Happy In(sect) dependence Day!

Nothing says 'American work ethic' like Apis mellifera.  It's from Europe.

Break out the fireworks, flags, and apple pie.  It's July 4th!  Many of us will celebrate our independence from tyranny at picnics; a great opportunity to appreciate some of our 6-legged compatriots!  Would we have ever thought up polka-dots without the iconic 7-spot ladybeetles?  What could be more American than a honeybee?

The answer is: just about anything could.  Both of these species are natives to Europe (incidentally, so are polka-dots).  They are as American as mushy peas and red phone booths.  So if we are so keen on giving king George III the heave-ho, why did we then go and pick European insects to represent our states?

States that designate the "European Honeybee" as their state insect:

Arkansas
North Carolina
New Jersey
Georgia
Maine
Nebraska
Kansas
Louisiana
Vermont
Wisconsin
South Dakota
Mississippi
Utah
Missouri
Tennessee
Oklahoma
West Virginia

Cocinella septempunctata

States that designate the European 'Seven-spot ladybeetle' as their state insect:

Delaware
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
Ohio
Tennessee

With 91,000 named insect species in the United States, I think we could probably find one cool enough without having to borrow from another continent.  Maybe we just miss being colonies.  What do you think?

Thanks to this discussion over at the Entomological Society of Canada blog for reminding me about this entomological pet peeve of mine.

First Dog-day Cicadas of 2012

After several years as a subterranean juvenile, a Tibicen species Cicada molts to its adult stage

Kiri has been finding a lot of cool stuff lately!  Two nights ago she found this Dog-day cicada molting - I had never caught one in the act before.  After several years feeding on the roots of the sycamore tree behind our house, the cicada climbed up from the soil, and shed its nymphal skin.

Fluid is pumped into the insects wings, which then harden for flight

It takes some time for the insect's exoskeleton to harden.  We call these soft-shell crab style insects 'teneral.'  While teneral this cicada was a vibrant green!  The cicada's call is one of those summer sounds that makes me smile - but this one will not be singing, rather it will be the object of the song as she's a female!

Ninja Cicada?

The striped structure in the center of her face is called the clypeus.  It houses strong muscles that help suck plant juices from trees.  I first saw this 'mask' as a kid and ever since cicadas have reminded me of a certain character from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: