Minnesotaseasons.com (2024)

11/05/2024

Brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) is an exotic, invasive, true bug. It is native to China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. It was accidentally imported into the United States, probably in shipping crates or on machinery. It was first collected in Allentown, Pennsylvania in September 1998, but by then there had already been several sightings. Since its introduction in the U.S., the brown marmorated stink bug has spread rapidly. It now occurs in the east from Maine to Minnesota, south to Florida and eastern Texas, and in the west from northern Washington to southern California. Between these areas there are many scattered sightings and a few expanding populations around the larger metropolitan areas.

Brown marmorated stink bug is a voracious eater. It damages fruits and vegetables, causing pitting or scarring on the outer surfaces. It also damages ornamental crops, causing small, ⅛″ (4 mm) in diameter stippled areas around feeding sites. It is considered an agricultural pest. It feeds on and causes damage to a wide variety of crops, including apples, apricots, Asian pears, cherries, corn (field and sweet), grapes, lima beans, nectarines and peaches, peppers, tomatoes and soybeans. The wounds it creates can be an entryway for diseases to attack the plant.

Brown marmorated stink bug is also a nuisance to humans. In early fall, it begins looking for a place to spend the winter. It frequently finds its way into people’s houses. Often, an individual is found near a window or door, which is its original entry point. Large congregations may be found hiding under furniture like bookcases, beds, or sofas, or under or behind baseboards.

Adults are variable in size, ½″ to ⅝″ (12 to 17 mm) in length. The body appears broad-shouldered and somewhat shield shaped. The color is also variable, usually brownish gray but sometimes brownish yellow, grayish brownish-yellow, orangish brown, or chestnut brown. The entire body is densely covered with tiny dark pits.

Photo by Alfredo Colon

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Insects/brown_marmorated_stink_bug.html

07/01/2024

Emerald ash borer quarantined in Minnesota

On November 1, 2023, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture declared a quarantine to prevent the further spread of emerald ash borer. It prohibits the importation of firewood and other regulated articles into the state, and the movement of those articles from quarantined areas to uninfected areas.

Emerald ash borer, also known by the acronym EAB, is an exotic, invasive, small to medium-sized, metallic wood-boring beetle. It is native to northeastern Asia, including China, Mongolia, North and South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and far eastern Russia.

Emerald ash borer was first detected in North America in 2002 in Detroit Michigan. It was probably imported in the wood of a shipping crate in the late 1990s. It has spread rapidly since its introduction. It now occurs from Maine to northern Georgia, west to Minnesota and northeastern Texas. It was discovered for the first time in Minnesota on May 14, 2009, in South Saint Anthony Park in St. Paul. It is now common in southeastern Minnesota, and it is continuing to spread in the state.

Emerald ash borer larvae feed exclusively on black ash, green ash, and white ash. They feed on the inner bark (cambium), creating serpentine tunnels (galleries) that interrupt the flow of food. They eventually girdle and kill the branch or tree. They have killed tens of millions of trees in the eastern United States, including over five million trees in a 3,000 square mile area of Michigan.

Adults are active in Minnesota from May 1 through September 30. They are found in deciduous forests and woodlands, in parks, and in urban and residential areas, anywhere ash trees are found.

On October 8, 2003, the USDA Forest Service imposed a quarantine on emerald ash borer. It prohibited the interstate movement of all firewood and other regulated items out of infected areas. The USDA removed the quarantine effective January 14, 2021. An emerald ash borer female can fly up to 100 miles in her lifetime. The quarantine had not been effective in preventing the spread of the beetle into adjacent areas.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources estimates that there are nearly a billion ash trees in the state. Infected forests dominated by black ash will become grasslands, brushlands, or marshes. City budgets will be strained by the costs of removing dead trees from their streets.

The Minnesota quarantine will remain in effect until cancelled.

Photo by Babette Kis

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Insects/emerald_ash_borer.html

19/05/2023

Ailanthus webworm moth (Atteva aurea) is a small, native, ermine moth with a colorful appearance and an unusual history. It was formerly native to the tropical Americas, including southern Florida, Central America, and the Caribbean, where its larval hosts were paradise tree (Simarouba glauca) and Simarouba amara. In 1784, the Chinese tree of heaven was introduced into Philadelphia. The tree was fast growing and spread quickly. When it reached Florida in the 1850s, ailanthus webworm moth found it to be an acceptable host. The moths then began moving north to wherever their new host was found.

