Bombyliidae

Bombyliidae is a large family of flies with hundreds of genera, although their life cycles are not well known. Adults generally feed on nectar and pollen, thus are pollinators of flowers. They superficially resemble bees and are commonly called bee flies. This resemblance may offer the adults some protection from predators.

The larval stages are predators or parasitoids of other insect eggs and larvae. The adult females usually deposit eggs in the vicinity of possible hosts, quite often in the burrows of beetles or wasps/solitary bees. Where most often in the insect world parasitoids are highly specific in the host species that they will infect, some bombyliids are opportunistic and will use a variety of hosts.

While bombyliids have a great variety of species, rarely are individuals of any one species abundant, and this is perhaps one of the poorest known families of insects relative to its size. There are at least 4,500 described species, and probably thousands as of yet undescribed.

Learn more about the “Bee Fly“, and many other subjects, on the Tree of Life web project.

18th Annual Thousand Springs Festival of the Arts

The 18th annual Thousand Springs Festival of the Arts was held this past Saturday, Sept. 25th and 26th, 2010. CSR Inc. was there enjoying the great music, beautiful weather and interest in native plants. The most common question was that of the Auger Falls Fire Restoration project. Although this project is being spearheaded by the Twin Falls Parks and Recreation Department and the BLM, CSR has donated $20,000 of native seed to help with the effort. Many people whose landscapes were touched by this fire had questions regarding the benefits of re-seeding with native plant species, and the best strategies for maintaining a fire-wise landscape. CSR offers a “Greenfire” seed mix which includes a variety of shrubs, grasses and forbs approrpiate for Southern Idaho, Wyoming and Northern Utah. The Greenfire mix is designed for use as an early seral seeding, to help ecologically stabilize disturbed areas and allow the native community to evolve over time. Many of the species in the mix will be apparent from the get-go while others will appear a few years later as the landscape heals. A low to no-water mix for large and small areas.

Mix includes:

Artemisia tridentata var. tridentata (Basin Big Sagebrush)

Purshia tridentata (Antelope Bitterbrush)

Leymus cinereus (Great Basin Wildrye)

Festuca idahoensis (Idaho Fescue)

Achnatherum hymenoides (Indian Ricegrass)

Pseudoroegneria spicata ssp. spicata (Bluebunch Wheatgrass)

Poa secunda (Sandberg Bluegrass)

Bromus marginatus (Mountain Brome)

Linum lewisii (Blue Flax)

Sphaeralcea munroana (Munro’s Globemallow)

Balsamorhiza sagittata (Arrowleaf Balsamroot)

Penstemon strictus (Rocky Mountain Penstemon)

Eriogonum umbellatum (Sulfur Buckwheat)

Helianthus annuus (Annual Sunflower)

Invasive Focus: Bull Thistle, Cirsium vulgare

Invasive Focus: Bull Thistle, Cirsium vulgare, is an annual or biennial, herbaceous plant that invades disturbed areas throughout the United States. The spiny, spreading, winged stems are up to 7 ft tall. Leaves are 3-12 in long, lance-shaped and very hairy. Flowers develop, at the apex of the plant, from June to September. The purple flower heads are 1.5-2 in. diameter and 1-2 in. long with narrow, spine-tipped bracts.

Bull thistle can invade almost any type of disturbed area, such as forest clearcuts, riparian areas and pastures. Plants can form dense thickets, displacing other vegetation. The spiny nature of the plant renders it unpalatable to wildlife and livestock and reduces the forage potential of pastures. Bull thistle is native to Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. It is thought to have been introduced to the eastern United States during colonial times and the western United States in the late 1800s. It is currently found in all 50 states.

(photo and resource)

Many Benefits, Wildlife

Working for a conservation company such as CSR has many benefits…and spying wildlife is one of them.

Common Whitetail Dragonfly, Libellula lydia

The Common Whitetail or Long-tailed Skimmer (Libellula lydia) is a common dragonfly found across much of North America. The male’s chunky white body, combined with the brownish-black bands on its otherwise translucent wings, give it a checkered look. Females have a brown body and a different pattern of wing spots, closely resembling that of female Libellula pulchella, the Twelve-spotted Skimmer. Whitetail females can be distinguished by their smaller size, shorter bodies and white zigzag abdominal stripes.

The Common Whitetail can be seen hawking for mosquitoes and other small flying insects over ponds, marshes and slow-moving rivers in most regions. Common Whitetails often rest on objects near the water, and sometimes on the ground. Males are territorial, holding a 10 to 30 metre stretch of the water’s edge, and patrolling it to drive off other males. The white pruinescence on the abdomen, found only in mature males, is displayed to other males as a territorial threat.

