Wednesday, May 17, 2017

What, No Photos?

This post has not photos, because I don't have any to illustrate this topic, which is "Odd Insect Names."

My current Seattle Audubon volunteer project is proofreading a book on Pacific Northwest insects -- not exactly my favorite thing to read.  However, there are moments when it gets fun.  I've discovered that many insects have bizarre common names, which I'm going to share with you -- aren't you lucky?

Here are the most peculiar common names I've run across so far:

Cooley Spruce Gall Adelgid
Bird Cherry-Oat Aphid
Blue-Green Sharpshooter
Piglet Bugs
Big-eyed Toad Bug
Four-humped Stink Bug
Twice-stabbed Stink Bug
Devil's Coach Horse (a type of beetle)
Monkey Beetle
Little Bear Beetle
Handsome Fungus Beetles
Tumbling Flower Beetles
Confused Flour Beetle (is the flour confused, or the beetle?)
Punctured Blister Beetle
Ponderous Borer
Blackberry Skeletonizer Moth (where were they when I tried to eradicate my blackberry?)
False Owlet Moth
Squash Bug  (I take that as an instruction, not a name...)

As I'm only about one-fourth of the way through this tome, there may be more to come!

3 comments:

  1. Well, inquiring minds must know who stabbed the stink bug and why did they stab it twice? Also, what denotes a "handsome" fungus? By the way, I'm all about squashing bugs too.

    Very entertaining. Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Maybe it's the beetles that are handsome rather than the fungus. The Tumbling Flower Beetle is definitely a tumbling beetle, for instance, and not a tumbling flower. Fun stuff!

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  2. Beetles can't possibly be handsome LOL. Enjoy your new task!

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