Deluxe box subscribers this month might notice their special item is quite different from our usual art style. The charming katydid artwork on your tote bag was found in the 1890 issue of the Sunday Magazine, in a story about singing insects.
We're inviting you to give this old bug a new look - decorate your tote bag with your own pins, patches, or whatever else you can think of. Then, share it on social media with the hashtag #bugbox and give us a tag. We'll send you a code to get a bonus female katydid in your choice of color - green, pink, or yellow!
]]>In the early 1900s, scientists were divided on the cause of these unusual colors. Some declared it was the result of the changing seasons, the insect’s age, or other environmental factors. In 1916, entomologist Joseph Hancock successfully bred pink katydids in captivity to show that the colors were the result of genetics.
Nearly a hundred years later, researchers at the Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium in New Orleans studied these fascinating katydids in a breeding program. They learned that the alleles for green coloration are actually recessive traits, with the “rare” colors actually being dominant - but since pink, yellow, and orange katydids are more likely to be spotted by predators, green remains the “most fit” coloration and the most likely to be found in the wild.
Give an old katydid new colors and get a bonus pin
Deluxe box subscribers this month might notice their special item is quite different from our usual art style. The charming katydid artwork on your tote bag was found in the 1890 issue of the Sunday Magazine, in a story about singing insects.
We're inviting you to give this old bug a new look - decorate your tote bag with your own pins, patches, or whatever else you can think of. Then, share it on social media with the hashtag #bugbox and give us a tag. We'll send you a code to get a bonus female katydid in your choice of color - green, pink, or yellow!*
We can't wait to see where you take this bug on your adventures.
* Offer is valid to Bug Box deluxe subscribers, August 2023 Deluxe box purchasers, and Katydid Tote purchasers through December 31, 2023. Free pin coupon does not expire. Limit 1 per customer.
]]>On the topic of the well-loved but invasive Chinese and European mantises: beware of unscrupulous garden centers that sell unlabeled ootheca. They are often non-native species, as it's not technically illegal to sell them. Gardeners who are unaware of the different species will buy non-native ootheca in the hopes of an eco-friendly garden, only to have the opposite effect - mantids are indiscriminate eaters who often take advantage of flowers and capture pollinators, including hummingbirds.
Like many other invasive species, it seems the Chinese and European mantids are here to stay, but if you're planning on releasing mantids in your yard, always make sure they're properly labeled and native to your area.
Despite its smaller size and lack of otherworldly features that make exotic mantids highly prized by collectors, zoos, and photographers, the Carolina mantis is a beautiful insect with an extraordinary variety of colors. Check out Bug Guide's Carolina mantis photo page for a glimpse at the diversity within this species across the Americas, and keep your eyes open - you might just get lucky and find one where you live.
]]>As summer ends, the queen lays eggs that become males and new queens, who fly off to mate and start new colonies.
In the fall (usually October), all males, workers, and old queens die as frosty nights begin and there's less food to be found. The newly mated queens dig just a few inches into undisturbed soil and go dormant for the long winter, after which they’ll emerge to begin the next generation.
This bee’s reliance on a variety of undisturbed micro-habitats and native plants makes it vulnerable to human encroachment and pesticide use. It is now critically endangered in the US and Canada.
Behind the box
Bee pins are pretty commonly requested from us, and we wanted to make the next one both familiar-looking and special. (We had previously done the Blue Carpenter Bee, which was popular but not what people wanted when they pictured lovable yellow-and-black insects). We wanted to make pins that would immediately feel like classics.
The special item was more of a challenge. We considered a "bee's knees beanie" again, but winter is ending rapidly. Looking to our past Periodical Cicada box, we decided on plant stakes again - the uncoated steel would eventually create "rusty patches". To us, the empty bee silhouette represents a creature that once was common amongst our flowers and gardens, but is now missing almost everywhere.
It's a reminder that honeybees aren't the only bees that need help - in fact, the honeybee's future is largely secure, thanks to the farming industry's reliance on it. But our native bees face far greater odds without human help. Pesticides, monoculture lawns, habitat fragmentation will remain their biggest threats until we rethink our yards and public spaces entirely - prioritizing a place for Nature instead of constantly trying to push it out.
