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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, June 13, 2018
Weather
Watch
Cave Junction
Thursday, June 14
Partly Cloudy
High -- 78 Low -- 51
Friday, June 15
Partly Cloudy
High -- 77 Low -- 52
Saturday, June 16
Partly Cloudy
High -- 78 Low -- 54
Sunday, June 17
Sunny
High -- 84 Low -- 57
Monday, Jun 18
Mostly Sunny
High -- 88 Low -- 59
Tuesday, Jun 19
Sunny
High -- 92 Low -- 64
Wednesday,Jun 20
Sunny
High -- 92 Low -- 63
Following are the high & low temperatures,
and rainfall recorded at The End of the Road
in O’Brien by Cheryl Johnson:
June
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
High
80.1
90.8
87.0
79.4
79.1
80.6
74.4
Low
33.9
42.0
48.5
43.2
40.4
42.2
47.9
Rain
T
June Rain: .T YTD Rain: 58.30”
i love
shuffleboard!
Crawlies with Cri: by Cri Solo
“Ornate: 1. made
in an intricate shape
or decorated with
complex patterns.”
(Merriam-Webster online
dictionary)
This week’s crawly
could be the photo next
to that definition. Meet
the ornate checkered
beetle (Trichodes
ornatus).
Ornate checkered
are in the subfamily
Clerinae. There are
69 species of them in
the U.S. and they are
amazing, bitty beetles.
At just one-quarter inch
in size, they are small.
If you’d like to see an
ornate, keep an eye
on spring and summer
blossoms. The patterns
on ornate vary slightly,
as does their color. They
can be black and yellow,
or less commonly, black
and red. They all have
that sparkly green head
though.
While we tend to
worry when we see a
bugon our posies, most
insects aren’t there to
eat the blooms, leaves
etc. They’re after pollen,
nectar, or, in the case of
the ornate, it does both
while flitting from bloom
to bloom. They pollinate
as they go also munch on
other insects or flowering
plants, like aphids.
Ornate larvae do
eat the eggs of solitary
wasps and bees though,
so it’s sort of a pollinator
trade-off. However,
the other 68 species of
Clerinae all eat pollen,
and thus pollinate.
Their larvae keep down
populations of bark
beetles and grasshoppers
by eating their eggs and
larvae. The adult beetles
will go for the adults of
these critters as well as
weevils and other boring
insects.
Many Clerinae
aren’t just pollinators,
but key pollinators. This
means that certain types
of flowers really depend
on those bright beetles to
flourish.
While the ornate (at
least the yellow ones)
are pretty fair wasp
mimics, other Clerinae
mimic velvet ants, other
types of wasps and even
fireflies. Nature loves a
mimic; it often pays to
look twice at a critter to
be sure of exactly what
you’re seeing.
To find Clerinae
you can also look on the
bark of dead standing
trees, especially oak.
They’ll be there looking
for a meal and/or a place
to lay their eggs. Never
underestimate a dead
tree; they are just as full
of life as the live ones.
Some Clerinae also
come to lights at night,
so take a few minutes
to explore around
your porch light while
you’re out enjoying our
awesome summer nights.
Ornate checkered beetle ( Trichodes ornatus )
A LL you cAn eAt breAkfAst
or order off tHe menu
At tHe
IV GrAnGe
S PORTSMAN TAVER N
• 2 Pool Tables & Shuffleboard •
• Friday Night Karaoke •
• Saturday Night Pool Tournaments •
• Bloody Mary Sundays 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. •
• NFL Special Events •
FIRST THREE SUNDAYS OF THE MONTH: 8 AM - 12 PM
3763 Holland Loop
541-659-3781 or 541-415-1819
Taste of Illinois Valley
Friday, June 22, 2018 6pm to 8pm
Hosted by:
Rock’n R Ranch
400 Brown Rd., O’Brien
Presented by:
$35.00 per person
Tickets Available at:
IV News
Wheels A’ Turnin
This is a fundraiser benefitting the
youth in Illinois Valley.