Ailanthus webworm now occurs throughout the United States east of the Great Plains, and in southern Quebec and Ontario Canada. It is common in the eastern United States, uncommon but increasing in Minnesota. Tree of heaven, which is often planted as an ornamental in urban areas, remains the primary larval host, but larvae have also been found on avocado, Emory’s crucifixion-thorn, and sumac. Adults are found visiting flowers from May to October in Minnesota. They can’t survive northern winters, but they recolonize the northern range of tree of heaven every year. Although its range has recently expanded greatly, ailanthus webworm moth is not considered invasive by any state or province.

Adults are 7⁄16″ to ⅝″ in length and have a 11⁄16″ to 13⁄16″ wingspan. The forewings are reddish-orange with four broad black bands filled with white or pale yellow spots of varying size. The bright pattern is thought to be a warning to predators of their unpalatability. The black areas have bluish-purple reflections. The hindwings are mostly translucent with black on the margins and black veins.

Photo by Babette Kis

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Insects/ailanthus_webworm_moth.html

16/01/2023

Powdered Sunshine Lichen (Vulpicida pinastri) is an easily recognized, widespread, and very common lichen. It occurs in northern forested areas around the globe, including Europe, Asia, and North America. It grows on the bark of conifers and birch. It is usually found no more than chest high, probably protected under snow from desiccation by winter winds.

The vegetative body is leaf-like and divided into lobes. When growing on flat surfaces, the lobes are short, and it forms a flat rosette. When growing on thin branches, the lobes are longer and more erect. The upper side is greenish-yellow or yellowish-green in sunny locations, grayish-green in shaded locations. The margins are densely covered with bright yellow reproductive granules, giving them a powdered look. This is the feature that gives the lichen its common name.

Photo by Alfredo Colon

15/12/2022

In the early 1990s a huge underground mycelium of Bulbous Honey Fungus (Armillaria gallica) was found covering 37 acres in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Molecular genetics showed the underground part of the fungus (mycelium) to be about 1,500 years old. It came to be known as the “Humongous Fungus”, became a popular tourist attraction, and spawned a annual fungus festival. At the time of its discovery it was thought to be the largest organism on earth, a title formerly held by Pando, the quaking aspen grove in Utah. Since that time, three other organisms have held that title. The current (2022) holder is the marine plant Posidonia australis in Shark Bay, Australia.

Bulbous Honey Fungus is a common, late season, gilled mushroom occurring in Europe, Asia, and North America. It appears in late summer and fall growing on the ground attached to underground roots, on stumps and logs, and on the base of living trees.

The mature cap is broadly convex to almost flat, pinkish-brown or brownish-yellow, and covered with slender fibers. The stalk is thick and expanded at the bottom, appearing club-shaped. The flesh is edible when cooked and has a mild to bitter taste.

Photo by Honey Fae (Farah)

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Fungi/Bulbous_Honey_Fungus.html

19/11/2022

Dusky slug (Arion subfuscus/fuscus) is common, exotic, terrestrial slug. It is native to northern Europe and was introduced into North America in the vicinity of Boston in 1842. By 1940 it was widespread across North America. It is found in moist or wet areas in deciduous and coniferous woodlands, in meadows on rocks, and in old fields and waste places. It is often encountered in areas of human activity, including in roadsides, gardens, campgrounds, wood piles, and window wells. In natural areas it is sometimes more abundant than native snail and slug species. It can a pest of agricultural crops, forest replantings, and gardens.

Two species of dusky slug are often treated as a single species complex, a group of species so similar that the boundaries are unclear. Aside from their geographic distribution, the two species can only be distinguished by the size and color of the genitalia of dissected individuals, or by analysis of their alloenzymes. Both species have been introduced into North America.

Adults are long and slender when extended, short and bell-shaped when contracted. The body is covered with rows of pale bumps, giving it a finely granular appearance. It is variable in color, but populations generally fit into one of four color groups: blackish-brown, yellowish-brown, orange, and reddish-brown. The orange or yellowish-orange color is mostly – or completely – due to a covering of mucus. When handled, the mucus will stain the handler’s fingers. There is usually a brown stripe on each side.

