Subject: Unidentified Insect
Date: Aug 25 20:57:48 1999
From: Hughbirder at aol.com - Hughbirder at aol.com


This isn't a bird question, but we saw an interesting insect with significant
markings that I thought would be easy to find in an insect book. I am hoping
someone out there is familiar enough with insects to identify it.

While on a hike to Spray Park in Mt. Rainier NP we saw an insect on a newly
sawed off end of a 18" fir tree. The tree had fallen over the trail and it
was cut to clear the trail. The insect was about 1 to 1/4 in. long not
counting antenna and tail (? stingers). It was black with wings folded back
on top, like a stonefly. The legs had alternate bands of white and black. It
had a double tail almost 1/4 in. long that was stiff like stingers. It had
two white, stiff, pointed antenna about 1/4 in. long. It had a white spot on
each cheek right behind the eye. I checked Peterson's Field Guide to Insects,
dated 1970, but could not find a similar insect.

We were hiking to Spray Park to do a survey of the birds. Our E. Lake WA AS
is one of five chapters that is surveying Mt. Rainier NP. We have the NW part
which includes Carbon River and Mowich Lake roads and areas accessible from
there. This is the first time we could do the Spray Park trail. We have done
the Mowich L. Road three times before. We only had seven species on the trail
Tuesday.
Chestnut-backed Chickadees
Red-breasted Nuthatches
Varied Thrushes
Dark-eyed Juncos
Winter Wren
Gray Jays
Common Ravens

We also saw 2 hoary marmots, 1 pika and anise butterflies plus others we
couldn't identify.

Hugh Jennings
Bellevue, WA
hughbirder at aol.com