From Prolog(ue)s to Pro-Legs: Mugo Pine and The Redheaded Pine Sawfly

       I am fascinated by these redheaded pine sawflies (Neodiprion lecontei) on my geology professors' Mugo Pine (Pinus Mugo):

     The sawfly was not a major pest problem in Mugo and other pines in the U.S. until the planting of large pine plantations in the 1930's. 

     The sawflies resemble caterpillars but are actually members of the wasp/bee family, not the butterfly/moth family. Caterpillars have up to 5 pairs of abdominal prolegs. Sawfly larvae have six or more pairs of abdominal prolegs:  

      
       Another notable difference, though it requires a much closer look (oh, yeah!), is that caterpillars have tiny hooks called crochets, on the ends of their prolegs. Sawflies don't. Here are the crochets on caterpillars (C on C as a way to remember the "cats" [entomologists' affectionate pet name for caterpillars] differentiation from sawflies): 

       And the Scanning Electron Microscope version of the crochets:

      
      The common name of sawfly comes from the saw-like appearance of the ovipositor, or egg depositor, which the females use to cut into the plants where they lay their eggs.

      The insecticides that are used on the caterpillar family do not work on sawflies. [And, of course, many caterpillars transform into much-needed and wanted butterflies.]There are some wasp/sawfly insecticides that are somewhat effective, including organic diatomaceous earth (remember the diatoms from our Scanning Electron Microscope {SEM } discussion earlier?):

      However, one of the best ways to get rid of the sawfly larvae is to simply pull them off the Mugo pine trees. Any volunteers to get in there, count legs, and pull off the large clumps of sawflies? If so, they are in Northampton, Massachusetts, waiting for you. {Eric Carle used to be there, too, for over 30 years, though he recently moved southward to North Carolina and Florida.}

      Wonder if Eric Carle ever counted pro-legs on caterpillars. . .

      Any good caterpillar or sawfly tales? Might we count on you?

Steph

    Here is an image from the August 4, 2015, Las Animas River after a 3,000,000+* gallon spill from the Gold King Mine in southwest Colorado (see link to article in 8/7/15 comment):

     Indeed, next week's Partial Ellipsis will look at the Animas River Spill in Colorado. Please look there for a discussion of the Gold King Mine. I am cleaning up some of the graphs, have some new local photos to share, etc.

      *Updated from the original EPA estimate of 1,000,000 gallons.