There are about 2000 described species in the subfamily Microgastrinae.

Eggs? Pupae? Life cycle? And while some information is quite readily available, much (to me) still remains a mystery. This morning I have been scouring my insect books and the Web in search of details about this small ball of fluff.

So, off I sent my photo, and sure enough, the answer soon came back: Braconid Wasp, subfamily Microgastrinae. These folks are terrific: you send them a photo of some mystery insect or insect part, and often within a couple hours you have an answer as to what it is. If you haven't been there yet, you must do so soon. My go-to site for all insect ID is the terrific website BugGuide.Net. No luck.Īnd yet I KNOW I had seen (and identified) it before. When we got back to the visitor center, and while the students took their lunch break, I grabbed my copy of 'Tracks and Signs of Insects' by Eiseman and Charney, and searched for the answer I was sure was in there. Now, I knew it was an egg or pupa case, and I knew I had seen it before, but I could not recall what species it belonged to or any details of its life history. Here is a 'for instance.'Ī couple days ago, while leading a school program, one of our volunteers found this fluffy white mass on the back of a dried leaf that had fallen from one of the trees along our path. Have you ever wondered what sort of things go through the mind of a naturalist? No doubt it varies from person to person, as all such things do, so I can only tell you for sure the things that often have me entranced as I try to puzzle them out.

Savanna moon wisconsin