Photo by Greg Watson

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Snails/dusky_slug.html

14/11/2022

Great pond snail (Lymnaea stagnalis) is a very large, air-breathing, freshwater snail. It is commonly sold as an aquarium pet. The body contains both male and female reproductive organs (hermaphroditic). During copulation either the male role or the female role can be performed, though not both. This makes it the ideal subject for recent scientific research into handedness (chirality).

Great pond snail occurs in Europe, Asia, North America, and southern Australia. It occurs throughout the United States and Canada, but it is uncommon south of the 40th parallel. It is common in Minnesota. It is found in permanent, slow or still waters, usually with dense vegetation, including creeks, streams, rivers, marshes, swamps, and reservoirs, and at the edges of lakes and large ponds.

The shell is thin and has 4½ to 6 whorls. The last whorl is the body whorl and is greatly inflated. The remaining whorls are elevated forming a sharply pointed spire. When seen with the tip at the top and the opening facing up, the opening is on the right side. There is no door-like structure covering the opening of the shell. The shell is variable in color, tan to dark brown, and it has no obvious markings. A cavity within the shell has an air bubble that is refreshed every time the snail rises to the water surface to breathe.

Photo by Luciearl

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Snails/great_pond_snail.html

14/10/2022

Horned spanworm moth (Nematocampa resistaria) is a small geometer moth. It occurs across the United States and southern Canada. In the U.S. it is common east of the Great Plains and in the northwest but is rare or absent elsewhere. Adults are found from early June to late September in deciduous and mixed forests and woodlands, in meadows, and in parks.

Female forewings are whitish or cream-colored with reddish-brown lines and veins, numerous short horizontal lines, and a purplish-brown patch on the inner half of the wingtip. The hindwing is similar, but the entire tip of the wing is dark. The male is similar but smaller, is usually yellowish, and there is a dark brown blotch at the tip of the wing.

The adult sometimes rests on the upper side of a leaf, where it resembles a dead leaf; on the underside of a leaf, where it resembles a dead patch; or on leaf litter on the ground, where it blends in with the background.

The caterpillar is up to ¾″ long and is instantly recognizable. The ground color varies from yellow to brown and is heavily mottled with brown. On each of the first and second abdominal segments there is a pair of curled, extendable, white-tipped tentacles (filaments).

The caterpillar often rests on an upper leaf surface with the body looped. It has been suggested that this mimics a fallen flower and its stamens. When alarmed, it inflates the filaments to twice their length.

Photo (adult) by Babette Kis
Photo (caterpillar) by Alfredo Colon

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Insects/horned_spanworm_moth.html

30/08/2022

Ruby Bolete (Hortiboletus rubellus) is a small, red capped, blue staining mushroom. It occurs in Europe, the United States, southern Canada, and Mexico. It reaches the western extent of one part of its range in eastern Minnesota. It is found in summer and fall in woodlands, parks, and gardens. It grows on the ground near oaks and other hardwood trees.

The cap is small, no more than 2⅜″ in diameter, and is bright but dark pinkish-red. This is the feature that gives the mushroom its common name. It often has a thin yellow or whitish band around the margin. The pore surface on the underside of the cap is yellow. It quickly stains dark blue when bruised. The stalk is up to 2¾″ long, is mostly red, and has many tiny red dots. When cut lengthwise, the flesh of the stem reveals numerous, tiny, bright red or carrot orange dots near the base.

Ruby Bolete is edible but it has a soapy taste, and like other boletes, it is often infested with maggots.

Photo by Holly Stanger

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Fungi/Ruby_Bolete.html

22/08/2022

Blue stain fungi
There are between 100 and 250 species of sap staining fungi, and they are divided into three groups. One of these groups is known as blue stain fungi. It is an informal grouping of various species of sac fungi (Ascomycota) that cause blue discoloration in the heartwood of trees without destroying the wood. The fungi are from the genera Ceratocystis, Ophiostoma, Ceratocystiopsis, and Grosmannia. They do not form a single taxonomic group because they do not descend from a common ancestor. Not all species in those genera cause blue staining.