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Our newest box is a departure from the usual form for us. Far from being a beloved childhood favorite or an exotic marvel on a bucket list, the Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is an invasive insect spreading alarmingly across eastern North America. But despite the warnings posted across the mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States to watch out, report, and eliminate the lanternfly, these unusual beauties seem to fascinate bug fans, making this the most-requested insect for The Bug Box over the past year.
Fortunately, we can spread the lanternfly as much as we like in the form of harmless pins, patches, and stickers, so we got to work on the perfect box for our imperfect world. It's truly a delightful-looking insect, with a metamorphosis as striking as a butterfly's. In fact, the adults are often mistaken for butterflies or moths due to their wing size and colors.
First, a little lesson in case you're out of the lanternfly loop. This unique-looking planthopper has been accidentally introduced to the United States, Japan, and South Korea from China. In its native range, the spotted lanternfly is just like any other piece of the food web puzzle, feeding on a variety of flora and being fed upon, in turn, by a handful of parasitic wasps. But with no natural predators in its new territories, it has spread rapidly in just a few years and caused extensive damage to food crops and gardens.
Its expansion has been helped by pre-existing introduced populations of its preferred host plant, the much-maligned and ironically-named Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima). While the lanternfly can feed upon a huge variety of plants, it seems to need the Tree of Heaven to create new generations that thrive. And while the Tree of Heaven is also native to China, it has also been an invasive pest in other parts of the world for decades. Though notoriously difficult to eradicate (it can grow back from the roots), trees are ultimately easier to spot and slower to spread than insects. Fighting back against Tree of Heaven could severely hamper the lanternfly's spread.
The fight against the lanternfly in the United States has a many-pronged approach. Tracking the spread relies largely upon citizen scientists reporting lanternfly sightings - so for February's box, we decided on a woven "Lanternfly Spotter Scarf" to keep us cozy on winter walks, when egg masses are most easily seen.
Invasive insects can be next-to-impossible to completely eradicate - sometimes the best we can hope for is 'naturalization', when nature finds balance again and the invasive species is kept in check by existing or introduced diseases or predators.
Scientists are currently studying whether the Spotted Lanternfly's natural parasites can be introduced without harming native insects. Since parasitic wasps are often extreme specialists targeting a narrow range of species (or even just a single species!), this approach could ultimately prove the most effective.
With global trade increasing everywhere at a dizzying pace, invasive species are a reality of our world. How they shape our future ecosystems and food resources is up to us - to an extent. The lanternfly is a reminder that some mistakes can't be undone and some things are beyond our complete control. It's up to us to find the way forward and protect biodiversity as much as we can.
One of the best parts about creating The Bug Box is that each month is a different adventure through the life history of these extraordinary creates. Their lives are as dramatic as those of large, charismatic animals we see in nature documentaries. But because their scale is so much smaller, we often know less about the insects in our own backyards than we do about the lions in the Serengeti.
Each box is a chance for us to share some of this wonder, because it is worth sharing these remarkable "little things that run the world". So let's get out there, wrap yourself in a scarf, put your pin on your jacket - and spread awareness (but not real lanternflies).
Have you seen the Spotted Lanternfly in your area? Are you a citizen scientist keeping an eye out? Let us know, we'd love to hear your story.
]]>The idea
We met with our friend and local roaster Larry Anzuoni at his flagship cafe, Leyden Street Coffee, a stone's throw from us in downtown Plymouth, MA. After years of experience repairing professional coffee equipment, he started roasting his own craft brews and opened a shop for people who legitimately love good coffee.
Naturally, we were thrilled when he asked us about a collaboration. John began thinking about Red Rose Tea's little ceramic figurines, which used to come in every box. His grandmother collected them avidly, and he got to join in the excitement of opening the boxes to see what treasure was inside. Eventually, this became one of his cherished memories of her. Couldn't we recreate something like that with our pins?
Getting into the grind
First things first: it takes only a day or two's notice to freshly roast and bag our coffee to order, but it takes far longer to make those enamel pins. So right away, I had to get started putting in a few new designs, expecting them to show up about a month later.
