Obviously avoid any dangerous insects—bees, wasps, An Educator’s Guide or anything that is aggressive. The following are gentle to Santa Barbara Bugs and fun to find and observe. There are lions and tigers and bears—Oh My!—all in collaboration with Sandra Russell in the backyard. In our backyards or The lions are antlions, so named because they lie in in nearby untended wait and gobble up ants for dinner. lots, there is a The scientific name, Myrmeleon, whole world of gives us a big hint. If there is a small critters, patch of sandy soil at the side of Eddie Dunbar commonly referred a path or under a tree, look for to as “bugs.” These funnel-shaped depressions—this is Antlion trap various classes of a trap! ARTHROPODS, all with jointed legs At the bottom waits the larva of the antlion, with his and exoskeletons, may be crustaceans, arachnids, or pincher shaped jaws ready to grab insects. an ant that falls in. Even if the ant tries to scramble up the slope, the Just because they are small and seldom seen doesn’t wily lion tosses sand up to knock Caterino Mike mean that they are not important to many bigger life it back down again. cycles and systems in healthy environments. For little Antlion guys, they do big jobs in keeping the natural world Another common name is “doodlebug,” and there is running smoothly. a “magic charm” to get the doodlebug to come to the surface. Whisper,“Doodlebug, Doodlebug, come out We can learn a lot by looking for them and keeping of your hole,” very close to the funnel, and our breath them briefly for observation. How do they move? What will knock off a little sand, causing the lion to pop to do they eat? How do they grow and change? What jobs the surface to seize what he thought was falling prey. do they do to help our environment stay healthy? Have a lidded container handy. Take a big hand scoop We need simple equipment: of the sand under the funnel and deposit it in the container. Look for a rounded grey insect about a 6 to • an old spoon for digging in soil or leaf litter 9 mm long scuttling backwards to bury itself again in • plastic bags (the kind newspapers come in can be the sand. rolled up tightly and carried in a pocket) • small jars (plastic, with good caps, like old Scoop up some ants to feed the antlion and keep it for medicine vials) observation for a couple of • larger jars, plastic tanks, food storage containers, days. Once it settles in and or plastic shoe boxes to become temporary builds another funnel, drop homes for bug guests, with air holes made in the ants into the trap to watch Eddie Dunbar sides or top. The clear plastic 40 oz. nut jars from the action. After that, let the Costco make good containers. antlion go complete the rest Antlion on a finger • paper towels of its life. • a simple insect guide book, like the Golden Guide series, will be helpful. The antlion becomes a completely different looking creature as an adult, with a slender body and wings. The adults fly around at night and will come to lights 2 in search of nocturnal ants The Painted Tiger Moth and smaller bugs to eat. They (Arachnis picta) is grey and have short, clubbed antennae cream in swirly patterns, with Mike Caterino Mike and long-veined wings. This bright coral body and hind Caterino Mike is a great example of insect wings. babies and adults sharing the Antlion adult Painted Tiger Moth environment with different lifestyles. The Edward’s Glassy Wing The bears grow up to be tigers—No kidding! Tiger Moth (Pseudohemihyalea edwardsii) is larger than the At dawn and dusk, walk around areas that have oak Painted Tiger Moth (6 cm Caterino Mike trees, nasturtiums, or other weedy shrubs, to find the wings), with plain beige or wooly bear caterpillars out on the march. They go out lightly patterned see-through Edward’s Glassy Wing at night to party, eating their wings and a bright orangey- Tiger Moth foodplants, and then scurrying pink abdomen. back to protective leaf litter by Kit Avila dawn to sleep all day. Being black The Mexican Tiger Moth and furry helps them hide and (Notarctia proxima) is the most keep warm when they are out at common, with beige wings Wooly Bear night. patterned with black triangles. Caterino Mike The hind wings of the males During the day, find wooly bears are beige, but the females’ hind Mexican Tiger Moth sleeping under leaves or plant litter. Steinau Rick wings have a red and black They can be kept in a small tank or pattern. plastic container with plenty of leaves to eat. When they have eaten all they can and are ready to become Both the Hewlett’s