Weep for Homoptera

Yes. Homoptera has been needlessly subsumed into Hemiptera. How awful is that? Mercy! Crumby had just gotten over Compositae getting the new nomenclature, Asteraceae. Now this. Why, why, oh why? Progress shall never falter. Alas!

Lately, since the rain in September, a great many dragonflies have been busy at the Cow Barn. This is what they do. Those dragonflies swarm on the north side of the pecan orchard within a few feet of the foliage and high up, like maybe 20 feet in the air. They have been at it almost every day, morning and/or afternoon. Three species are implicated. These are wandering glider, black saddlebags and green darner. Huh-huh. I have taught myself to sight id a great many dragonflies, especially the super common ones.

Naturally, many have speculated as to the draw, drawing the dragonflies. If it is flying prey items, then those tidbits are too tiny for me to espy. Nevertheless, some tiny bugs may be hatching out on the pecan foliage only to be gobbled up by dragonflies.

Then maybe two days ago a mob of tiny vermin descended on the window glass of the back door. What’s this? What are these vermin? Because the vermin we are now discussing are tiny, Crumby instinctively knew that most of their many secrets would never be revealed to naked eyes. Knowing all that Crumby callously brushed a great many of the miserable bugs into a jar. I shall look at you bugs under the microscope as soon as I get home from work, Crumby allowed.

Later Crumby happily freed some of his tiny captives. Out you go, tiny vermin. Most of the vermin flew off but three or four sort of stuck to the paper towel under the microscope. These may be dead. But they haven’t been dead long. Crumby watched the possibly deceased vermin awhile. Crumby took pictures.

Hmm. These here are Homopterans, Crumby reckoned. I shall now do research on these possible Homopterans. That’s when Crumby found out the Homops are no more. Mercy! No. Now the former Homops are Hemips. It’s just like when the botanical authorities lumped Bouteloua hirsuta and Bouteloua pectinata, Crumby remembered. Yes. I could tell those apart easily just like I could tell a Homop from a Hemip.

Once more Crumby reviewed the evidence, gathered up over his miserable lifetime. Yes. That evidence indicated a conspiracy. All these fuckers are in cahoots, fixing to mess me up. They all hate me. Yes. They hate me and they don’t want me to know anything. That’s why they have made taxonomy into a shell game.

Eventually, and in spite of the conspiracy, Crumby decided the tiny vermin are probably aphids. But why are those aphids on the window, still? Does sitting on the window keep them safe? Where are they supposed to be? Goodness gracious sakes alive!