Blue stain fungi spores are carried to a living tree on the body of a wood boring beetle. Their thread-like cells (hyphae) produce dark melanin on their walls to protect them from light, drought, and the tree’s own defenses. Blue discoloration spreads from the wound on the outside through the heartwood in a wedge-shaped pattern following the spread of the fungus. Boxelder trees produce a brilliant red stain in the wood as a response to the fungus.

Blue stain fungi damages the living tree by clogging the vascular system, leading to decline and premature death of the tree. The damage caused to the wood is merely aesthetic. The discoloration makes the wood undesirable and less profitable but does not weaken the wood.

Photo by Honey Fae (Farah)

03/08/2022

Orbweavers (Family Araneidae)

Araneidae is a large family of typical spiders known as orbweavers. It is the third largest family of spiders. There are 3,067 currently recognized orbweaver species in 177 genera worldwide, 180 species in North America north of Mexico, and at least 44 species in 16 genera in Minnesota.

Orbweavers are found in woodlands, fields, and caves; on grasses, shrubs, and trees; and on buildings and fences. They are best known for the circular webs, called orbs, that they build. The webs consist of a framework of non-sticky threads (spokes) extending from the edge to the middle, and concentric circles of sticky threads winding to the center.

Orbweavers are very diverse in size, shape, and color. They have eight small eyes in two rows. The lateral eyes are usually well separated from the median eyes. The median ocular area (MOA), the area defined by the middle four eyes, is in the shape of a trapezoid. The front part of the body (carapace) is smaller than the rear part (abdomen). The abdomen is large, rounded, and marked with lines, spots, or zig-zag patterns. The legs are short and spiny. The first and second pairs of legs project forward, the third and fourth pairs project backward. There are three claws at the end of each leg, though these are not visible without magnification. Females are much larger than males.

Photo by Margot Avey

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Arachnids/orbweavers_Araneidae.html

26/07/2022

Meal moth (Pyralis farinalis) is a small, broad-winged, triangular moth. It is cosmopolitan, occurring around the world, but is most common in Europe and the United States. It is found anywhere grain is processed or stored, including warehouses, barns, and most home pantries. It is not the only moth common to home pantries, nor is it the most common. That distinction belongs to Indian meal moth. Other common pantry moths are Mediterranean flour moth, brown house moth, and white shouldered house moth.

Meal moth larva feed on cereals (plants in the grass family), grains (edible seeds of cereals), and vegetables, including potatoes. Adults do not feed and are short-lived. They mate as soon as possible after emerging, then die after nine or ten days. They rest with their wings spread wide, their abdomen raised at a right angle to the body, and their antennae folded back over the body.

Photo by Mike Poeppe

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Insects/meal_moth.html

23/07/2022

Grimmia dry rock moss (Grimmia laevigata) is a common and widespread tuft-forming moss. It occurs on all continents except Antarctica. It is mostly restricted to the moderate climate areas of the northern and southern hemispheres. It is less common in Minnesota where it reaches the northern extent of its range. In this state it is found in open areas on rock outcrops. It grows under full sun on exposed acidic rock or on thin soil over rock.

Grimmia dry rock moss is extraordinarily drought resistant. Dried herbarium specimens that have been rehydrated after ten years have resumed photosynthetic and metabolic activity. It has adapted to a broad range of environments, yet it shows very little variability throughout its range. Bryologists suggest that a single species cannot be so adaptive, and that Grimmia laevigata must consist of a group of apparently indistinguishable but genetically distinct species.

Grimmia dry rock moss appears as a dense, hoary, dark green to dark brown tuft. The leaves have a long, thin, translucent, hair-like awn at the tip that constitutes almost half the total length of the blade. Spore-producing reproductive structures are rarely produced, and apparently are not produced anywhere in our area.

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Plants/grimmia_dry_rock_moss.html

06/07/2022

Brickwork woodlouse (Porcellio spinicornis) is a large, exotic woodlouse. It is native to Europe, where it is widespread and common. It was introduced into North America, where it now occurs across southern Canada and in the United States from Maine to New Jersey, west to North Dakota and South Dakota. It is not uncommon in Minnesota.

Brickwork woodlouse favors dry areas with limey (calcareous) surfaces. It is found in limestone quarries, on limestone pavement, in loosely mortared walls, and often in human houses. It is active at night, when it can be found on the surface. During the day it remains concealed, often under a rock or log.

