Tag Archives: Kent Bog

Frakin’ tomatoes

I think this is an alien Solanaceae that I found in Kent bog.  Another Solananaceae I discovered was in Palo Verde and was covered in spines.  It inhabited nearly the entire wetland area while the wetland was dry and, when the first rains came, the plants quickly grew, flowered and set fruit.  As the wetland became inundated, the plants died and their fruits and spines were dispersed.  These spines eventually forced me to abandon my tennis shoes while wading in favor of hot, rubber waders.

Solanaceae - Solanum dulcamara - Bittersweet Nightshade - 09.04.2009 - 15.09.40 Solanaceae - Solanum dulcamara - Bittersweet Nightshade - 09.04.2009 - 15.10.20
   

Hemipteran under attack?

This juvenile bug has a queer appearance.  First of all, it is covered in tiny, blue-ish tufts.  Secondly, there are two white ‘eggs’ along its midline.  I’m not sure whether either of these structures are actually part of the bug, or if they are from an outside source – fungus/parasitoid.

There are no tufts on the eyes, and they appear rather uniform in distribution about the rest of the body, so they might be part of the bug.  The ‘eggs’, on the other hand, look a bit more dangerous for this guy…  It’s be cool to see a couple of wasp larva hatch out and burrow in.

Unknown Hempiteran - 09.04.2009 - 15.43.16
Unknown Hempiteran - 09.04.2009 - 15.42.55 Unknown Hempiteran - 09.04.2009 - 15.42.55-2