A gallery of positively identified insects

Dave and Terry,
Is it possible that we could have a insect gallery of some kind? A place where pictures of every kind of insect that we as DG'ers id could be posted? Something user friendly, on the order of or maybe even simpler than Plantfiles?

Is there anyone else that would be interested to donate pics to this kind of gallery?


This message was edited Jul 20, 2006 6:44 AM

Garden Terms would be a good place to start - you can add an entry for the insect by common or scientific name, add a description and picture.

Thank you x a billion Terry! I'll do that :)

You're welcome - if we find it grows to a point where we need something more formalized and separate from the rest of Garden Terms, we'll be happy to consider all other options at that time ;o)

Terry is there a way to add more than one picture to a single entry?
Example: Sphinx Moth (Tobacco Hornworm) - I was thinking more along the lines of showing pictures that range from what the eggs look like, what larvae look like, different stages of growth, molting processes, plant damage and adults.

Or do I make separate entries for each item?

Separate entries are the way to go - that way, you can also include a brief description of the photo (to explain the stage of their lifecycle, etc.)

I'll second what Terry said. If it grows enough and generates enough interest, I'll be happy with make a complete insect database for this.

dave

An excellent start! Thank you so much!
I'm really excited to see this project grow. Someday it's gonna be worthy of it's own section at DG. It's going to be awsome :) ... mark my words! lol! :)

I think it's a wonderful idea!!! We always have so many questions on bug ID's, and often are referred out to other sites, like WhatsThatBug, which..is a nice site, but if we could refer to something of our own, within DG, that would be terrific!!!

Just puttin in my two cents :)
PiggyPoo :0)

I could contribute photos of a lot of butterflies, moths, and bugs of all kinds--eg. Cicadas, Borer bees, Beetles, etc. as I have a huge brandy sniffer full of collected "critters".
Lots of Swallow-tail butterflies seem to "do their thing" under my patio roof and then die and drop down. If I can beat the ants to it, I pick them up. I have a HUGE, beautiful moth!

Just a few weeks ago I found a HUGE beetle--at least 11/2" long. Keep wishing I knew what it was. I would like this as a Forum for sure.

This all started with a shed snake skin that I found outside a greenhouse while working for a Grower.

When I get back home from my visit (I am in Alaska right now), I'll post a link to an insect ID place.

Gita

PiggyPoo , I hope you will help me to gently encourage others to let's fill up garden terms with bug critters. It will take time to build it up but it will be a wonderful asset for DG and its members some day :) Even if I gotta fill it up by myself lol! Do you think by the time I'm 99 years old I'll be able to hunt down every bug on earth single handedly? ... hee!

Yes Gita! That is the greatest news! Thank you soooooo much!

Vee8ch, LOL I don't think we'll need to wait until you are 99!! But if we all would fill up the Garden Terms as we get critters positively ID'd, then at least the worlds most popular, or sought out bugs (of at least ones us DGers need to know about) will be at DGers fingertips!

Three cheers for Vee8ch!

I would never have thought to look for bugs in Garden Terms. It might be something to post as a sticky in the ID and Garden Foes fourm.

zhinu I would have never thought to look there either. Please help us to spread the word if you get the chance. It's not a sticky but I did post a request in the Garden Foes forum. We need to post the news in the Butterflies and Hummers forum too. They have a billion tons of beautiful pictures and valuable info.

Fantastic!
Glad I checked out DG forum today.
I see you are already busy at work in the Garden Terms Vicki..
:)

wow single handedly! You are well on your way vee8ch. Way to go! I never would have thought to go there either.

Come on guys ... I'm not big enough to do this singlehandedly. And I'll turn 99 next year and just don't have alot of time left lol! Let's make it a DG group effort.
Kin dear, I happen to know that you are a genius with that camera of yours. Do you have bugs in Oregon? :) :) :)

I was thinking more like scanning the pics out of a book... Is that legal?

You can't scan stuff from a book and post photos here unless you get permission from the person/company who owns the copyright to the book. It certainly doesn't hurt to contact them and ask if it would be OK to use the pictures here, after all if you include info in your post on what the book was that you got the pic from it could be a bit of free advertising for them, but you definitely need their permission first and some may not be willing to do that.

FYI...for those keeping up with this suggestion through this thread, here's a list of the insect-related entries I found already listed in Garden Terms:

