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Insect Collecting Basics
Hello fellow insect curators! If you've ever wanted to learn how to collect insects, preserve and curate them for your own collection, then you've come to the right place. In this article, we'll focus on the art of insect collecting, preservation and curation techniques will be covered in another article. The most important thing you will need to start your insect collection is, in fact, insects. True, there are several pieces of equipment that may make curation easier, but without something to curate there isn't really much point to making a collection, is there? There are many different collection avenues open...
Butterflies and Skippers and Moths, Oh My!
Hello fellow lepidopterists! Butterflies, skippers, and moths are all closely related insects. In fact, some might argue that there are very few differences between butterflies and moths in a scientific context. However, there are enough that the two groups can be distinguished from each other. This is an example of a behavior called "puddling" where butterflies drink muddy water to obtain vital nutrients and minerals. Here we have a comma butterfly. Note the straight antennae and the four visible legs which help identify this as a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. Butterflies can range in size from a wingspan of...