and the an adult, they “hibernate” for a bit Ornate Tiger Moth (Grammia under the leaves, then make a very loose, sloppy cocoon ornate) resemble the Mexican around their brown pupa, resting until it is time to but are fancier, and the hind Caterino Mike emerge as a tiger moth. wings have a peach to pink color. Ornate Tiger Moth Tiger Moths Tiger moths are common in The Vestal Tiger Moth (Spilosoma this area, with one or more of vestalis) is pure snowy white, with seven local species a few black flecks. The Caterino Mike predominating in a given front legs are bright red. month. They may be found Vestal Tiger Moth coming to lights at night. Their distinctive patterns and Gary McDonald bright colors make them hard to miss. The Acrea Moth (Estigmene Painted Tiger Moth acrea) is also white, a little larger, more black spots, and Caterino Mike a dramatic gold and black The following mounted lab specimens make abdomen. identification easier. Acrea Moth 3 The Spotted Tiger very common white butterfly we most often see, year Moth is yellowish round. It really did come from Europe, by accident gold with rusty brown Caterino Mike around 1850, and has spread all over the US. It eats mottled markings on the a great variety of garden plants and is even a pest on forewings. vegetable crops. If there is nasturtium, there will be white cabbage butterflies. Spotted Tiger Moth The easiest way to catch them is not with a net, but Tiger moths belong to the Family Arctiidae, which by looking on the underside of nasturtium leaves for have some unusual characteristics. A sound-sensitive small green caterpillars. Bring them home with plenty membrane (thoracic ear) enables them to “hear” the of fresh nasturtium leaves and set them up in a plastic approach of bats in time to employ their own defensive container or tank with air holes on top and paper measures. Since they are protected by tasting really towels on the bottom. Feed them leaves daily and they bad, they inform the bat with a warning sound of their will grow bigger until they are ready to pupate. own which the bat heeds (if the bat has spat out one beforfe). They will make a slender pointy chrysalis on the lid of the container or a stem of the foodplant. Check The moth may “faint” and drop like a stone to hide in the chrysalis daily: in about a week, the white butterfly the undergrowth. In this posture, usually the brightly will emerge. Release the butterfuly and it will find a colored abdomen will also flash the warning color. The mate, lay eggs and providemore caterpillars to adopt. visual cue of bright red, pink, or orange with black They breed continuously, which is called “multivoltine” flashed at the attacker is Nature’s way of saying, “Don’t (many generations each year). Only cold weather slows eat me!” them down. The Painted Tiger Moth usually flies at night in very Monarch Butterflies (Danaus plexippus) late September and throughout October. Some recent years have produced a few as early as August. Global Monarchs will come to an warming? This species and others with a specific area if there are milkweed yearly appearance might be good indicators of such a plants. We don’t have to response, or not. chase this butterfly with a Eddie Dunbar net either—it is easier and According to Sandy Russell, the emergence of more fun to bring in the the moths may rely on several factors other than caterpillars from the plants Monarch Butterflies temperature. She once found them flying in May, and and watch them grow, see concluded that the suburban street lights had thrown how MUCH they eat, and then see them go through off their perception of the daylight cycle. She raised the metamorphosis to become the beautiful butterfly. a brood under lights indoors which caused another spring emergence. The species has at least the potential A tank or mesh cage is needed with lots of milkweed to have two generations a year. to feed them. The native Narrow-leaved Milkweed has skinny leaves—not much food. The nursery variety European Cabbage with broader leaves is best to plant. We can find the Butterfly(Pieris rapae) tiny caterpillars, just a day old, munching the blossoms Eddie Dunbar and tender tops of the plants. As they get larger, they Despite its name, will be on the underside of leaves further down the this butterfly and its stalk. caterpillars live in backyards and don’t need We are doing the caterpillar a favor by bringing it cabbages. This is the Cabbage Butterfly inside and feeding it well, because we are not the only 4 one out looking for little caterpillars.