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Little Glassywing
August 1, 2025 A Little Glassywing (Pompeius verna) sipping nectar from the many flowers of Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum). The Little Glassywing is a skipper belonging to the order Lepidoptera, an order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. True butterflies (not Skippers) belong to the superfamily Papillonoidea. Skippers belong to the superfamily Hesperioidea.…
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Hatching In An Ant Nest
July 31, 2025 A Northern Walkingstick (Diapheromera femorata), an enchanting insect that makes me think of dinosaurs. They are Stick Insects in the order Phasmatodea, and Stick Insects have been around for at least 162 million years. These insects that like to pretend they are sticks have an average length of 3 inches for males and…
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Tiny Mushroom
July 30, 2025 Several minuscule mushrooms have greeted me the past couple mornings as I’ve arrived for yoga. Tiny little things that won’t be noticed by most. Just peeking through the tops of the freshly cut grass. One step would totally destroy its existence. But time and sunshine are a challenge for them too. White…
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Question Mark
July 29, 2025 A butterfly with an odd name, this is a Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis). There is also a butterfly called Comma. These two butterflies look quite similar. The easiest way for me to tell the difference is to look at the butterfly in the ventral position (wings up and closed). The Question Mark…
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Eastern Box Turtle
July 28, 2025 An Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina). From tiny to very large, there have been many roaming this mountain, as I too, roam the mountain. And each one has unique designs on its carapace (its upper shell). This one is quite different than others because of its simplicity. _______________________ If you would like…
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This Morning, A Black Swallowtail Caterpillar
July 27, 2025 This morning out in the heat pulling weeds. A distinctive caterpillar eating away at a Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota). A beautiful pattern and coloring. It’s a Black Swallowtail caterpillar (Papilio polyxenes). Like this caterpillar, the larvae stages of Black Swallowtails feed on plants in the carrot family (ApiaceaeI) such as dill,…
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False Potato Beetle
July 26, 2025 False Potato Beetle (Leptinotarsa juncta), found in the Mid-Atlantic and southeastern areas of the United States, extending to New Jersey and Ohio. Not to be confused with a closely related insect, the Colorado Potato Beetle (Lepitinotarsa decemlineata) which is a serious pest. Notice in my image that the elytra, or wing covers, are…
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American Carrion Beetle
July 25, 2025 American Carrion Beetle (Necrophila americana), the clean-up crew of the insect world. They hunt for dead animals, and they and their larvae consume dead flesh. They will also eat other insects that are eating “their” dead animals. The vast majority of these adults are 1.2 inches in length, though there are some…