The nymphs are dark green or brown, but are usually found covered in algae. They feed on aquatic invertebrates such as mayfly larvae and small crayfish, and also on small aquatic vertebrates such as tadpoles and minnows. Because of their abundance, whitetail naiads are in turn an important food source for various fish, frogs and birds, and also for other aquatic insects.

Fall at the CSR Nursery

Colors are changing at the CSR Nursery! Sharing photos of the Oakleaf Sumac, Rhus trilobata, and a more mature Sumac sporting it’s lovely berries. The Sumac leaves have a very strong scent when crushed. The aroma is medicinal or bitter, disagreeable enough to some to have gained the plant the name skunkbush. The leaves are green when new and turn orange and brown in the fall. The flowers, born on small catkins (“short shoots”), are white or light yellow. The slightly sticky red berries have an aroma similar to limes and a very sour taste. The flowers are animal-pollinated and the seeds are dispersed by the animals that eat the berries. The shrub also reproduces vegetatively, sending up sprouts several meters away and forming thickets.

Fall Herbicide Treatments

Fall herbicide applications occur as perennial, invasive weeds begin to move growth production down to the root zone, preparing for over-wintering. This treatment is generally a more successful, long-term control because plant sugar and growth hormone movement is directed to the roots and will translocate the herbicide to this area. Because of this, the fall is usually the most effective time to treat perennial noxious weeds. Canada Thistle, Hoary Cress and Russian Knapweed are examples of perennial weeds.

Thousand Springs Festival of the Arts 2010

The 18th annual Thousand Springs Festival of the Arts will be held this Saturday, Sept. 25th and 26th, 2010. You will find CSR there enjoying the beautiful island and answering your questions about native plants. We invite you to join us and everything this festival has to offer -from the live music to the artisans, beer and wine to the kid’s activities- you’ll find something for everyone!

The Thousand Springs Festival of the Arts is the primary fundraiser for the Southern Idaho Land Trust, which is a conservation group that promotes and oversees conservation eastements for ranches and farms in southern Idaho. The mission is to promote open space for the enjoyment of present and future generations.

Invasive Focus: Rhaponticum repens, Russian Knapweed

(Above photo: Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org)

Invasive Focus: Rhaponticum repens, Russian Knapweed, is a perennial forb that can grow to 3 ft.  in height. Stems originate from a basal rosette of leaves. The rosette leaves can be unlobed to very lobed and are 2-4 in. long. Stem leaves are oblong, pinnately lobed to entire and up to 6 in. in length at the base of the stem and become smaller and less lobed toward the top. In summer to fall, Russian knapweed produces flowers that are pink to purple and turn straw colored as they mature. The flower heads are approximately ½ in. in diameter and urn shaped. Fruits (achenes) are ivory-colored with a tuft of hair that falls off at maturity. Russian knapweed is native to Eurasia and was introduced into the United States in the early 1900’s.

Resource, and more photos at Invasive.org

Legislative Policy Summit

The Idaho Chamber Alliance, in partnership with the Twin Falls Area and Mini-Cassia Chambers of Commerce, will host a Legislative Policy Summit on Wednesday, September 22 at the Herrett Center for Arts & Science, Rick Allen Room on the College of Southern Idaho Campus from 11:30am to 4:00pm. The purpose of the summit is to share legislative priorities of local chambers and the statewide business association for the upcoming 2011 legislative session.

“The Chambers of Commerce in the Magic Valley work closely together with the Idaho Chamber Alliance to represent business interests in the public process,” said Shawn Barigar, President/CEO of the Twin Falls Area Chamber of Commerce.  “The summit provides a great opportunity for business owners and operators to talk directly with our elected officials about how good public policy can help businesses grow to strengthen Idaho’s economy.”

The summit will begin with a keynote address from Lt. Governor Brad Little discussing Idaho’s “Project 60″ and other tax policy and business growth ideas for Idaho businesses. A panel of local legislators will discuss taxation policy and the state of Idaho’s budget outlook. And another panel of local business owners will discuss the state of business from their ”Main Street” perspectives. Time will also be available for information from other legislators in attendance as well as for questions from the participants. John Watts of Veritas Advisors and the Chamber Alliance’s lobbyist will wrap up the event with a preview of what is expected during the coming legislative session.

The cost to attend is $20 to include lunch and summit materials. Advance registration is needed. Please call the Twin Falls Area Chamber of Commerce at 208-733-3974 or the Mini-Cassia Chamber of Commerce at 208-679-4793 to sign up.

Conservation Seeding & Restoration Inc’s own Steven Paulsen will be serving on the panel of local business owners and welcomes any questions that you, our blog readers, may have of your local legislators. Please leave your questions in comment form below.