Dead Man’s Blog

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 When I learned we were going to Dead Man’s Bog on Friday, May 31st, I was confused. Hadn’t we just visited a bog two days before? However, despite the name, we did not go bogging. Instead, we got to explore totally new habitats.


The first habitat we visited was a swath of tall grasses on either side of the two-track road. It was my first time using a sweep net as intended, whipping it back-and-forth through the vegetation. After five sweeps I checked my net and was shocked to find I had collected a ridiculous number of insects, especially numerous grasshoppers and planthoppers! As I attempted to sort through them, a Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos) flew tantalizingly close. With the help of Callen and his aerial net, I procured my first butterfly of both the trip and my entire collection. 



A surprisingly full sweep net. Photo by author


It was a shame to have to move on, but I quickly forgot about it when we entered the aspen forest. I had never seen anything like it- the trees were small, slim, and straight, all roughly the same size despite clearly not having been planted. What caused this? As it turns out, we weren’t walking among many small trees, but one enormous tree. The main body of a quaking aspen (Populus tremoloides) is not what we can see above ground but rather an extensive root system which can spread for acres, sending up genetically identical trunks as it goes. A stand of aspen is thus rightfully called a clone. It is believed that an aspen clone in Utah is the largest single organism in the world, estimated to weigh over 6,000 tons. But that’s not the only interesting thing about aspens. They are able to carry out photosynthesis in their bark, continuing to produce sugars during the winter when their leaves are gone. This makes them an excellent year-round food source for ungulates.



Dead Man’s Bog aspen grove. Photos by author


Clearly, an aspen clone makes a very good habitat for arthropods as well.  I was happy to spot the delicate colors of a green lacewing, which I had been looking for all trip. However, my most exciting catch was yet to come. I spotted an interesting fly with a pale body and red eyes, and was shocked when it landed to reveal a perfect smiley face on its folded wings!



Tetanocera “smiley face fly”. Photo by author


Unlike most dipterans, this one was distinctive enough to find with a simple internet search. Tetanocera is a genus of marsh flies, Sciomyzidae, also known as snail-killing flies due to their unique life cycle. Sciomyzid larvae rely on gastropods as their food source and may be either predators or parasitoids, which makes them potential agents for biological control. Despite their name, marsh flies can be found in a wide variety of wet habitats, sometimes including forests. I suspect that the proximity of the bog may have something to do with this specimen’s appearance in a seemingly dry aspen grove.


The one downside of the eerily beautiful aspen clone is that it all looked the same, and our party quickly got split up and turned around. Lagging behind as usual, I left the aspens behind and caught up to the others just in time to see them vanishing into the coniferous forest. I stopped to rest for a moment but was soon absorbed in looking at bugs. A Little Wood-Satyr (Megisto cymela) fluttered by, and after snagging it in my net I immediately dropped everything else I was holding and sank to my knees in the tall grass to secure it in an envelope. I didn’t bother getting up again after that- I realized I had the perfect bug’s-eye-view when I spotted a treehopper (family Membracidae) clinging to a grass stem!


When we got back to the lab, I emptied my pockets and was surprised to see how many insects I had accumulated! Even though our trip lasted only an afternoon, my collection will serve as a lasting reminder of the memories we made together.



My haul. Photo by author



References:


Natural Wildlife Federation, “Quaking Aspen” 

https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Plants-and-Fungi/Quaking-Aspen


Schorno, S., Marshall, S.A., Murphy, W.L., and Muzzatti, M. 2019. Sciomyzidae of northeastern North America. Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification. 

https://cjai.biologicalsurvey.ca/articles/smmm-35/b


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