Boll Weevil Essay

Anthonomus grandis

Anthonomus grandis, more commonly know by the name Boll Weevil, is a type of beetle that primarily eats cotton buds and many types of flowers. Known as a pest, the Weevil originates in Mexico and migrated to the United States during the 1890s. By the year 1920, almost all states that grew cotton were suffering under the Boll Weevil infestation. The United States government has passed many different programs in order to control the weevil infestation, and have been primarily successful in their attempts, despite the Weevil’s spread to South America in the late 1940s and 1950s, and to this day, has infested Brazil.

After resulting in almost $13 billion dollars lost in the cotton industry, the Boll Weevil has had many environmental and economic effects. For example, the

The Swallowtail, is primarily found in the Eastern half of the United States, extending from New England, to Alabama and Florida, to half of Texas and the Great Plains. One of the original drawings of the Swallowtail was by John White, on an expedition to Virginia. Originally there were thought to be two different types of the the swallowtail, of the same species, but this was then proven to be two different species of butterfly.

The Swallowtail is commonly found in forests, grasslands, creeks and rivers, and gardens, very rarely venturing into cities. The young caterpillars of the Swallowtail often feed on the plants that their egg was placed on, most often the host plants of the young Swallowtails are, Cottonwood, the common Lilac, and the Tulip Tree. The Swallowtail is diurnal, and is very rarely active at night. During its waking hours, the butterfly flies high above the trees and is a very solitary creature. When the mating season begins, the male of the species, finds a host plant and flies above it waiting for a female to mate