Next up was label designing and ordering. I got through a 3rd draft of an elaborate design featuring Rover perched on the rim of a mug, surrounded by coffee leaves, berries, and flowers, with a row of ants carrying roasted beans below. John thought the snail looking at the viewer was unsettling (he thinks their faces are creepy, and he likes it when the snail looks off in the distance). I said it didn't make sense if the snail was looking away from the coffee. A whole discussion was head on the logistics and absurdity of the scene I had created. I threw my arms up and gave myself a couple days to rethink the whole thing.
Looking ahead
Mulling over some of the existing designs and themes from the world we've created, I came back once again to the Winter Wonder mountains. This was a design that took a lot of time, practicing and staring at various pictures of mountainsides and trying different methods of drawing them. I was always very happy with the finished result.
I imagined the start of that adventure, with the snail perched at the edge of a cliff, admiring those peaks from afar in the rising sun, with a hot beverage in foot. It came together quickly within the day, and with both of us happy at last, we got the label order in the can.
It's all in the details
A few weeks after the initial meeting, it was time to join up again and go over some of the details to be sure we were all ready for the first round of signups. The site and subscription setup was ready to go for the soft launch. We discussed other things to add in the near future, like home brewing recipes and tips.
One question that came up a lot after our announcement was whether we would offer pre-ground coffee. And we're excited to say: no! Leyden Street's core belief is that pre-ground is not fresh, and we agree. We only want the best coffee and the best pins to get to you in the mail, so it's whole beans only from us.
Pour me one for the road
One big topic on our minds, now that festivals, fairs, and trade shows are opening back up to the world again, was how to bring coffee samples on the road. Serving a little taste of the new Coffee Club is on our "must do" list when we start tabling again. We began to ask about the best portable equipment for grinding, brewing, keeping the coffee warm...
Of course, we were overthinking it completely. Larry's solution was perfectly simple: cold brew in a Cambro, bro. Well, that was a weight off our shoulders.
Hitting the road for the first time in years is an exciting thought. For now, though, summer days and milling crowds still seem like a distant dream. We're putting our heads down and getting everything ready for the soft launch this Friday of the Coffee Club. Hope you'll join us on this first little step!
]]>Recently, we had to reorder our most popular insect pin - the Periodical Cicada. This was a little surprising - we thought the monarch would be the first to sell out, and lots of people think these little guys are “ugly” or “gross”. (We happen to think they’re goofy-cute, like Muppets.)
Brood X doesn’t emerge as far north as our home in Massachusetts, but using the Cicada Safari app, we could see them within a day’s drive in New Jersey. I spotted the Institute Woods as a publicly accessible piece of land near reported cicada sightings, and hoped we’d have luck. I admit, I was stressed on the drive that we wouldn’t
My worry was completely unfounded - as we pulled off the highway, we realized the background noise was filled with insect song, and we rolled down the windows to enjoy this new-to-us,
We found the park easily, and it was well worth the trip. The sight and sound of countless huge, colorful insects and their golden fairy-wings was simply unforgettable. To admire from afar would have been enough, but these guys were fearless - they’ll fly right onto you, and slowly climb as though you were a tree. It’s rare to see an insect so large in the northeastern United States, and to be able to touch them up close and peer into those googly eyes is really a treat. It became my favorite day of the summer.
Maybe a part of the popularity of the cicadas is their rarity - if we experienced it all the time, we’d probably grow accustomed and annoyed, like we humans do with most things in nature we take for granted. For now, the cicadas are a memory to us, and their offspring are sleeping underground while we stare out our windows at the snow and rain - may we all meet again, somewhere down the road.
]]>When she was just a tiny spiderling, she really hit the jackpot finding her abode. She lives in a protected exterior corner of the house by the door, where we watched her grow bigger and bigger as the summer went on.
Every night, she would spin a fresh web, then retire in the daylight to her hiding spot in the unused screen track of a glass window. There, she rests one claw on the threads of her web, feeling for the thrashings of some hapless insect.
Whenever I come and go, I look for her, and always see that little claw sticking out just a bit. She reminds me of a tired fisherman snoozing on the beach with her rod in hand.
Tonight it’s not so cold, and she’s relaxing on her web like she did in the warm summer nights of her youth. She was never supposed to live this long, but sometimes we all break the rules to have a good time.
