Minnesota Ladybird Beetles (Ladybugs)

Minnesota Ladybird Beetles (Ladybugs)

Did you know? Minnesota is home to dozens of ladybird beetles, commonly referred to as "Ladybugs." Ladybugs are not true "bugs" (i.e., not in the order Hemiptera). Ladybugs are actually beetles (Order: Coleoptera), and are in the family Coccinellidae. Unfortunately some of our native ladybugs appear to be declining, and a few are on the verge of being lost completely in Minnesota. The most commonly observed ladybug for most, is the invasive Asian Ladybug (Harmonia axyridis) which is commonly observed entering homes and other buildings in the fall to overwinter. Asian ladybugs have become a pest in Minnesota.

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Chasing a ghost...

Chasing a ghost...

Tiger beetles (Carabidae: Cicindelinae) are a fascinating and diverse group of predatory ground beetles that come in a wide-range of colors and patterns. Because of their beauty and relative ease of identification, tiger beetles are a great 'gateway' insect for naturalists that are more familiar with vertebrate organisms (birds, herps, etc.).

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In search of nature’s undertakers

In search of nature’s undertakers

A short hike off a road in the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, near Zimmerman, he drops to his knees next to a hole in the ground that’s been covered with chicken wire, plywood, and a concrete weight. As he removes the makeshift cover, a sickeningly sweet stench wafts out. Smith, a nongame wildlife biologist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, wrinkles his nose as he reaches into a buried five-gallon plastic bucket and pulls out the deflated carcasses of two very dead, very rotten rats.

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