LEO Network

About the LEO Network
The LEO Network is a worldwide network of observers and experts that share their observations of environmental change.
Continue

Observations

Gardeners, Academic at Odds on How to Best Deal with Growing Japanese Beetle Population
Japanese beetles are aggressively feeding on ornamental and edible plants in the Halifax area, prompting debate between experts who recommend labor-intensive hand removal and gardeners using pheromone traps that may attract more beetles.
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
CBC News

It's a virus you may not have heard of. Here's why scientists are worried about it
Case counts for Oropouche virus are still low but rising dramatically. What's going on? And then there's a study that raises the possibility that insect bites aren't the only way the virus can spread.
Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago
NPR

Where mosquito season is getting longer
The Northeast, which has warmed faster than the rest of the country, saw the biggest jump in mosquito days. Look up how mosquito season has changed in your town.
Houston, Texas, United States
Washington Post

She died from a tick-spread illness most Canadians have never heard of. Why more people could be at risk
The article discusses the rise in tick-borne illnesses in Canada, highlighting a case of Powassan virus and the challenges in diagnosis and treatment due to limited awareness among healthcare providers.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
CBC

Moscow Region Officials Warn of Invasive Species Due to Hot Weather
The unusually hot summer weather in the Moscow region this year may trigger an increase in populations of invertebrate species, the regional Environmental Ministry said this week.
Moscow, Moscow, Russia
The Moscow Times

Budworms ravaged Maine's forests for years. They're starting to come back.
An aerial survey revealed 3,000 acres of Maine's forests damaged by spruce budworm in July, with 178,000 acres at risk next spring. The state uses early intervention to prevent an outbreak similar to the one from 1967 to 1993 that devastated millions of acres.
Aroostook County, Maine, United States
Press Herald

Meant to protect the land from wildfires, fire retardant could be doing damage of its own
Residents in the Sahtu region are voicing concerns that fire retardants used to combat wildfires in the Northwest Territories may be harming the environment, affecting wildlife, vegetation, and aquatic systems. Local observations and research indicate that areas treated with these chemicals show signs of degraded recovery and potential long-term ecological impacts.
Norman Wells, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC News

Alaska beekeepers kill their colonies every fall, but an Anchorage man has another way
An Anchorage beekeeper has learned how to help his honeybee colonies survive to see spring, and he’s teaching others to do the same.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Hot, dry N.W.T. weather keeping the mosquitoes down or for now
An entomologist who works with the N.W.T. government said mosquito populations throughout the territory are lower than average. That’s because most types of mosquitoes "love water," and conditions in parts of the territory have been hot and dry instead.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC

As ticks gain ground in Alaska, researchers say health risk remains low for now
Those studying ticks in Alaska currently are more concerned about non-native ticks hitching a ride on pets that arrive in the state from Outside, and infecting wildlife here.
Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

The insects of Lynn Canal are coming out
A caddisfly was reportedly seen circling a Haines light bulb. A large mosquito was observed landing on a pile of wood. Armstrong says nowadays he sees fewer insects than in past years. Studies around the world confirm this observation.
Lynn Canal, Haines, Alaska, United States
KTOO

Uh-oh. A new tropical mosquito has come to Florida. The buzz it's creating isn't good
Scientists say climate change appears to be a factor making Florida and other parts of the U.S. welcoming to non-native mosquitoes.
Florida, United States
Alaska Public Media

Store-bought milkweed plants can expose monarch caterpillars to harmful pesticides
Researchers found pesticide-contaminated plants in nurseries in 15 states
United States
University of Nevada, Reno

LED streetlights decimating moth numbers in England
The study is the first to examine the impact of LEDs in a real-world setting and the first to show the direct impact of light pollution on caterpillars. The caterpillars are less mobile than adult moths, and therefore show more precisely the local losses caused by light pollution.
England, United Kingdom
the Guardian

Here is how the B.C. government plans to eradicate murder hornets
Also dubbed the murder hornet, the invasive wasps threaten pollinators and have been found in communities along both sides of the Canada-U.S. border and on Vancouver Island. B.C. officials will focus on the Fraser Valley in their efforts to track and eradicate Asian giant hornets this year.
Fraser Valley G, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver Is Awesome

Butterflies in the West are disappearing
The climate crisis has caused a steep decline in butterfly sightings in the Rocky Mountain range. This decline is also consistent among other insect populations around the world. If this die-off continues, a great percentage of natural pollinators will cease to exist.
Rocky Mountains, Wyoming
High Country News

How Hardanger melted at a record pace from the last ice age
11,500 years ago, Norway experienced one of the fastest meltdowns the world has seen. Now scientists fear the same thing is happening elsewhere.
Folgefonna Hardangerfjorden glacier, Etne, Norway
NRK

