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<\/a>Biking in Idaho, 2013.<\/p><\/div>\n
Each block of spare time, therefore, is a choice between major hobbies: cycling, or aphids? Aphids or cycling?\u00a0 On April 11, cycling got the nod.\u00a0 On my way out of the neighborhood, I glanced behind me at the wrong time and collided with a little rock in the road.\u00a0 Little, yes.\u00a0 But, big enough to bring me down hard on my left shoulder and elbow, resulting in a cracked clavicle, cracked humerus, severely sprained forearm, and third degree AC separation.\u00a0 Today is June 10 and my arm is still only about 20% functional.\u00a0 Instead of being 100% despondent, I decided to focus all my now-free-time on aphid field research, and what a spring it has been already!\u00a0 (Resulting in only 80% despondency!)<\/p>\n
Field season actually started with 3 weeks in Germany (May 1-24) vacationing and of course collecting aphids every chance I got.<\/p>\n
<\/a>A fabulous beech tree near Dresden.<\/p><\/div>\n
Mostly, those collections were expected and fairly easily guessed based on host plant, location, and time of year.\u00a0 But, I think I got a few good samples of Macrosiphum<\/em> on things like Rubus<\/em>, Fillipendula<\/em>, and Rosa<\/em>, plus some other oddball species I didn\u2019t recognize on Rosa<\/em> and Malus<\/em>.\u00a0 Tragically, I did not find the early spring forms of Macrosiphum melampyri<\/em> and Macrosiphum prenanthidis<\/em>, which I had really hoped to find.<\/p>\n Getting back home on May 25, field season started immediately.\u00a0 So did travel season for my paid employment (see http:\/\/www.nwpotatoresearch.com\/<\/a>).<\/p>\n As you may guess, I have many possible field work goals bobbing around in my head at any given time.\u00a0 Given my busted arm, I decided to pursue every one that I could possibly pursue.\u00a0 The results are as follows as of today:<\/p>\n Macrosiphum \u2018californicum\u2019<\/u><\/em> on Salix<\/em> (willows):<\/u> I have pursued the Macrosiphum<\/em> on Salix<\/em> for about 27 years.\u00a0 The dogma is that there is one species, M. californicum<\/em>, across all of North America that feeds all year on Salix<\/em>.\u00a0 Based on all my samples across the U.S. and Canada I am confident that there are at least two Macrosiphum<\/em> species on Salix<\/em>. Yet, I had never seen the early spring generation (fundatrix) and only twice the ovipara (egg-laying female) and male of any of them.\u00a0 The Macrosiphum<\/em> on Salix<\/em> seemed like so many other aphids \u2013 appearing out of nowhere mid-season, a sort of spontaneous generation.<\/p>\n Macrosiphum fundatrix on willow, Warner Mts., June 2018.<\/p><\/div>\n Last fall I collected the fall forms of one of these species in Colorado, and then nearly identical specimens in our local Warner Mountains (Fremont National Forest, Oregon).\u00a0 Yesterday, I finally collected the fundatrix at that same site.\u00a0 Halleluiah! Maybe in another 20 years I\u2019ll understand the other species on Salix<\/em>!<\/p>\n Aphis<\/u><\/em> on Veratrum<\/em> (cornhusk lily):<\/u> in about 2010 we were walking through the forest near Hayden, Idaho when I had the realization that perhaps the Aphis<\/em> that appeared out of nowhere every spring on Veratrum<\/em> was one of the species that overwinters on Holodiscus<\/em> (oceansprays, Rosaceae).\u00a0 Since that time I have been building a set of specimens from both plants that support the idea.\u00a0 Yesterday, I was finally able to collect some material from Holodiscus<\/em> at Can Spring in the Warner Mountains and initiate a bagged host plant transfer.\u00a0 This will almost certainly confirm my hypothesis of host plant alternation.\u00a0 One of the difficulties of this field work is that the spring forms of this Aphis<\/em> occur on Holodiscus<\/em> on high elevation rocky outcrops that get warm far earlier than surrounding terrain, resulting in very difficult spring collecting due to snow-pack on roads.\u00a0 Luckily, I knew of this particular outcrop that is easily accessible and likely infested.<\/p>\n Aphis on Holodiscus, transferred to Veratrum.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/a><\/a>