In this past week of crisp cool weather, I found many butterflies of many different species. Here are just a handful. Pearl Crescent I’m sometimes asked why this butterfly is named Pearl Crescent. You have to see the underside of the hindwing to get the answer to that question, and this butterfly often pumps its wings [...] Read the rest of this entry »
Posts Tagged ‘Pearl Crescent’
Insects Come Alive
May 13th, 2010With the heat comes the insects. As the season moves along more and more insects have begun to hatch, emerge, or arouse. As you already know (if you’ve been reading this journal), insects spend the cold months as either eggs, larvae, pupae, or even as adults, tucked away in some crevice, under the ground, underwater, [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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First Cicada Killer, Milkweed Leaf Beetles, and some Leps
July 15th, 2009The Annual Cicadas have come into full song. Not surprising, the first Cicada Killer of the season was seen on July 8th while I Explored the Wild with a group of Museum Summer Campers. The large wasp was spotted on the rocks just outside the entrance to the Lemur House and was in the same [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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The Wheel, a Hopper, a Borer, and a Carpet Beetle
April 30th, 2009Dragonfly and damselfly species are picking up. Seen this period were (dates next to names indicate day in which that species was first observed this season) Fragile Forktail, Citrine Forktail (4/18), Orange Bluet (4/27), Skimming Bluet (4/28), Common Green Darner, Swamp Darner, Common Baskettail, Eastern Pondhawk (4/25), Blue Corporal (4/25), Blue Dasher (4/27), Common Whitetail, [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Autumn Meadowhawk
October 31st, 2008Right on cue, Autumn Meadowhawks have appeared on the scene (see Autumn Meadowhawks, Explore the Wild Journal, September 16-30, 2008). The first one that caught my eye was on October 19 following the rains brought in by a passing cold front. These rather small dragonflies have a red abdomen and yellowish or straw-colored legs (they [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Locust Borer and Late Butterflies
October 15th, 2008Although mentioned in the last installment of the Explore the Wild Journal, a picture of a Two-lined Spittlebug was not displayed. More spittlebugs have been showing up and I was able to get a nice shot of one (image at right). There was a Locust Borer on the Goldenrod alongside the Wetlands (photo at left). [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Late September Insects
September 30th, 2008Despite a general decrease in dragonfly activity, several dragonflies are still being seen in small numbers including Common Green Darner, Black Saddlebags and Wandering Glider. All three of these dragonfly species are known to move with the seasons. With the winds out of the north, mostly northeast for a good part of the period, I’m [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Some Most Unusual Beetles and other Goodies
August 31st, 2008While watching a small Northern Water Snake stalk frogs from the Wetlands Overlook, I happened to see something wiggling amongst the dense plants in the water. A quick look through my binoculars revealed two large Predaceous Diving Beetle larvae locked in mortal combat, one had a death grip on the other. These larvae were quite [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Buprestid Beetles appear, Cicada Killer Stakes Claim
July 15th, 2008I found a metallic woodboring beetle on the paved path in Explore the Wild. It was one of the large metallic woodborers, Chalcophora virginiensis (pictured at right). Its larvae bore into pines. One reference calls this beetle the Large Flat-headed Pine Heartwood Borer (the thoracic section of the larva or grub is flattened). I think [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Dragonflies, Butterflies and a Big-eyed beetle
May 15th, 2008Dragonflies continue to be the main attraction on the Wetlands insect list. Green Darners, Carolina Saddlebags, Baskettails, and Common Whitetails were out in force. Variable Dancers, Skimming Bluets, and Southern Spreadwings were the most often observed damselflies from the Wetlands Overlook. Orange Bluets were seen as well. These tiny, bright orange damselflies deserve a close [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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