The Capability of Some Butterflies as Carriers of Common Milkweed Pollen

The common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca L., is remarkably adapted for cross pollination by insects. Its pollen sacs (pollinia) are often found attached to the appendages of bees, wasps, butterflies, and other insects that visit milkweed for its nectar (Judd, 1955; Matheson, 1951 ; Muller, 1883). In the summer of 1966 and 1967 I collected numerous pierid and nymphalid butterflies associated with milkweed plants in Michigan in order to examine them for their pollen-carrying capability. Species of butterflies collected were Colias interior Scudder, C. eurytheme Boisduval, Pieris rapae (L.). and Speyeria aphrodite (Fab.). These insects were taken while feeding on or flying near milkweed plants between 3 July and 22 July each year--the period when milkweed was in full bloom--in Crawford, Montmorency, and Oscoda Counties, Michigan

Location and Condition of Whitemarked Tussock Moth (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) Cocoons in a Michigan Black Walnut Plantation

Whitemarked tussock moth, Orgyia leucostigma, cocoons were monitored in a black walnut, Juglans nigra, plantation in Michigan from 1978 to 1981. Larvae spun cocoons on the exposed bark of the bole (29.6070), in crevices on the bole formed by pruning wounds (17.5%), beneath limbs (24.2%), and in branch crotches (28.7%). Parasites and predators destroyed 88% of the pupae in their cocoons. The tussock moth population, although moderate to high in the egg stage, decreased sufficiently in the larval stages each year to cause no more than 5010 defoliation to individual trees

Life History and Outbreaks of an Oak Leafroller, Archips Semiferanus (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), in Michigan

In the late 1960\u27s an outbreak of yellow-green tortricid larvae occurred over hundreds of thousands of acres of red oaks in northeastern Lower Michigan. At first the insect was thought to be the fruit tree leafroller, Archips argyrospilus (Walker); adult specimens, however, were identified by Freeman as A. serniferanus Walker. On forest lands oak or pine was the preferred cover type. In urban areas, the problem was acute where red oaks were the predominant shade tree. In 1969 and 1970 I observed this insect to learn about its life history, habits, and distribution. Besides regular field collections, some cage studies and laboratory rearings were done

Ethical Aspects of Insurance

The nature and ethical basis for insurance in general will be briefly discussed. Reference will then be made to alternatives to insurance as a means for meeting the cost of medical care. Finally, the ethical aspects of private insurance and social insurance will be analyzed as means for paying for health services

Notes on the Biology and Parasitoids of the Sweet Fern Underwing (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Michigan

(excerpt) The sweet fern underwing, Catocala antinympha (Hubner), sometimes called the wayward nymph (Holland, 1968), is one of several lepidopterous defoliators of sweet fern, Comptonia peregrina (L.) Coult. Investigators have dealt only briefly with this insect because it is difficult to collect and rear in quantity and consequently, its biology is poorly known. The early works are basically taxonomic treatises. Barnes and McDunnough (1918b) updated the synonomy which remains intact to date. They placed antinympha as belonging to their Group IV (Catabapta Hulst), a group comprising Myrica (=Comptonia) feeders. Their treatise presents excellent color reproductions of the adult and mature larva. Previously, Beutenmuller (1902) described the six larval instars. The present paper adds a Little more to the distribution, biology, and habits of the sweet fern underwing, with emphasis on Michigan, and includes the known parasitoids and the effect of some of them on the size of the larval head capsule

Spatial Distribution of Egg Clusters of the European Pine Sawfly \u3ci\u3eNeodiprion Sertifer\u3c/i\u3e (Geoff.) in Young Pine Plantations in Michigan

(excerpt) The European pine sawfly, Neodiprion sertifer (Geoffroy), is a perennial problem in young pine plantations in Eastern North America. Scotch pine, Pinus sylvestris L., and red pine, P. resinom Ait., are its principal hosts. During recent behavioral studies of this sawfly in Michigan, spatial distribution patterns were determined in order to rapidly survey population levels in young pine plantations (Wilson and Gerrard, 1971). Earlier, Lyons (1964b) presented some distributional data on N. sertifer in regard to population sampling. Wright et al. (1967) and Hattemer et al. (1969) discussed N. sertifer distributions in Scotch pine and mixed pine species provenancz plantings

The Pocket Encyclopedia of Plant Galls. Arnold Darlington. New York: Philosophical Library, 1968.191 pp. $7.50.

Excerpt: Plant galls or cecidia have always fascinated and bewildered the biologist and the layman, and only recently has there been much attention paid to the biology of gall makers and the physiology of gall development. There are several \u27early\u27 definitive books on galls by British, German, and American authors, but most are out of print or are replete with errors. Few are useful for quick identification of galls in the field

Shoreline Aggregation Behavior of Adults of a Midge, Chironomus Sp. (Diptera: Chironomidae) at Solberg Lake, Wisconsin

Excerpt: Adult chironomid midges are well known to visitors at northern Wisconsin lakes during the spring and summer. Although the larval stages of chironomids supplement the diet of fish, the adults are often a nuisance because they aggregate in huge aerial swarms near beaches, collect at lights, alight on various objects including people, and deposit green specks wherever they rest. The most familiar midge in Wisconsin is Chirononmus plumosus (L.) which has been studied at Lake Pepin (Johnson and Munger, 1930) and at Lake Winnebago (Burrill, 1913; Hilsenhoff, 1959,1966,1967)