Category Archives: Biology

When it snows, look for snow flies

It’s going to snow all day here in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, so I thought I’d post a quick note about a snow fly I found years ago in New York. I’m pretty it was a male Chionea scita (Limoniidae), one of 16-18 species north of Mexico. All members of the genus are wingless, and it’s my understanding that they use snow as an opportunity to better find mates. If you have snow, too, I highly recommend looking for them.

Here’s a photograph of a mating pair. That’s all the adults do, I gather. The larvae likely hang out in rodent nests, perhaps eating the fungi that grow on the feces (don’t judge). But that’s just a guess among biologists who study the genus.

If you find one, definitely take a photograph and post to either BugGuide or iNaturalist, sites that can better help biologists and snow-fly enthusiasts track which species occur where. And you can also get an identification from experts on those sites. As you can see from the distribution map on BugGuide, snow flies have never been reported in approximately 20 states, and other countries have similar issues because the flies are so rare. You’d have a few seconds of fame if you could fill in one of these distribution gaps.

And take some closeups of the head region if your camera can do that — there’s apparently a nematode (or its eggs, I’m unsure of which) that can sometimes be found coiled around their necks inside a thin-walled collar. Also take closeups of any missing legs, which is of interest because they have the ability to jettison limbs that begin to freeze as a way to prevent the crystallization from spreading to the rest of the body (nice trick).

If you’re a science fan and live near a post office, consider packing up the specimen and sending it to the folks running The Snow Fly Project. If you are in the snow a lot, sign up for an account at Adventure Scientists to facilitate your collections.

Puncture vines are awful

I thought I’d write a post about puncture vines (Tribulus terrestris) in case anyone out there is wondering what to do about them. By way of introduction, below is a photograph of the bottom of one of my shoes after a short run in Madras, Oregon. Those are puncture vine burrs (91 of them, counting both shoes), all picked up during the approximately 10 seconds when I ran through a segment of Cowden Park.

The spined fruit functions like a caltrop (or tribulus), a barbed, stationary weapon that can pierce footwear. The spines can lodge in dog paws and puncture bike tires. Below is a close-up.

The plant itself looks harmless, but if you see it on your property you should kill it on sight. It can produce hundreds of seeds per year.

In Oregon, you should report an infestation to the Oregon Invasive Species Online Hotline. You can also search the associated database to see where the weed has already been reported and whether state or local officials came and dealt with it. And if you live in Madras, Oregon, they have a website devoted to the weed, and apparently can fine residents $500 (per day) for allowing the plant to grow unchecked. If you live in a town that has the species but that doesn’t have a group working to fight it, start one.

How to control

According to message boards on the topic, it takes about three years of killing puncture vines to achieve success, so stick with it even if it seems futile. When you walk around your property, always take a tool that can pop the plant out along with most of the tap root (they come out very easily). For weeds like that I really like to use a long-handled puller, the kind with two angled tines at the tip. I also have a smaller version.

In addition to getting rid of the plants, you might also want to get rid of as many seeds as possible. For that, you might invest in a contraption called the Goathead Roller ($295). Per photographs online, small kids can easily push it around. More extensive options for larger properties can be found at stickerburrroller.com. A cheaper option is to attach pool noodles at the end of a paint-roller arm. Or attach the noodle to a chair frame (see on YouTube). For small areas some people have good luck laying down a cheap carpet and then walking around on it, then throwing it away. You can also suck them up with a cordless vacuum (YouTube).

If you live in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, or Utah, you might try to procure some puncture vine seed weevils (Microlarinus lareynii) or puncture vine stem weevils (Microlarinus lypriformis), species that were introduced from abroad for biocontrol. Arbico used to sell them but apparently no longer, so interested parties should contact their respective state department of agriculture to find a source.

My 2 cents

This plant is a master at using shoes to disperse to new areas, so I think more parks with infestations should install benches with signs that say, “Please take a minute to de-burr your shoes before leaving so that puncture vines don’t spread.” And there should be two pairs of pliers attached to each end of the bench with cables, just like those pens at the bank.