LEO Network

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

Swallowtail (Papilio canadensis) Butterfly Caterpillar
Canadian Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio canadensis) butterfly caterpillar
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Predaceous Diving Beetle (Cybister fimbriolatus)
Predaceous diving beetle
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States

Horntail wood wasp
7-23-13 Horntail wood wasp - Selawik, Alaska,
Selawik, Alaska, USA

Tiger Moth (Arctia caja)
7-21-13 Tiger moth - St. Mary's, Alaska, USA
St. Mary's Alaska, United States

Lots of Mosquitoes (Culicidae)
Mosquito populations are way up in Southcentral Alaska this year. Extremely high numbers are also reported from interior Alaska.
Interior of Alaska, United States

Crane Fly (Tipula oleraceaa) Adult Sighted
Crane fly adult
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States

Mosquito invasion in Southcentral Alaska leads to run on supplies
Each spring, it seems, the air of Alaska is filled with the buzz of mosquitoes and the whines of people declaring that this is undoubtedly the worst bug season they've ever experienced. This year they may have a case.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Strange bug
6-10-13 Strange bug - Anchorage, Alaska, USA
Anchorage, Alaska, USA

Spruce Aphid (Elatobium abietinum) Infestation
5-15-13 Spruce aphid infestation Kake, Alaska, USA
Kake, Alaska, United States

Birch Shieldbug (Elasmostethus interstinctus) in November?
Birch shieldbug found in Wasilla home in November.
Wasilla, Alaska, United States

Spruce Bark Beetle
We are worried about the effects of large infestation and about wildlife.
Fort Yukon, Alaska, United States

Rusty Tussock Moth Caterpillar
Potential problem for local trees, berry bushes and other plants.
King Salmon, Alaska, United States

Bird experts aflutter over drop in rufous hummingbird numbers
The number of rufous hummingbirds visiting southern Vancouver Island over the summer is dropping and the cause may be climate change, says a local bird expert.
Central Saanich, British Columbia, Canada
Times Colonist

Non-stinging Wasp (Cynipoidea) Larva
Non-sting wasp (cynipoidea) larva
Slana, Alaska, United States

Weird Orange Bug
6-12-12 Weird orange bug - Pilot Point, Alaska, USA
Pilot Point, Alaska, United States

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
Brown marmorated stink bug
King Cove, Alaska, United States
Corlene Rose, Honey Lou Wilson, Mike Rasy

Square-legged Camel Cricket (Tropidischia xanthostoma)
We found an unusual looking spider or insect.
Klawock, Alaska, United States

Caterpillars gang up on berry bushes, native trees
The outlook for blueberries in Southcentral Alaska this year is bleak, scientists say. The reason: Two species of moth have damaged berry patches, as well as native deciduous trees, from the southern Kenai Peninsula to Mat-Su.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Bugs on Geese
Beetles seen moving around on geese
Wainwright, Alaska, United States
Jessie Moan, Linda Agnasagga, Heather Dingman

Pesky insects should not pose a problem to homeowners until late summer
Newark, Delaware, United States
UDaily

ALASKA: A havoc-wreaking beetle loose in the forest
STERLING, Alaska — Spent today tramping around the boggy depths of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, which is about a three-hour drive south of Anchorage. Berg The group went there to see h…
Sterling, Alaska, United States
SciGuy

Worst grasshopper infestation ever on tap for Prairies
Prairie farmers are facing a grasshopper infestation the likes of which might never have been seen in Western Canada. The last kick from a drought that devastated crops last year.
Saskatchewan, Canada
CBC

Virus unique to Finland sees biggest outbreak in decades
Nearly 500 cases of the mosquito-borne viral infection have been diagnosed so far this autumn. The disease tends to be cyclical, meaning cases remain very low for about seven years and then there are suddenly hundreds of cases in one year.
Ilomantsi, North Karelia, Finland
Yle Uutiset

Canada's AG warns Nunavut about dangers of not having a climate change action plan
Nunavut is not prepared to deal with the impacts of climate change and doesn't have a plan to deal with them, according to the latest report by Canada's auditor general.
Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada
CBC News

Tent Caterpillar Infestation
At one point our entire red brick house was covered in the black caterpillars trying to reach the adjacent forest. The silk web-like nests began to appear on our trees in May and within weeks, the forests foliage was decimated.
Woodford, Ontario

1st Asian giant hornet found in Snohomish County
Entomologists believe the invasive insect is an “old hornet from a previous season that wasn’t discovered until now” because it was “very dried out."
Marysville, Washington, United States

Spruce beetles’ expansion into Denali National Park poses questions about forest changes
The aggressive infestation that took hold in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough north of Anchorage in 2016 has now spread north, covering hillsides in the communities outside the park with rustred dead trees and reaching into park boundaries.
Cantwell, Alaska, United States

Rare bug spotted for first time in more than 30 years
The discovery in the Cairngorms is only the eighth time a cow wheat shieldbug has been recorded in Scotland.
Aberlour, Scotland, United Kingdom
BBC News

A creeping mass of insect larvae near a Denali lodge raises the question: ‘Am I hallucinating?’
A worker in Kantishna glimpsed the rare phenomenon in which hundreds of Alaska gnat snakeworm larvae formed a crawling column.
Healy, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Butterflies in the middle of winter and other insects in our homes
In Two Rivers,at a time when the outside air’s temperature has not been above freezing since October — three butterflies living in a heated garage.
Two Rivers, Alaska, United States
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Red Lily Beetle (Lilioceris lilii) settles in Edmonton, Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

3rd and 4th known cases of ‘Alaskapox’ — both mild — were recently diagnosed in the Fairbanks area
How the virus is contracted and how long it’s been around still remain a mystery. But researchers have found evidence in small mammals.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States

Seeing brown birch leaves? It’s not necessarily a sign of fall. Blame leaf-munching larvae
The birch leafminer ate its way through birches across Southcentral and Interior Alaska this summer. Hot and dry weather earlier in summer may have been optimal for them.

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