I returned home from work tonight to find a collection of #monarch butterfly wings within and beneath a blazing star plant next to my driveway. Then I noticed the culprit, a giant #Chinese #mantid! The mantid was caught for relocation...to a student insect collection! #invasive
2 2
talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · Sep 6
"I'm an #inchworm caterpillar, but I identify as stick." When disturbed, some #Geometridae family #caterpillars will straighten out in a stick-like posture to avoid detection. It's an effective form of #crypsis even the color/texture doesn't match well.

[Champaign County, IL. USA. 5 September 2025]
Tan-colored smooth caterpillar with a few bumps and dark specks gripped onto a vertical stem with its rear prolegs, extending out stick-like in a straight, rigid posture against a dark background.
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Reposted by Joseph Spencer
talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · Aug 25
Have you ever seen a #pelecinid #wasp? Well, you have now! Say "Hello" to #Pelecinus polyturator. Their larvae live as internal parasites of wood or ground dwelling scarab beetle larvae. Until 3 weeks ago, I'd only ever seen 1 individual. Since then, I've seen a dozen females.
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Reposted by Joseph Spencer
talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · Aug 25
That look! A #katydid leans in to ask, “I can’t hear you with all the tree-cricket racket, can you talk into my ear?” Conveniently, katydid #ears are located on their prothorasic legs, just below the "knee". Can you see them? #insect
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Reposted by Joseph Spencer
talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · Aug 25
Hanging around or hanging on! A nightwalk revealed #insects exploited by other #arthropods. Doomed big & little Paw Paw #sphinx #caterpillars parasitized by #braconid wasps, an #inchworm bearing more #wasp #cocoons, & a crane fly #Über allowing 2 #pseudoscorpions to hitch a ride (called #phoresy)
A luminous green caterpillar with a spiky tail horn is covered with the cocoons of parasitic wasps that have fed internally before emerging and spilling a cocoon attached to their host's back. Openings near the tops of the cocoons reveal that the adult wasps have emerged. A luminous green caterpillar with a spiky tail horn is covered with the cocoons of parasitic wasps that have fed internally before emerging and spilling a cocoon attached to their host's back. Openings near the tops of some cocoons reveal that the adult wasps have emerged. The caterpillar is hanging from the leaf of a paw paw tree. A brown inchworm caterpillar grips a leaf with its rear legs while a silken thread supports the head as it hangs upside-down. Half-a-dozen parasitic wasp cocoons dangle from the back of the caterpillar. A crane fly with banded brown/tan banded legs and a yellow abdomen dangles from the leaf of a forest plant. Pseudoscorpions are attached near a joint on one meso- and one metathorasic leg. They use the fly to harmlessly carry them over the landscape (this phenomenon is called Phoresy).
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talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · Aug 25
Have you ever seen a #pelecinid #wasp? Well, you have now! Say "Hello" to #Pelecinus polyturator. Their larvae live as internal parasites of wood or ground dwelling scarab beetle larvae. Until 3 weeks ago, I'd only ever seen 1 individual. Since then, I've seen a dozen females.
1 6
talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · Aug 25
That look! A #katydid leans in to ask, “I can’t hear you with all the tree-cricket racket, can you talk into my ear?” Conveniently, katydid #ears are located on their prothorasic legs, just below the "knee". Can you see them? #insect
1 1 7
talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · Aug 25
Hanging around or hanging on! A nightwalk revealed #insects exploited by other #arthropods. Doomed big & little Paw Paw #sphinx #caterpillars parasitized by #braconid wasps, an #inchworm bearing more #wasp #cocoons, & a crane fly #Über allowing 2 #pseudoscorpions to hitch a ride (called #phoresy)
A luminous green caterpillar with a spiky tail horn is covered with the cocoons of parasitic wasps that have fed internally before emerging and spilling a cocoon attached to their host's back. Openings near the tops of the cocoons reveal that the adult wasps have emerged. A luminous green caterpillar with a spiky tail horn is covered with the cocoons of parasitic wasps that have fed internally before emerging and spilling a cocoon attached to their host's back. Openings near the tops of some cocoons reveal that the adult wasps have emerged. The caterpillar is hanging from the leaf of a paw paw tree. A brown inchworm caterpillar grips a leaf with its rear legs while a silken thread supports the head as it hangs upside-down. Half-a-dozen parasitic wasp cocoons dangle from the back of the caterpillar. A crane fly with banded brown/tan banded legs and a yellow abdomen dangles from the leaf of a forest plant. Pseudoscorpions are attached near a joint on one meso- and one metathorasic leg. They use the fly to harmlessly carry them over the landscape (this phenomenon is called Phoresy).
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Reposted by Joseph Spencer
talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · Aug 20
Singularly fantastic & uncommon #arachnid. #Orsima ichneumon, the kaleidoscope #ant #mimic #spider #Salticidae, is found in SE Asia. This female was shadowing an ant while patrolling a leaf @ Trus Madi Jungle Girl Entomology Camp. #Sabah #Borneo. It has fewer than 50 records at #iNaturalist
Stout-bodied multicolored jumping spider with an abdominal constriction and elongate spinnerets that resemble the head and thorax of an ant or wasp. It rests on a green leaf surface marked with some silk this individual was spreading the surface. Stout-bodied multicolored jumping spider staring up and to the left of the viewer exposing ruby-red chelicerae. This species has an abdominal constriction and elongate spinnerets that resemble the head and thorax of an ant or wasp. It rests near the edge of a green leaf surface. Stout-bodied multicolored jumping spider with an abdominal constriction and elongate spinnerets that resemble the head and thorax of an ant or wasp. It rests on a green leaf surface next to a bright red leaf vein.
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talkingrootworm.bsky.social
Joseph Spencer @talkingrootworm.bsky.social · Aug 20
I have lots of spiders in my house, but only see the house centipedes out of doors! As a child, we had them in our basement and had few spiders in the house. I think they are earning their keep.