Western Hemlock Looper Outbreak
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

What you need to know about B.C.'s so-called murder hornets
Asian giant hornets are the largest of all hornet species. This specimen was 1½ inches (four centimetres) long but they can be up to a centimeter longer and have a wingspan the size of a small hummingbird.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
CBC

Lack of bees, pollination limiting crop yields across U.S., B.C.
A lack of wild bees and managed honeybees is limiting pollination and yields for certain crops on farms in British Columbia and across the United States, a collective of researchers has found.
North America

‘Murder Hornets’ in the U.S.: The Rush to Stop the Asian Giant Hornet
Sightings of the Asian giant hornet have prompted fears that the vicious insect could establish itself in the United States and devastate bee populations.
Blaine, Washington, United States
New York Times

Why Are Swarms Of Locusts Wreaking Havoc In East Africa?
Clouds of the insects can stretch for miles, devouring vegetation and destroying crops. Locust experts say time is running out to get the swarms under control because they multiply so quickly.
Otuke, Uganda
NPR.org

Cold snap in Northern B.C. will kill bark beetles, but won't erase threat, says B.C. entomologist
Bark beetle experts say a recent cold snap has likely killed some spruce beetle infestations in northern B.C.
British Columbia, Canada

The wildlife visitors warning of climate disaster
Britain’s milder weather is attracting exotic guests. While we may celebrate their arrival now it should also alert us to what’s ahead
Southern England, United Kingdom
the Guardian

Beekeeping in Southeast Alaska ain't easy
Specially adapted bees and overwintering procedures help mitigate the cold.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Juneau Empire

Extraordinarily warm fall a big problem in Canadian Arctic
Temperatures across the Arctic have been warmer than usual this fall, with one community in the Northwest Territories recording above-average temperatures for 72 days in a row.
Canadian Arctic
CTVNews

Japan’s ‘national butterfly’ sees alarming decline in population
Japan's magnificent great purple emperor butterfly is at risk of dying out, a nationwide research pr
Japan
The Asahi Shimbun

It was the warmest ever Arctic summer
The top of the world saw record-beating average temperatures flashing through all three summer months.
The Independent Barents Observer

The trouble with thrips: They’re as annoying to gardeners as is possible
These tiny, black, thread-like pests dig into plants and like to hang about in gangs, which is why you see so many of them. It is as if they want to be as annoying as possible.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Insect 'apocalypse' in U.S. driven by 50x increase in toxic pesticides
Bees, butterflies, and other insects are under attack by the very plants they feed on as U.S. agriculture continues to use chemicals known to kill.
United States
National Geographic

What’s Killing Russia’s Honey Bees?
Authorities say some 300,000 bee colonies died in June and July. Experts blame pesticides — specifically neonicotinoids — but also varroa mites, the loss of natural habitat and flowers, and, more recently, climate change.
Moscow, Moscow, Russia
The Moscow Times

The dragonfly, Alaska’s state insect, is a nimble flying machine
The article discusses the unique dragonfly species in Alaska, including the lake darner and the treeline emerald, which thrive in cold climates and have a high prey capture success rate.
Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Bullhead City, Arizona Was a Retiree Paradise. Then Came a Biblical Plague of Flies.
Environmentalists often decry the loss of species diversity in rivers that have been dammed. But while some species lose when we meddle with rivers, others win, sometimes in dramatic and ways.
Bullhead City, Arizona, United States
OneZero

Canadian researchers warn of 'cascading impacts' as bumblebee species decline
A team of researchers at York University has warned that the American bumblebee is facing imminent extinction from Canada, and this could lead to “cascading impacts” throughout the country.
Canada

Wild bee species critical to pollination on the decline
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — More than a dozen wild bee species critical to pollinating everything from blueberries to apples in New England are on the decline, according to a new study. Researchers...
Concord, New Hampshire, United States
AP NEWS

100 months of temperature above normal in Svalbard
March becomes the hundredth month in a row with temperatures above normal. "It is unique and shows how fast climate change is happening in the Arctic," says climate scientist Ketil Isaksen at the Meteorological Institute (MET).
Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Meteorologisk institutt

Grass crops in Eastern Norway halved in 2018
Last year's drought summer resulted in halved grass crops in Eastern Norway compared to the previous year, according to recent figures from Statistics Norway. - The consequences of the drought continue to affect the daily lives of many farmers, says Lars Petter Bartnes, leader of the Norwegian Farmers' Union.
Akershus, Norway
Norges Bondelag

El Niño Triggered Disease Outbreaks Across Globe
The 2015 to 2016 El Niño event brought weather conditions that triggered regional disease outbreaks throughout the world.
Tropical Pacific Ocean
Laboratory Equipment