aphids: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/33.html
bagworm: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1251.html
bee: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1258.html (obviously, different bees would need different entries ;o)
braconid wasps: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1565.html
budworm: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1269.html
cabbage looper: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1273.html
capsid bugs: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/2188.html
caterpillars: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/2189.html
chinch bug: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1283.html
cicadas: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1285.html
cochineal: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/2297.html
cucumber beetle: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/2281.html
cutworms: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/236.html
earwig: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/2206.html
four-lined plant bug: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/2135.html
encarsia wasp: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1655.html
fruit fly: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/374.html
grasshopper: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1349.html
grub worm: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/416.html
gypsy moth: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1357.html
iris borer: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1399.html
Japanese beetle: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/2298.html
lace bug: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1408.html
lacewing: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1407.html
ladybug: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/2288.html
leafhopper: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1414.html
leaf miner: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1415.html
leatherjackets: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/2248.html
longhorn cactus beetle: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/2598.html
locust: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/2322.html
mealy bugs: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1164.html
multi-colored asian lady beetle: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1954.html
oriental fruit moth: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1463.html
pill bug: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1497.html
praying mantis: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1512.html
rose chafer: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/617.html
scale: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1204.html
sow bug: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1594.html
sphinx moth: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/2137.html
spider: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/2317.html (another very generic entry ;o)
spider mite: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1597.html
spitbug: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/2280.html
spittle bug: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/2279.html
squash borer: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1604.html
squash bug: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1605.html
stinkbug: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1610.html
thrips: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1165.html
tomato hornworm: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1624.html
tobacco hornworm: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/3080.html
treehopper: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1627.html

Cicada Killer: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/3083

Terry do you realise what a blessing your list is? Wow! Thank you so much!

awww, shucks. It wasn't much - but you're very welcome!

On one hand, I said to myself "Wow! I can't believe we only have 50 bug entries in Garden Terms!"

and at the same time, I was thinking "Wow! We already have 50 entries - maybe Dave should get busy coding that new database!" ;o)

I got a question...

How do we go about deciding what to call the entry? Garden Terms searches by alphebetical...I've got quite a few high quality images, but do I submit under Firefly, Lightning Bug, Pennsylvania Firefly or Photuris pennsylvanicus ? How will someone searching for images ultimately find the entry ?

Same for the Writing Spider,Charolette's Web Spider, Scribbler, Black-and Yellow Argiope or Argiope aurantia? All are names that are commonly used by various people....

In PF the Latin is the way we list them with the common names added to the entry...To avoid any big Do Overs...what is the best way to do this?

Mel, I'm struggling with the same thing - especially after I pulled that list together.

Dave, maybe we *do* need to plunge in with a scaled down database (not as intensive as PF, at least for starters), with text fields for:

Common name
Generic name
Specific epithet

Section for photos
Section for comments/description. (Probably ought to include positive/neutral/negative ratings to accompany them, so bugs can be tagged as good bug, bad bug, neutral ;o)

and maybe go ahead with ZIP code reports, too.

Other thoughts?

I'm okay with it and will be happy to program this, especially since it seems there is some interest among the membership.

I think we should include latin names, though, just like the PlantFiles.

Dave

Yep...I'm not sure we need to carry it to family name, but the bug-afficianados among us might differ in their opinion.

Help! Katy didn't lol!
Katydid will not allow me to add a definition. After I hit preview there is no add button.

ps ... whatever you guys decide about family names etc is fine with me. I'm definitely not a bug-afficianado like many others here at DG. I'll just do as I'm told :)

I added one or two butterflies http://davesgarden.com/terms/search.php?search_text=Butterfly
some more would be good!

It would definitely be easier if we had a fixed format to use too.

This message was edited Jul 21, 2006 4:23 PM

Vee8ch thanks so much for starting this.
Terry & Dave thanks so much for the go ahead

Thanks to everyone who is going to contribute... insects are a mystery to me and this will be so helpful. Don't laugh when I tell you have have never seen as many insects, bees, cats and butterflies as I do now .... that I have brugs and daturas.

Judy

I think some sort of uniform format would be great. I don't think we need to go so far as to include family names at the moment, but need some sort of guidelines that the general gardener AND the bug people could both use without too much whining.

I've got quite a few nice images that I'll be happy to include, but may hold off for a bit if Dave is going to whip something up.

Me too, gonna wait. I'm sure it will be alot easier on Dave too if we just be patient and allow him to do his magic :)

Definitely waiting is best - much too much work if poor Dave has to convert all our efforts, and even more if we have to do it ourselves! I know it took ages to do those five butterflies yesterday and it would be a shame to waste the effort and enthusiasm of doing more if we all need to start again.

Amen okus! lol! It is alot of work. By the way , Great job on your Butterflies!

Thanks Vee8ch. I'm not too hot on caterpillars and eggs though - I hope someone is.

I defiantly think that zip code reports are a good idea.

Oh, I'm sure that once this gets kicked off, that a lot of the folks over on the Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening forum will contribute with the cats and eggs!

Great idea, I agree that we need a proper BugFiles. If we are to go to the trouble of putting a pic on it needs to be noticed.

I think it will be very popular, I wonder how many people use Garden Terms?

I have a lot of good pics I would love to put on. I can see there will be a lot more bugs for ID on the ID forum.

Would a separate Bug ID forum be in order also?

What about not putting them in the Garden Terms, but actually have a "Bug File", like we have "Plant Files"?

That's where we will likely wind up. Generally speaking, we don't build a feature until there's a demonstrated need/demand for it.

A bug database is - just like plantfiles - a lot of work to build and maintain. We tend to test the waters first and make sure there's enthusiastic support for a suggestion after people realize that by asking for it, they're also volunteering to help build it ;o)