You never know what you're going to find inside a gob of spit in a meadow. If you're lucky, it might be a young spittlebug. As Bowdoin professor and Maine Audubon trustee Nat Wheelwright explains, the "spit," which is left over from feeding on plant sap, protects these harmless insects from …
Insects
Celebrating Moths with Maine Audubon
Moths are an underappreciated, relatively little-known group of insects. They aren't just little brown bugs that come to your porch light! Varying from leaf miners (at barely 0.1 inches long) to the Atlas Moth of Asia (with a wingspan of over 12 inches -- around the same size as the world's largest …
Nature Moments: House Invaders
If you live in an old house, explains Bowdoin professor and Maine Audubon trustee Nat Wheelwright, you probably are acquainted with these three home invaders: Long-bodied Cellar Spiders, Western Conifer Seed Bugs, and Multicolored Asian Lady Beetles. Although they're not native to the northeast, …
Nature Moments: Life Under the Ice
Check out Nat Wheelwright's latest "Nature Moments" video! Have you ever wondered what could be living underneath the ice of a frozen pond? With no light or air, and temperatures just above freezing, you'd think life would be impossible, but... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K50XY0nZNr0 Nature …
Fireflies in Winter?
Most people associate fireflies with soft summer evenings, but late in February and into March it is possible to see Winter dark fireflies (Ellychnia corrusca) glowing in the woods. The larvae and pupae have the ability to bioluminesce, but lose the necessary organs as they become adults during …
Nature Moments: Leaping Snow Fleas
The latest Nature Moment video from Nat Wheelwright takes a close look at a creature that can be easy to miss in winter -- the Snow Flea. What animal can jump 100 times the length of his body – without using any of his six legs? Take a walk in the snow on a sunny February day and look closely in …
“Bug Mania” with King Middle School at Gilsland Farm
On Friday, January 12, King Middle School students converged at Maine Audubon's Gilsland Farm to present the results of their recent insect-focused learning expedition, "Bug Mania." At the start of their presentation, the students delivered remarks describing the work they've been doing to learn …