House Safari

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Millipede in our basement
Looking for wildlife?  Look no farther than your house.  Details are in this National Geographic article sent to me by a friendly Springfield police officer and Master Naturalist.  You may want to take a flashlight, a magnifier and even a camera to "shoot" with. 

Basements and garages are good hunting grounds.  This harmless long-bodied Cellar Spider is one of my favorites.  They live in the dark corners of out bathroom closet.  When touched they swing wildly on thin silk threads to avoid predators including you!  See ours in action in this Youtube video as Barb touches it.   The spider's body is less than 1/2 inch so you will have to look carefully to find them.  They catch other insects and small spiders so we tolerate each other.  More details in this blog.



Asian Lady Beetle larva on my finger

Asian Lady Beetle

We have seen both of these this last week.  These are the Asian Lady Beetles that sometimes get in your house.  The larva looks like a small dinosaur.  The beetle will sometimes give you a tiny nip, not painful but if you swat them you will get a little stink on your hand.  Kill them freely, they are an invasive species pest.


Don't forget to search your yard, under pots and in shrubs.  Then go back in a few days.  Good hunting!

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