Greenhouse gas emissions provide extreme warming in Svalbard
Greenhouse gas emissions provide extreme warming on Svalbard.
Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Miljodirektoratet

Insect collapse: ‘We are destroying our life support systems’
Scientist Brad Lister returned to Puerto Rican rainforest after 35 years to find 98% of ground insects had vanished
Luquillo Rainforest, Puerto Rico
the Guardian

As Seas Warm, Galápagos Islands Face a Giant Evolutionary Test
Climate change is ravaging the natural laboratory that inspired Darwin. The creatures here are on the brink of crisis.
Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
New York Times

Death Knell For Ash Trees
The Western New York landscape is now strewn with dead and dying Ash trees. The evidence of the Ash Borer's destruction is crystal clear, and our environment may never be the same.
Angola, New York, United States
WGRZ

State drops invasive insect defense zone for ash trees
ALBANY - After years of trying to slow a voracious Chinese beetle that is decimating ash trees, state environmental officials are waving the white flag: The Department of Environmental Conservation dropped a logging quarantine, and said it might be time to cut healthy trees still uninfested.
In a brief notice posted online Wednesday, the DEC repealed logging restrictions that had failed to contain the spread of the emerald ash borer (EAB) by limiting shipments of ash.
The state created the quarantine in 2015 to slow the insect, which is a shiny green beetle about the size of a penny. The borer likely will ultimately bring about the end of the state's 700 million ash trees - down from earlier estimates of 900 million ash trees before the beetles' arrival - and forever change an industry that uses ash to produce bats for major league baseball.
Dolgeville, New York, United States
Times Union

Cold winters: what they mean for the bug population in Middle Georgia
The winter season of 2016-2017 proved to be the fifth warmest on record for Georgia, sparking an unusually large number of insects during the following warm months.
Macon, Georgia, United States
WGXA

Climate Destabilization Causing Thousands of New Species Migrations: Plant, Animal, Insect, Bird
In the Arctic, brown bears (Ursus arctos) are expanding their range northward, in some cases competing with and even mating with polar bears (*Ursus maritimus*). Beavers (*Castor canadensis*) have been found as far north as the coast of the Beaufort Sea. The list includes mammals, amphibians, fish and insects.
Beaufort Sea, Arctic Ocean
EnviroNews DC News Bureau

Suspected Link Between Eastern Equine Encephalitis and Climate Change
Add the deadly eastern equine encephalitis virus to the list things we
might find more of in our climate-changed future.
Provincetown, Massachusetts, United States
ecoRI News

Veterinary Division - Reportable Diseases Report
All persons practicing veterinary medicine in North Carolina shall report these listed diseases and conditions to the State Veterinarian's office by telephone within two hours after the disease is reasonably suspected to exist.
North Carolina, United States
North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services news release

Health officials to study mosquitoes in the Sea to Sky region after cluster of illness
Late last year, four people in the Sea to Sky corridor developed encephalitis after being infected with California Serogroup viruses (Snowshoe Hare and Jamestown Canyon viruses). Vancouver Coastal Health is launching a mosquito surveillance pilot in the Sea to Sky corridor after four locally acquired encephalitis cases linked to California Serogroup viruses.
Sea to Sky corridor, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver Sun

‘Snakeworm’ mystery in Alaska yields species new to science
The snakeworm gnat larvae move in columns, possibly to frighten predators and to keep their fragile bodies moist when crossing dry ground.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States

Observed Evidence of Changing Forests:Testimonial for the Status of Tribes and Climate Change Report
The Institute of Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) Tribes and Climate Change Program is publishing a report called the Status of Tribes and Climate C...
Spokane, Washington, United States
YouTube

The tropical disease that everywhere - Dengue Fever
Dengue is erupting in South America — and has even found its way to the US.
São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

'The bottom has just dropped out': As insect populations plummet, scientists wonder why
Back at his Spokane home, McCrea looked around. No bugs on the lights there either. No frogs in the pond. Only one bumblebee was buzzing against a porch light – and at an odd hour, around 10 p.m. that night.
Spokane, Washington, United States
Spokesman.com

Increasing Insect Reactions in Alaska: Is this Related to Changing Climate?
During the summer of 2006, Fairbanks Alaska experienced its first two known cases of fatal anaphylaxis as a result of Hymenoptera stings, presumably from yellowjackets. Statistically significant increases in patients seeking medical care for insect bite and sting related events are observed throughout the state, with 5 of the 6 regions experiencing at least a 6 degree Fahrenheit increase in winter temperature since 1950.
Alaska, United States
Nature Precedings

Support

Observation Template