Iowa Voice

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My Observation Lists

Every bird watcher and nature observer has his or her "lists." Here are mine, complete with pull down menus.

BIRDS

Categorized by genus/species, placed chronologically by common name

American Coot

American Crow

American Goldfinch

American Kestrel

American Robin

American Tree Sparrow

American White Pelican

Bald Eagle

Baltimore Oriole

Barn Swallow

Belted Kingfisher

Black-Capped Chickadee

Black Vulture*

Blue Jay

Blue-Winged Teal

Bobwhite

Brown-Headed Cowbird

Brown Thrasher

Bufflehead

Canada Goose

Canvasback

Cedar Waxwing

Chipping Sparrow

Common Grackle

Common Goldeneye

Common Redpoll

Cooper's Hawk

Dark-Eyed Junco

Downy Woodpecker

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Goldfinch - See American Goldfinch

Eastern Kingbird

Eastern Meadowlark

Eastern Phoebe

Eastern Towhee

Eurasian Coot*

European Starling

Fox Sparrow

Gray Catbird

Graylag Goose

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Hairy Woodpecker

Harlequin Duck

Hermit Thrush

Herring Gull

Horned Lark

House Finch

House Sparrow

House Wren

Indigo Bunting

Killdeer

Lesser Scaup

Lincoln's Sparrow

Mallard (Domestic)

Mallard (Wild)

Mourning Dove

Northern Cardinal

Northern Flicker

Northern Rough-Winged Swallow

Northern Shoveler

Orange-Crowned Warbler

Palm Warbler

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Red-Breasted Nuthatch

Red-Headed Woodpecker

Red-Tailed Hawk

Red-Winged Blackbird

Ring-Billed Gull

Ring-Necked Duck

Rock Pigeon

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

Scarlet Tanager

Solitary Sandpiper

Song Sparrow

Spotted Sandpiper

Swamp Sparrow

Tufted Titmouse

Turkey Vulture

White-Breasted Nuthatch

White-Crowned Sparrow

White-Throated Sparrow

Wild Turkey

Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

INSECTS, ARACHNIDS, MYRIAPODS & GASTROPODS

Categorized by family, placed chronologically by common name

Ants (Formicidae)

Bee Flies (Bombyliidae)

Blow Flies (Calliphoridae)

Bumble Bees, etc. (Apidae)

Cicadas (Cicadidae)

Crane Flies (Tipulidae)

Fireflies (Lampyridae)

Flower Flies - See Syrphid Flies

Funnel-Web Spiders (Agelenidae)

Honey Bees - See Bumble Bees, etc.

Hornets - See Yellowjackets, etc.

Hover Flies - See Blow Flies

Jumping Spiders (Salticidae)

Katydids (Tettigoniidae)

Ladybird Beetles (Coccinellidae)

Leaf Beetles (Chrysomelidae)

Leafhoppers (Cicadellidae)

Lightning Bugs - See Fireflies

Mantid Flies (Mantispidae)

Mantids (Mantidae)

Minettia Flies (Minettia)

New York Weevils (Ithyceridae)

Orb-Weavers (Araneidae)

Paper Wasp - See Yellowjackets, etc.

Plant Bugs (Miridae)

Scarab Beetles (Scarabaeidae)

Scentless Plant Bugs (Rhopalidae)

Short-horned Grasshoppers (Acrididae)

Signal Flies (Platystomatidae)

Soldier Beetles (Cantharidae)

Spittlebugs (Cercopidae)

Stink Bugs (Pentatomidae)

Swallowtails (Papilionidae)

Sweat Bees (Halictidae)

Syrphid Flies (Syrphidae)

Tiger Moths (Arctiidae)

Yellowjackets, etc. (Vespidae)

MAMMALS

American Beaver

Common Raccoon

Eastern Chipmunk

Eastern Cottontail

Eastern Fox Squirrel

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Groundhog - See Woodchuck

Ground Squirrel - See Eastern Chipmunk

Striped Skunk

Virginia Opossum

Woodchuck

PLANTS

Brown-Eyed Susan

Buttonbush

Clematis

Crown Vetch

Dandelion

Day Lily

Field Marigold

Larkspur

Mountain Blue

Purple Coneflower

Rose

Sedum

Spider Lily - See Spiderwort

Spiderwort

Stinkhorn

Sweet Alyssum

Whorled Tickseed

Wild Pansy

REPTILES and AMPHIBIANS

American Toad

Common Garter Snake

Eastern Box Turtle

Green Frog

Long-Tailed Salamander

Painted Turtle

CRUSTACEANS

Crayfish

EVENTS / OTHER

Events

Landscapes / Rivers

Planes / Trains / Autos / Boats

Rainbows / Clouds / Sky Formations

Structures / Buildings

Sunsets / Sunrises

Weather

Happy New Year

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Posted by: Moe in: News at 12:01 am

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Merry Christmas

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Posted by: Moe in: News at 12:00 pm

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Damsel Bug

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Damsel Bug - possibly Nabis sp. - in he Family “Nabidae,” or “Damsel Bugs.”

