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| Often times in our gardens, we are confronted with creatures we have never seen before. Many times these creatures are some kind of insect, but we're not always exactly what species it is. If you're ever curious about an insect in your garden, you can use this site. I've been on MANY insect sites in my years of gardening, but this site is by far my favorite. This site has more information than I've ever found elsewhere.
bugguide.net To start, when you first visit the site, select 'guide' at the top. After that, select the class 'insecta' (this is most likely what you're looking for). After this, select your order. Once you've selected the order, then you can start narrowing it down until you've finally identified your species. Finally, if you have an account, you can also post a picture of your insect to be identified. Sometimes, we don't even know where to start with ID'ing something, and in this scenario it's best to leave it to the experts. My hope is that by using sites like these, we may develop a deeper understanding of all the activity that goes on in our yards/gardens. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| I love bugguide, but feel that many newbies get frustrated with the site, especially at the beginning of their 'education'. The problem with is that 99% percent of the good folks that come here for help have no grasp of arthopod recognition. Is it a beetle...a true bug...a caterpillar...a sawfly larvae...a bee...a hornet...centipede or millipede...and on and on. It can be so confusing and intimidating. I often advocate the use of a good field guide as a helpful tool in helping someone sort out the who's who of garden critters. Then, a site like bugguide can become much more useful. One thing is certain...the more we know about who's crawling, creeping, hopping, or flying around our gardens, the better we are able to encourage the good guys and control the bad guys. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Wed, Feb 15, 12 at 8:23
| you mean you guys actually ID them.. before you squish the bee-gee-bees out of them??? i find ID'ing extremely difficult.. when they are flattened like a penny on a railroad rail ... lol ... i have found a quick pic and a posting in the name that plant forum.. easier than trying to learn for myself ... thx for the link ... ken ps: i really dont squish them all ... just the ones i know are evil ... and even those.. in ones or twos.. dont bother me.. its the galloping hordes of the steppes that usually raise concern ... |
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| I've used bugguide a little, mostly for butterflies. They have tons of great pictures. Do they have a "Name that Bug" forum similar to "Name that Plant"? Boy, that would be helpful. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Wed, Feb 15, 12 at 15:17
| its not always that they have a named forum.. its whether it is populated by peeps who take the time to answer.. the biologists in name that plant are ferocious.. and they know plants and bugs ... there is a pest forum ... which is not as active.. etc ... and many other.. link below ... ken |
Here is a link that might be useful: link
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