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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 5, 2017)
8 Wednesday, July 5, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Tales from a Sisters Naturalist by Jim Anderson Flies aren’t just flies… The tachinid fly is a hum- dinger of an insect. When a beautiful giant of the fly world came to rest on my wife, Sue’s, back near the Chewucan River I whispered in her ear, “Don’t move, there’s a magnificent fly on your back, I need to photo- graph it.” Swat the next fly you see, hard enough to stun it but not kill it, and slap it under a magnifying glass. The scientific order of flies is Diptera, which in Latin means, “two wings.” In the world of science that’s a huge “order” of insects that comprises the two-winged or true flies — in which the hindwings have been reduced to form balancing organs (halteres). Now, take a look at those halteres. Astounding, aren’t they? Just a stalk of chi- tin (insect skeleton) with a balancing knob on the end, when the wings go up, the halteres go down, VERY rapidly). Without that balancer flies could not fly, or per- form the sudden changes in attitude and direction that they do. According to ento- mologists (scientists who study insects) there are over 150,000 different kinds of flies known — but the cur- rent estimates are that there may be more than one mil- lion(!) species living on Planet Earth today. OK, if you’ve got this far and the fly is still under is great late! Stop by and check out our new appetizer menu! HAPPY HOUR Daily from 2:30 to 5:30 pm 541-549-SPOT (7768) 161 N. Elm St. #A, Sisters your magnifying glass, take a look at the abdomen (that’s the rear end) you may notice tiny slits on the sides; that’s the fly’s breathing mecha- nism, and it gets even better as you explore the body of that pestiferous insect that drives some of us nuts. Look at those antennae! Oh, yes, lest I forget, mos- quitoes are also “true flies.” But it’s only the females that suck your blood; the males are flower-lovers and among our more important pollinators. Oh, yes, Mother Nature’s multifaceted; it was designed that way. The tachinidae are a large and variable fam- ily of flies with more than 8,200 known species having been described in just North America alone. Flies in this family commonly are called tachina flies or simply tachi- nids, and as far as is known, they all are “protelean para- sitoids,” which means they are parasites of butterflies and other insects. Several years back California sister butter- flies emerged in unprec- edented numbers through- out Northern California and Oregon. There were so many millions flying around that the California Highway Department installed spe- cial washing machines along I-5 at Weed to clean the butterflies out of the radia- tors of trucks so they didn’t overheat. In Bend, the butterflies descended by the tens of thousands into the Shevlin Park area and the larvae (cat- erpillars) completely defoli- ated the snowbrush. COWBOY DINNER TREE SILVER LAKE AUGUST 5 | $99 PP Fort Rock Museum included. FIRST TIME EVER OFFERED! CRUISE TO CUBA! OCT. 6 - 11, includes air, taxes, transfers, pre-night & shore excursion in Havana! Inside $1,785 PPDO, Window $1,945 PPDO, Jr. Suite/balcony $2,675 PPDO SPACE LIMITED! FIRST COME/FIRST SERVED! WINNEMUCCA-RENO NV SEPT. 5-8 | $199 PPDO Offered only ONCE this year! Receive over $70 slot play/food credits! 1 nt. Winnemucca / 2 nts. Reno! COLUMBIA GORGE SEPT. 13 | $199 pp Includes 5-hour cruise to Multnomah Falls, Beacon Rock, Vista House and the Bonneville Locks and Dam. Captain’s narra- tion, continental breakfast, lunch buffet, desert, fountain sodas, hot tea/coffee! BRANSON MO! NOV. 6-13 | $2,299 PPDO Includes air, taxes, transfers, 7 nts., 8 days, 14 meals/shows! PALM SPRINGS, CA NOV 16-21 | $1,599 PPDO Includes air, taxes, transfers, 6 days/5 nts. at Palm Mtn. Resort! Connie Boyle 541-508-1500 Box 615 Sisters, OR 97759 We wanted to capture photos of the butterflies emerging from the chrysa- lis (not cocoon; that’s for moths), so I cut several snow-brush branches cov- ered with larval cases and brought them home. Patiently we waited for the butterfly to emerge, watching the chrysalis wig- gle from time to time, but as the butterflies emerged, something astounding hap- pened. In more than 50 percent of the chrysalides, instead of a butterfly emerg- ing from the silken case, out popped tiny flies. They were tachinids that had grown from eggs laid in the caterpillar by adult tachinids; the eggs hatched and kept growing as their host metamorphosed from caterpillar to adult insect, the maggot devouring the advancing butterfly, then the fly emerging as an adult. I’m still searching to see who gets to be the lucky host of that beautiful giant in the photo above (which I’ve named the Chewucan tachi- nid fly). My entomological pal in Colorado, Eric Eaton, reminded me that reproduc- tive strategies vary greatly, and sometimes can be con- fused with the wasps, that can be host-specific. Typically, tachinid larvae are internal parasites of cat- erpillars of butterflies and moths, but some species also attack larvae and adult bee- tles, while others use grass- hoppers, centipedes, bees, wasps and sawflies. Many tachinids are SUMMER PROJECTS? Pressure Washer Airless Paint Sprayer Ladders NEED IT, RENT IT! 506 N. Pine St. 541-549-9631 Sales • Service Rentals • Accessories www.sistersrental.com PHOTO BY JIM ANDERSON A beautiful tachinid fly — which aren’t usually that colorful — on my wife Sue’s sweater. important natural enemies of major insect pests, and some species actually are used in biological pest control. Conversely, certain tachi- nid flies that prey on useful insects are considered as pests. Another reproductive strategy is when a female leaves her eggs within the host’s environment. The female might lay her eggs on leaves, where the host is likely to ingest them. Some tachinids that are parasit- oids of stem-boring cater- pillars deposit eggs outside the host’s burrow, letting the first instar larvae do the work of finding the host for themselves. So, there you are: That tiny, ugly fly, or that beauty in the start of this piece (depending on your taste in Mother Nature’s magnificent word of creatures) can blow you away with all they they do for and to you. Come Try Our Special Quilters’ Blend Reserve… … or any of our other delicious teas, coffee, crepes & food. ~ Gif Gift f t ce certifi ertifi fic ca fi c cates a te t es e s ~ Brewing accessories ~ Mugs & other gifts Mon-Fri 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Sat & Sun 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 450 E. Cascade | 541-549-8077