Wil Hershberger, award-winning nature photographer, nature sound recordist and co-author of “The Songs of Insects,” takes us into the wonderful world of singing insects with his gorgeous nature images and sound recordings.  After the presentation, sponsored by Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, we will go outside with Wil and identify all the insects we hear! Registration required. Questions: Contact […]

Entomologist Arthur V. Evans is an author, educator, lecturer, photographer, and radio broadcaster who has had a long fascination with beetles. My Inordinate Fondness for Beetles is a colorful and engaging overview of Art’s early entomological influences, his long-standing fascination with beetles, and the making of his book Beetles of Eastern North America. The program […]

Volume 22 Issue 3, Fall 2017 by Kerry Bzdyk As I sat down at my computer to begin working on this article, I noticed with some delight that the wallpaper photo on my laptop was indeed a jumping spider, and it has been for years. It’s hard to imagine that in spite of a lifelong fear of […]

Vol. 22 Issue 2, Summer 2017 by Kerry Bzdyk I can remember one 4th of July, walking the W&OD bike trail back from a fireworks display in the evening and being just amazed at the natural light show all around and in the trees. The bike trail was very dark but the firefly display was spectacular. It was far […]

  Vol. 22 Issue 1, Spring 2017 by Emily Bzdyk As a child and budding entomologist, I often collected caterpillars to raise to adulthood. One of the most readily discovered and easy to rear was the eastern tent caterpillar, Malacosoma americana. In the spring, you may notice their conspicuous white tents as they appear on trees. The caterpillars construct these […]

Vol. 20 Issue 4, Winter 2015 By Emily Bzdyk As the weather gets colder, there are several species of insects that are notorious for entering our homes. Many insects die in the fall, but some enter a hibernation phase called diapause. They find shelter and wait for more favorable conditions in the spring. Houses are […]

Vol. 20 Issue 3, Fall 2015 By Emily Bzdyk You may have seen them in your garden, perched on a plant or fencepost. Or maybe you saw one flying quickly around your yard, looking like an intimidating little insect helicopter. Perhaps they had another insect grasped tightly in their legs. These intriguing insects are robber […]

Vol. 20 Issue 2, Summer 2015 By Emily Bzdyk Milkweed is an important host plant for many insects. Most of us know about Monarchs and their dependence on milkweed. Two other examples are the milkweed beetle and milkweed bug. The common names of these two insects can cause some confusion, but true “bugs” and beetles […]

Vol. 19 Issue 4, Winter 2014 By Kerry Bzdyk Raising an entomologist provided our family with many interesting encounters with the natural world. One such memory involves a house centipede that had been confined to a jar for closer inspection. While it waited in the glassy jail, my daughter came across a large wolf spider […]

Vol. 19 Issue 2, Summer 2014 By Emily Bzdyk When I was a kid, I loved raising caterpillars. It was part of my general insect obsession, which eventually led to my future as an entomologist. One summer, I found a group of Io Moth caterpillars feeding on a tree by my grandma’s pool. Not bothered […]