Derek Sikes shared this blog and newsletter with me. I encourage you to look at these.
blog:
https://tundraarthropods.wordpress.com/
Network for Arthropods of the Tundra, Newsletter 2, October 2015
https://tundraarthropods.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/neat-news-october-2015-2nd-ed.pdf
Bill Davidson, a U. S. Forest Service Student Trainee for Forest Health Protection this summer managed to capture a few great videos of one of our native horntails. While in Cooper Landing this summer Bill found Urocerus flavicornis in action on spruce logs that were cut as part of a fire wise program. Also known as a wood wasp, U. flavicornis is a wood borer that can typically be found on stressed, dying and dead spruce trees in Alaska. It is also commonly found in association with cut wood and saw logs. Although this insect looks menacing, it is completely harmless to humans.
Emergence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=078tCtrfQiU
Oviposition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYfjFOAQcyo
More information on Urocerus flavicornis and other wood wasps and horn tails can be found in these places:
http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5315942.pdf
http://www.fs.fed.us/foresthealth/technology/pdfs/GuideSiricidWoodwasps.pdf
Global climate models from Germany (green), Canada (red) and USA (black) scaled to the Kenai predict that post-2030 mean summer temperatures will always be above the threshold for spruce bark beetle outbreaks. Observed temperatures are from the Homer airport since 1932. Lower bar graph shows annual beetle-kill for southern Kenai since aerial surveys began in 1971 (US Forest Service). Ed Berg graphic.
The article (URI below) appeared in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge’s Refuge Notebook series.
The article appeared May 5 in Biodiversity Data Journal.
Pampell R, Sikes D, Pantoja A, Holloway P, Knight C, Ranft R (2015) Bumble Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombus spp.) of Interior Alaska: Species Composition, Distribution, Seasonal Biology, and Parasites. Biodiversity Data Journal 3: e5085. doi: 10.3897/BDJ.3.e5085
Topics included new exotic species, mosquitoes, pollinators, carpenter ants, etc.
This is a nicely written and very informative article on the importance of collecting.
https://theconversation.com/why-we-still-collect-butterflies-41485
Aphids from spruce at the Homer Bench, 12.June.2015. Photo courtesy of Karin Sonnen (USDA NRCS, Homer).
Mitch Michaud (USDA NRCS, Kenai), phoned me regarding substantial defoliation of spruce at Halibut Cove and the Homer bench. At Halibut Cove, spruces had been dropping many needles.
Aphids were the culprit, but the identity of the aphids has not yet been established.
Browning spruce needles due to aphid infestation, 9.June.2015.
Browning of spruce needles.
Spruce trees damaged by aphids, 9.June.2015.
Distribution of alder dieback mapped during 2011 Aerial Detection Survey.
The report including this chapter was published in May 2015.
Citation:
Kruse J.J., L. Winton, N. Lisuzzo, G. Adams, K. Zogas, and S. Swenson. 2015. Alder (Alnus incana tenuifolia) mortality agent complex effects on riparian zone habitat. pp. 187-195 in Potter, K. M. and B.L. Conkling, eds. Forest health monitoring: national status, trends, and analysis 2013. General Technical Report SRS-207. U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Asheville North Carolina. http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/48361
A large stand of defoliated aspen visible from across the valley.
In the last two weeks there have been numerous reports of aspen defoliation in the Goldstream Valley on the north side of Fairbanks. An area approximately 50 acres in size has been heavily defoliated by the caterpillar, large aspen tortrix (Choristoneura conflictana (Walker)). Brief, intense outbreaks are common throughout the range of aspen, and typically last 2-3 years before collapsing. These outbreaks can grow to cover thousands of acres. The larvae tie together leaves with webbing and feed on the plant tissue. They will web other species of plants and feed on them if they run out of available aspen foliage. Although the forest can look very grim, leafless and covered in webbing, the trees will often create a second flush of leaves later in the summer. Historically there has been little long-term damage to the aspen trees associated with past outbreaks.
The aspen were completely defoliated shortly after bud break by the large aspen tortrix.
With few aspen leaves left to feed on, the larvae have been descending from the canopy and webbing understory vegetation to feed upon, including spruce, alder, birch, and roses.