Marcia Bonta

  • Woolly Bears and Tiger Moths

    What child is not intrigued by woolly bear caterpillars?  Our little granddaughter, Elanor, certainly is.  Last September she gathered up a handful of the bristly creatures as they paraded across our veranda and claimed them as pets.  I tried to discourage her, but she was adamant, and her father, Steve, who is an amateur entomologist…

  • Insects of Indian Summer

    By November most insects are either dead or hibernating, but some species, both native and alien, are aroused by the soft warmth of Indian summer. Once again the fields and forests sing with a quieter rendition of the grasshopper-cricket-katydid chorus of late summer and early fall. Bristly great leopard moth and woolly bear caterpillars unfurl…