Flies, oh my!

Talking about spiders will always be my favorite subject. But I do venture out to other topics. Two evenings ago, I presented "Texas Flies, Oh My" to members of the Bexar Audubon Society of South Central Texas in San Antonio. In July 2024, they invited me to give my spider presentation, which I did. Once again, Patsy Inglet this week gave me a nice introduction. 

 Afterward, members John Huston and his wife chatted with me briefly about their black solider fly larvae, which have taken over their compost bin. During my presentation, I'd briefly mentioned how these larvae are used commercially to recycle waste, make animal feed and even control house flies. At first, I thought they'd purchased larvae to get started. But no, the black soldier flies just showed up and deposited eggs. I asked John if he could send me a photo and video, which he kindly did. With his permission, I'm sharing here. 

Meadow mowed

Lunch With The Masters

 

That was me! Yesterday, I presented my "Spiders of Central Texas" program at the McLennan County Emergency Services Education Center in Waco. I was the August speaker for "Lunch With The Masters," a monthly series that the McLennan County Master Gardeners host. My invitation to speak stemmed from a hearty suggestion given by member John Sponenberg, who has followed this blog from nearly the beginning. 

 

Darn, John, why didn't we think to get a photo of us together? I'm so glad we finally got to meet in person! And yes, I'll do better at posting more here. 

 

UPDATE An email from Laynie M. with the chapter: "I have to tell you what a great hit your talk was. Yesterday we had a work day at one of our gardens, and everyone was on the lookout for spiders. Then when one of the ladies found one, they all had to come over and see if it was a boy or a girl!"

 

My work is accomplished.