NVBA News Blog
American Robin. Photo: Mick Thompson/Audubon Photography Awards
Welcome to the blog for Northern Virginia Bird Alliance, a wealth of resources about northern Virginia birds, wildlife, habitat conservation and restoration, native plants, wildlife-friendly gardening, advocacy and more.
Grasshoppers: Masters of Disguise
Grasshoppers leap out of my way as I walk through a grassy area, and that inspired this month's column. There are about 10,000 short-horned grasshopper species worldwide, at least 60 of which are found in Virginia.
An Introduction to Lacewings and Other Neuroptera
I went to North Carolina recently, searching for early season dragonflies. We searched for dragonflies by day, but at night we set up a black light to see what other insects we could attract. The highlight was a Pleasing Lacewing, an insect I had only seen once before, and it is the inspiration for this month's column.
All About Planthoppers
Have you ever seen a small insect with a fiber-optic-like tail? If so, you've probably seen a planthopper nymph.
Insect Camouflage: Hiding from Jumping Spiders
Insects protect themselves from predation in a variety of ways, but one of the more unusual techniques is to resemble the predator they want to avoid.