The Blobs and Lines of the Camera Trap Images: Arthropods

As you've seen in Eyes on the Wild images, Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve is filled with mammals that have been observed doing incredible behaviors. However, have you noticed some small blurs or lines that sometimes accompany them? Although difficult to spot and identify, you might be seeing insects or other arthropods!

Cedar Creek is home to one of the best-studied insect collections in the world. We have more than 500,000 specimens representing more than 4,000 taxa that were collected by John Haarstad in the 1970s, 80s and 90s (you can explore the species by clicking here!). Insects have been heavily sampled at the reserve, and have been important in understanding how it functions as an ecosystem. So although they may not be as charismatic as mammals to some, they are just as important!

Arthropods on their own don't normally produce enough motion or heat to trigger a camera trap, so they are usually found with another subject in the image. This could be an animal, a car, or a human. Or, in some cases, the blowing grass on the "grass cams" have actually turned out to be an insect haven.

Due to the small size of many of the insects at Cedar Creek, we are so grateful for all of the volunteers' keen eyes and strong attention to detail. Below, we have highlighted→ some of the arthropod species that are appearing most often on our discussion boards below.

Dragonfly

This dragonfly was found flying on a "grass cam" by moderator smansfield and volunteer Dosgatos. Can you see it, up in the top left corner where grass meets sky? Some clues that give away its identity include the large, see-through wings on either side of its somewhat large dark body. Although damselflies look similar and it's extremely hard to see the full body from this far away, a damselfly's body would be a little smaller.

Grasshopper

We were so impressed with ChaosArceus's spotting of this grasshopper. It blends in so well with the leaves! It's located in the center of the frame on a leaf at the very bottom. It seems to be enjoying the warmth of the sun on the hot summer day!

Spider

This spider and its web have gotten a lot of attention on our discussion boards due to its frequent sightings on the "birch cam." It has even been given a name, Herbie the Orb Spider, by volunteer Jason.Bain. Volunteers have observed Herbie making its web, moving around on its web, patiently awaiting its next prey while cars zoom by, and even catching something in its web.

Ladybeetle

Do you see that small red blob on the second to the left blade of grass, about three-fourths of the way up the blade? That's a tiny ladybeetle hanging on for dear life on a windy day spotted by researcher Caitlin Potter and smansfield.

Monarch Butterfly

At first, we were stumped by this unknown object in front of a fence also holding a perched bird found by EM5050. Is it a shoe hanging from the wire? Is it a tiny, unknown bird flying by? After careful inspection, team member Emma Bublitz determined that it was a monarch butterfly! Its beautiful orange and black wings with white detailing were giveaways after zooming in. There are also a few tree swallows checking out the scene!

Mosquitoes

We know that this may be a little gross to some, but mosquitoes are a pesky insect for all those who spend time on the reserve. Check out these FULL mosquitos feeding on this deer found by bcavclark and bmullin. Like us, deer are known to get just as irritated by mosquitoes swarming them.

Fireflies

Based on the time this image was taken and the infrared flash, the bright light between the two trees in front of the deer is probably a firefly, found by c_hartel. Maybe the firefly was lighting the way for this lone deer!

Insects Affect Us All

Although layers in Minnesota normally means it's cold outside, layers also mean protection from bugs! Working out in the field in the summer means you're often exposed to a lot of bugs that love to bother you. Even though they may make fieldwork less enjoyable, we still love our insects!

How cool are all of these insects? We hope these classifications inspire you to take an extra look at a picture to check for these tiny creatures before clicking "done"! And to those of you who have been identifying these small subjects, AWESOME job! Keep up the great work!