Just in Time for Spring!

Image Source: Butterflywebsite.com

Spring is one of my favorite seasons. Hopefully this year's will be bright, wonderful, and filled with new possibilities. One way to get yourself moving in the direction of springlike, transformative thought is to take a look at this fabulous database:
Butterflies and Moths of North America
This database is a project of the Big Sky Institute at Montana State University. The image gallery can be searched by scientific or common name. The site also offers identification tools.

Bug Guide is a place to go to find out what type of ant is eating the potato chip crumbs off your kitchen floor. It is run by volunteer naturalists.

Another place to go to find bug  identification is What's that Bug? This site is run by armchair entomologists so take this as a mix of entertainment and a place to get a little starting information. Readers send in pictures with the hope that someone will know what bug it is.

Bees.

I love bees. I think they are amazing! They are socially complex, nicely armed, and fun to watch.

Here are some fun facts about bees, taken from Nova Online.
Bees pollinate 95 different crops which translates to $10 million a year for the U.S. economy.
Bees cannot see the color red, but they do see ultraviolet colors.
The queen decides the sex of the young.
Bees fly at about 15 mph.

Scientists believe that the history of the honeybee begins in Africa. In the Science Daily article, "Out of Africa: Scientists Uncover the History of the Honeybee," researchers deduce that the "killer" bee and the honey bee have the same origins.

Have you heard of Colony Collapse Disorder? It's a pretty dangerous situation that's going on in the bee world. Colonies seem to just die. This disorder, on the rise since 2006, can cause a beekeeper to lose anywhere from 50-90% of his or her colony. The University of Florida Extension has a nice, understandable, short paper on Colony Collapse Disorder. You can also find out more about this in places like the Public Library of Science Biology Journals. NPR has an archived interview from back in 2006 when the disorder was starting to escalate. Bee Decline Threatens Farm Economy is a quick  interview with a professor from UC-Davis.

What else is it with bee? They inspire people. Take a look at the online gallery Bees in Art. It describes itself as "the world's first gallery devoted to bees". Perhaps the bees will inspire you too.