Brickwork woodlouse is yellowish with dark brown to almost black mottling, and a dark brown to almost black stripe in the middle bordered on each side by bright yellow markings. One imaginative describer likened the pattern to brickwork, and this is the source of this species’ common name.

Photo by Greg Watson
http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Crustaceans/brickwork_woodlouse.html

23/06/2022

Apple Blossom Overlook Park is a Winona County park located three miles north of downtown La Crescent, MN on Apple Blossom Drive Scenic Byway. Its 55 acres includes a ridge top overlooking the Upper Mississippi River Valley 580 feet below. A 1.3 mile loop trail has a spur that leads to a spectacular overlook on a narrow promontory. The trail is wide, grassy, and well maintained. It passes through new and old growth hardwood forest, two newly established prairies, and a few small areas of remnant prairie, and by rock outcroppings, steep cliffs, and an historic stone quarry. The park also includes a small depression that is sometimes a small pond but at other times just a wetland.

Photo by Greg Watson

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Destinations/Apple_Blossom_Overlook_Park.html

06/06/2022

Say “Goodbye” to an old friend and “Hello” to a new group

Until very recently, yellow to yellowish-orange chanterelles in North American hardwood forests were all treated as a single, easily identified species, Golden Chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius). Recent DNA analysis shows that the North American chanterelles are a group of closely related species now known as the Cantharellus cibarius group. The type species of the group, Cantharellus cibarius, is restricted to Europe and does not occur in North America. To date (2022), several new species have been defined, four of them occurring only west of the Rocky Mountains. More species east of the Rockies will almost certainly be described in the coming years.

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Fungi/Golden_Chanterelle.html

05/06/2022

Hypogastrura is a genus of springtails. They are sometimes called snow fleas, but this common name is properly applied to just one species, Hypogastrura nivicola. There are at least 159 Hypogastrura species worldwide, at least 89 species in North America, and at least 1 species in Minnesota. They are found in moist areas rich in organic matter. They often appear in in very large numbers.

Hypogastrura springtail has a plump, elongated oval body. It is bluish-black but appears black when viewed against a light background. The legs and antennae are short. Identifying a springtail to the genus Hypogastrura is relatively simple, but identifying one to the species is extremely difficult. It requires microscopic examination of the hairs on the last leg segment.

Photo by Luciearl

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Springtails/springtails_Hypogastrura.html

25/05/2022

White-winged Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera) is a colorful, medium-sized finch. It occurs in the temperate and subpolar regions of the Northern Hemisphere. In Minnesota it is common to uncommon in the northeastern coniferous and mixed forests, occasional to rare in the remainder of the state. Migration is irruptive, with large numbers visiting the state one year and none the following year.

White-winged Crossbill is found mostly in coniferous forests with spruce, tamarack, and eastern hemlock, sometimes in deciduous forests, and sometimes in towns. Adults feed mostly on spruce and tamarack seeds, but also on the seeds of other coniferous trees and deciduous trees, and occasionally on insects.

White-winged Crossbill breeding male is pinkish-red with black wings and tail. There are two bold white wing bars on each wing. This is the feature that gives the species its common name. The tips of the bill are crossed over, an adaptation that helps when extracting seeds from a spruce seed cone. Females are greenish-yellow streaked with brown.

Photo by Dan W. Andree

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Birds/White-winged_Crossbill.html

30/04/2022

Vetsch Park is the second largest park in La Crescent Minnesota. At one time the location was an apple orchard. The owner donated the 25 acres to the City of La Crescent, and the park is named after him.

There is a parking area at the end of N. 2nd St. A short mowed trail leads west from the parking area, past a dog walking area, to a 0.52-mile loop trail. The loop trail passes through a red oak - white oak - silver maple forest as it climbs a steep bluff, follows a ridge line, and returns to the parking area. There are also several other intersecting trails within and south of the park. One of these trails leads to Stoney Point, a bald area with a spectacular view of La Crescent and the Mississippi River. The narrow ridge and steep bluff is characteristic of the topography of the driftless area in southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

Photo by Greg Watson

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Destinations/Vetsch_Park.html

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