Happy New Year to you, and to this tough little spider - may we all exceed expectations, break through limitations, and surprise ourselves in 2022.
From November through April in much of southern New England, the outdoors is a dreary place. The leaves are gone, and right alongside the water, there probably isn't even any snow. It's hard to get excited about an adventure outdoors without much of anything scenic happening.
But there is one magical thing about this long stretch of winter - in the dry clear air, and with all the foliage gone, you can see for long distances. And things that were previously unknown are suddenly revealed.
The East Bay Bike Path running from Providence, Rhode Island to Bristol, Massachusetts offers many such opportunities. Like many "rail trails" - formerly functioning train tracks turned into public spaces of enjoyment - the EBBP hugs the oceanside for a good amount of its length. When the trees shed their leaves, views of the water open up, along with some other surprising sights.
One of our favorite hidden surprises can be found right alongside Belcher Cove and the pumping station, across from Brown Street. You won't see it in the late spring, summer, or early fall, but when it's finally visible by wintertime, you'll wonder how you ever missed it.
Behind a gray, tangled web of winter vines and branches, brick ruins bloom with colorful graffiti. Here lie mysterious remains of an old building - reportedly a former power station used by the rail company. Everything is gone besides some archways, almost totally covered in every shade of spray paint.
In the warmer months, the leaves fill in the forest, and the view of the ruins all but vanishes. Locals in the know unsurprisingly use it as a secret hideout in the summer - giggles and cannabis smoke often percolate through the bushes and archways.
Like all urban decay, the ruins are an interesting intersection of vulgar art and nature's efforts to reclaim and rebuild. Delightful mosses and ferns take footholds in every crack and crevice, next to crass messages shouted out from years past. And like many ruins on the margins of society, litter prevents the otherwise quiet space from being an ideal sit-down spot.
Fortunately, if you want better views, the adjacent Belcher Cove is a publicly accessible strip of beach known for great bird watching opportunities.
What to wear: long pants tucked into socks (beware of ticks and scratchy vines); rainbow anodized pins or bright accessories to match that graffiti.
Where to eat: we love fueling up at Plant City or The Grange (temporarily closed) on the Providence end of the East Bay Bike Path. There's also a lemonade stand and juice bar a stone's throw south on the bike path, although winter hours might be non-existent.
Going up and down the full length of this path takes up most the day, especially if you want to stop and enjoy things, so we love a jolt of caffeine and then plenty of hydration along the way.
Do you have a favorite spot that's only visible in the winter time? Let us know, and maybe we'll head that way someday.
]]>First up is a sweet new classic - four hard enamel ice cream flavors to tickle your senses. I just love the way the waffle texture on the cones came out. (If you haven't guessed, I am solidly on Team Summer.)
John's fired up for fall, though, and he's rolled out a new skull design right on time. "Masked Skull" pins make bold little accents on a jacket or bag - did I ever tell you that you look hot in a mask?
Finally, I'm accepting that autumn is inevitable with a hard enamel reissue of the "Basic AF" pumpkin pin. This one has orange glitter that gives it a candy-like, irresistible sparkle. Be on the lookout for the Blackout pumpkins, too - they're issued randomly to Gold subscribers in the month of September.
DROP INFO / FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 @ 12 NOON EDT
Stay cool, stay safe, stay roving. See you at the drop.
]]>My favorite time of year has always been summer. My happiest memories all seem to take place on long, hot days that stretched on forever without the confines of school or work.
The one sound that always brings me back is the long, drawling buzz of the dog day cicada, echoing between the pitch pines. Named for the heat that draws them out of their burrows, these beauties were always a mystery to me. I never knew what the sound was as a child - it was a little like a squirrel's scolding, and a lot like someone's power tools, but it always came from a source beyond reach.
Imagine my delight when I learned it came from this strange bug - huge but gentle, froglike but as sophisticated as a living emerald. Now, when I first hear the cicada's calls between the treetops, I know I'm in the final, glorious days of summer - and I have to slow down and savor it while it lasts.
This weekend's offerings are future memories of summer, to hold onto as the seasons turn and warm days seem like an impossible dream.
]]>Satisfy those cravings with some sweet new pins & a sticker, all on Friday, August 20 @ 5 PM EDT.
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