Chrysanthemum - Chrysanthemum sp..

Predacious on soft-bodied insects including aphids, caterpillars, spider mites and leafhoppers. The enlarged forelegs can grasp prey while the mouth parts can pierce and/or suck, depending on the situation.

Photo taken with the Canon Digital Rebel XT / 350D and the Sigma 70-300mm Lens on October 6, 2008 in Davenport, Iowa.

Posted by: Moe in: Insects, Iowa, Plants at 12:00 am

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Brown Lacewing

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Brown Lacewing - Hemerobius sp..

Voracious predators, lacewings are used as biological pest control, eating aphids and mealybugs (and others) as well as their eggs. Only a few millimeters long.

Photo taken with the Canon Digital Rebel XT / 350D and the Sigma 70-300mm Lens on October 6, 2008 in Davenport, Iowa.

Posted by: Moe in: Insects, Iowa at 12:00 am

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Eastern Box Turtle

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Eastern Box Turtle - Terrapene carolina.

Caught on the Green River Lake in Kentucky, he was set on the deck of the boat for photographs and then sent on his merry way. The red eyes indicate it is a male.

Found from Maine to Florida and west to Texas, I do not think you would ever find the Eastern Box Turtle in Iowa. They are found in southern Illinois, Missouri, and eastern Kansas, however.

Photo taken with the Canon Digital Rebel XT / 350D and a Sigma 70-300mm Lens on August 7, 2007 near Campbellsville, Kentucky.

Posted by: Moe in: Kentucky, Reptiles at 12:00 am

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New York Weevil

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

New York Weevil - Ithycerus noveboracensis.

A weevil so unique it is the only weevil in the Family - not genus, but Family - Ithyceridae.

Primarily found on the limbs and foliage of hickory, oak, and beech, the adults feed on soft parts such as new growth, leaf petioles, and buds, while the larvae eat the roots of the same plants. Found on the beach juxtaposing an oak wood.

Photo taken with the Canon Digital Rebel XT / 350D and a Sigma 70-300mm Lens on July 5, 2008 in Oak Run, Illinois.

Posted by: Moe in: Illinois, Insects at 12:00 am

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Long-Tailed Salamander

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Long-Tailed Salamander - Eurycea longicauda. Not to be confused with Onychodactylus fischeri, also commonly called the “Long-Tailed Salamander,” but only found in NE Asia.

Found from New York south to Virginia and west as far as Kansas, the Long-Tailed Salamander “ventures about on the forest floor in search of tiny invertebrate prey.” Cite.

This guy was under a rock in a shallow inlet off the Green River Lake.

Photo taken with the Canon Digital Rebel XT / 350D and a Sigma 70-300mm Lens on August 9, 2007 on the Green River Lake, Kentucky.

Posted by: Moe in: Amphibians, Kentucky at 12:00 am

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Multi-Colored Asian Lady Beetle - Red with Seven Spots

Thursday, December 4, 2008

multi-colored asian lady beetle red with seven spots2

Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle - Harmonia axyridis - commonly called a ladybug.

From Bug Guide:

The adult is highly variable in color and pattern. In the east, the elytra (hard shiny wing cases) range from orange to red, with many to no black spots. In the west, some individuals are black with two large red patches… and some are black with several large orange spots.

As the name implies, this bug is not native to North America, although it is now widespread. It is a beneficial garden resident, however, as it eats aphids, mites and other plant pests.

For a native “ladybug” see the Twelve-Spotted Lady Beetle.

See the “related posts” below to see the variation in this species of beetle.

Photo taken with the Canon Digital Rebel XT / 350D and the Sigma 70-300mm Lens on October 5, 2008 in Davenport, Iowa.

Multicolored asian lady beetles pinged this post.

Posted by: Moe in: Insects, Iowa at 12:00 am

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Multi-Colored Asian Lady Beetle - Orange with 10 Spots

Monday, December 1, 2008