Collage 33

My first mosaic. 3 watercolor and ink paintings that I scanned into the computer then collaged, copied and rotated. Fabric or photo?

Gwen and...

 

Mike fleeing from The Greenheads!

Bike trip to Egg Island, NJ
June 30, 2006

Greenhead Fly
The salt marsh greenhead fly, Tabanus nigrovittatus, lives along the New Jersey coastal marshes. They can drive you insane when trying to enjoy the salt marshes. On a recent bike trip to Egg Island, NJ, we were consisently attacked, followed, and bitten.

The female bites during daylight in large numbers; they have a long flight range,and attack persistently. Greenhead fly populations reach peak numbers during July, but extend from late June into September.

Where Greenheads Come From
Greenhead flies are produced in coastal marshes. There can be as many as 70 larvae in a single square yard of marsh sod. Developing larvae concentrate along the upper vegetational zone reached by daily high tides. Foraging through wet thatch, surface muck, and vegetation, the predaceous larvae attack and devour a variety of invertebrates, including some of their own kind. Larvae overwinter and form a pupa after a brief period of spring foraging. The adult emerges from the pupa in late spring.

Adult flies mate on the open marsh. Within a few days and without seeking a blood meal, the female lays her first egg mass, consisting of 100 to 200 eggs. To produce additional egg masses, the female needs a blood meal. Among biting flies, blood serves as a rich protein source necessary for egg development. In the case of the salt marsh greenhead, protein for the first egg mass is obtained when the predaceous larva eats other insect larvae or small animals, but to lay additional egg masses, she must obtain a blood meal.

Older female greenheads move from the salt marsh to nearby wooded or open areas along the marsh edge to seek suitable blood sources. There they await and attack wildlife, livestock, and people that venture close enough for them to detect.

Females live for three to four weeks in the uplands before they become too weak to bite. Because of this long life, large numbers of blood- hungry flies build up in areas near salt marshes, just waiting for passerbys on bicycles!!

Science information from:
The Greenhead and You
Rutgers Cooperative Extension Service
Cook College
Elton J. Hansens, Research Professor of Entomology and Economic Zoology
Stuart R. Race, Extension Specialist in Entomology

Click here to see a photo of a Greenhead

Mushroom

Mushroom
Egg Island, NJ
Photo taken July 9, 2006

This mushroom was found near Egg Island, NJ on a bike riding trip. Beautiful day except for the greenhead flies!

Chrysalis

Eastern Black Swallowtail Chrysalis
Photo taken July 4, 2006

The caterpillar abandoned the parsley in search of a suitable place to morph into the amazing butterfly it would become. Discovering this ragged weed it climbed several inches up the stem. Transfixed on the transformation, it wrapped itself up to resemble a crumbled leaf.