"Life is lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road and we stand on the mountain looking back through the valley that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale.” Jill Savage

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Tuesdays Show and Tail



Let us all join Angela at West Virginia Treasures on her fifty-first SHOW AND TAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She's a wonderful gal and a good friend. All you have to do is talk about your pets, some interesting facts, or something wonderful about bugs like I did here.

In the spirit of staying on the vacation to Orlando - we ran or shall I say they ran into us every where. What? LOVE BUGS! Really. Two bugs attached together - all the time - and do everything together - by choice.



'Lovebugs' are small black flies with red thoraxes. Males are 1/4 inch, and females are 1/3 inch in length. These flies are members of the family Bibionidae and are known as March flies. Several species of March flies are native to Florida, however, Lovebugs, Plecia nearctica Hardy are recent invaders from the west.



Southern Louisiana experienced flights of lovebugs during the 1920's. The species was described by Hardy in 1940 from specimens collected in Mississippi. First reports of their presence in Florida were made in 1947 from Escambia County. Subsequent reports indicate their presence in Leon County in 1955-56 and Alachua - Marion Counties in 1964-65.



Since that time, flights have progressively moved southward. In 1974, specimens were collected in Homestead. Lovebugs also have moved northward and have been reported from Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina. Two flights of lovebugs occur each year. The spring flight occurs during late April and May. A second flight occurs during late August and September. Flights extend over periods of 4 to 5 weeks. Mating takes place almost immediately after emergence of the females. Adult females live only 2-3 days.



And I mean they were every where - together.

Love,
Chatty

I can't get this embedded but it is cute - a dog and his master praying.

http://www.godtube.com/featured/video/dog-saying-grace

Thought for the day:

Keep a green tree alive in your heart and a songbird may come to sing there.

- Chinese Proverb

17 comments:

Unknown said...

I have never heard of the love bug!
LOL, I always learn something from you. I hope you have a fabulous week!

Angela said...

That's wild Sandie that the female only lives for 2 days! I don't think I've ever seen a lovebug in my part of West Virginia and I've seen lots of bugs living in the woods!

I loved the dog praying! It is so sweet!

Tuesdays' Show & Tail!
Angela

Linda @ A La Carte said...

When the love bugs are heavy they will just cover your car front in dead black bugs. Ugh...haven't seen them in years since moving away from South Georgia!

Susan said...

Oh Sandie, that doggie was so darned adorable.

As for the love bugs, if I lived where they do, I'd rename them the YUK bugs. eeeeeeeeeuuuuuuuuu. I do NOT like bugs, especially cockroaches. Sincerely, Susan

ClassyChassy said...

Good grief - love bugs - who'd a guessed??

Joyce said...

I never really thought of Love Bugs being connected. Cute but glad I do not have any here. My son said that PA is having an issue with these bugs that are called stink bugs. They explode and smell. Makes me think the bugs at my HH house are not so bad (OK they are disgusting). I want to go back to Disney too.
Joyce

Jane said...

Hi Sandie - Always wondered what those critters were. We have tons of them around here. Hope that you are well,

Jane

Patti said...

Yes, I know from experience...May and September are love bug months in Florida. Our cars used to be black in the front...from the bugs smashing into it while we were driving.

Hope you're having a great week.

Love,
Patti

Mevely317 said...

Oh my word! ... I'd totally forgotten about Florida's love bugs ... what a creepy mess they used to make on the front of my car. :(
That video is too precious!

Ginny Hartzler said...

I love the proverb and have copied it. Didn't know a thing about these lovebugs, but you have researched them so well. So the females spend the whole three days of their lives mating? The video was sweet and funny, too!

betty said...

that dog and his master praying was the cutest thing!! I'm going to show it to hubby later, he'll get a kick out of it. Thanks for the education about the love bugs, I had no idea they existed; now I know where we get that phrase from :)

I can't believe it has been almost a year Angela has been doing this meme! amazing how fast time has flown!

betty

Maria@BubblegumandDuctTape said...

I had never seen love bugs before, what funny little creatures, I probably would have freaked out.

That video was fun, what a cute dog.

ocmist said...

I've heard the name, but never seen any and I didn't know anything about them. OK... so if the female dies, does the male go with her or does he hunt up a "second wife?" :)

Love Of Quilts said...

I have never seen one of these and have never heard of them either....ugly little things aren't they. Trish

Annesphamily said...

You are a wealth of knowledge girl! Thanks for the informative post. Anne

Hootin Anni said...

That's literally, 'tail'....oh never mind.

BECKY said...

I've never seen or heard of those bugs, either...except the VW car!!
Uh....I think those 2 needed to get a room, don't ya think?! :D