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 […]

I only know a few but found this to be a great tool that can help us learn: Ant and Bee observer cards from Encyclopedia of Life!     “Observer cards are designed to foster the art and science of observing nature. Sets are cards are organized around Families of plants, animals, and fungi. Each […]

Vol. 18 Issue 2, Summer 2013 By Emily Bzdyk In 2004, when I was graduating from high school, a group of periodical cicadas, Brood X, made its appearance in Loudoun. I remember the strange-sounding chorus made by thousands of cicadas looking for a mate and it captivated me. There are few natural phenomena that equal […]

Vol. 18 Issue 1, Spring 2013 by Meghan Meyers In the span of 12 short months, four generations of butterflies will emerge: great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, and offspring all in one year! The first few generations live just two to six weeks, dying shortly after mating and laying eggs. The fourth generation, the ones born in September and […]

Vol. 17 Issue 3, Fall 2012 by Kerry Bzdyk You probably see them often, especially in late summer and fall. You may have childhood memories of encounters with these little creatures we know as daddy longlegs or harvestmen. But how much do you really know about these conspicuous arachnids? Are they spiders? Surprisingly they are […]