A tiny moth in the Owlet Moth family (Noctuidae). The Common Spragueia (Spragueia leo), sipping some nectar at Apple Mint blossoms (Mentha suaveolens). Tiny? They are generally no bigger than 7/10 inch.
Like many moths, they are nocturnal, and attracted to artificial light sources. Some of the host plants that are depended on are Ragweed (Ambrosia), and Bindweed (Convolvulus).
I like the coloring of this creature. All dressed for Halloween.
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Zigging and zagging. Flying back and forth. A long, icy white body, with four interesting wings. It’s a male Common Whitetail Dragonfly (Plathemis lydia), with a body that is approximately 2 inches in length. The female is slightly smaller with a brown body. And those translucent wings? The females’ wings are similar with a slightly different pattern.
They’re widespread in North America, in all 48 of the contiguous United States, parts of eastern Mexico, and also southern Canada. Living as adults, just a few weeks.
Often found near bodies of water, whether a trickle of a stream, a large pond or just a small vernal pool. These Dragonflies eat many different flying insects such as mosquitoes, midges, flies, moths, and butterflies, catching their prey mid-air.
To aid in catching those insects mid-air, Dragonflies can move each of their four wings individually giving them the ability to fly backwards, up and down, hover, and make sharp turns.
Hmmm. Sounds like a drone!
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Two Sleepy Orange butterflies (Abaeis nicippe) sitting on some rotting wood out along the road. They’re butterflies with a wingspan of 1.5 to 2 inches, though you will seldom see them with their wings open, unless they are flying. And quick fliers they are, staying close to the ground.
Their caterpillars prefer to feed on plants in the pea family (Fabaceae). As adults they seek out the nectar of a wide variety of flowers. Males in particular enjoy the practice of puddling, drinking from wet soil, or puddles, and animal droppings, to obtain the minerals and salts that can be found there.
Like many butterflies, they’re adding color to the summer landscape.
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Catching a bit of sunlight, a Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis) enjoys the nectar of a flower popular with pollinators, Apple Mint (Mentha suaveolens).
Despite my love of winter, I must admit, there are so many reasons to enjoy summer.
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The largest wasp species in Virginia, the Eastern Cicada Killer Wasp (Sphecius speciosus). Both males and females live about 2 months as adults. They eat tree sap and flower nectar. Males die, not long after mating.
The female continues with her duties, taking care of her young. She does this by hunting Cicadas, mainly Annual Cicadas (Neotibicen canicularis). She will sting each one to paralyze it, and takes it to her elaborate nest which she has tunneled into the ground. The nest reaches several feet underground, branching out into many cells.
She places these Cicadas in cells with an egg, and seals off each of the cells, which she has provisioned with paralyzed Cicadas, with one egg in each cell. The eggs will typically hatch in 2 to 3 days.
The hatched larvae feed on the Cicadas over the course of about 2 weeks. Eating until there is only the exoskeleton left. In preparation for winter the larvae will spin a cocoon, spending the winter in their cells.
Winter fades, spring arrives and soon summer occurs, at which time they will pupate and emerge as an adult Eastern Cicada Killer Wasp.
Despite their size, which makes them appear threatening, these Cicada Killers are beneficial insects to have around.
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Look closely at the upper right corner and you’ll see a Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) enjoying the nectar of a perfect flower for her, Scarlet Beebalm (Monarda didyma). Perfect because of its brilliant red color, funnel-shaped flowers, and abundant nectar production. Those Scarlet Beebalms, amid Orange Coneflowers (Rudbeckia fulgida).
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A Perplexing Bumblebee (Bombus perplexus). Native to northern North America including across Canada into the northeastern United States as well as Maryland and Virginia.
This creature fascinates me because of its wonderful coloring, that rich, warm yellow. That coloring seems it would be perfect as a stuffed Teddy Bear type toy.
The size of the queens are about .75″ and the workers are around .5″. They eat nectar and pollen from a wide variety of flowers.
This Perplexing Bumblebee is nectaring at an invasive Spotted Knapweed (Binomial soebe) which is native to Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe.
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As I write this, I’m thinking of those who really dislike Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa).
This is a Tiger Bee Fly (Xenox tigrinus). No need for concern about biting or stinging. They won’t harm you. And if you are looking for a way to control Carpenter Bees, this is a potential native and natural partner in their management. The Tiger Bee Fly is a natural predator of Carpenter Bees. Females lay their eggs in close proximity to the nests of Carpenter Bees. After the fly larvae hatch they will enter the tunnels of the bees and eat the bee larvae or wait until the larvae matures to the pupal stage and then dine on them.
And in defense of Carpenter Bees, they don’t eat the wood that they tunnel through. Their purpose in excavating those tunnels is to create nests for their offspring. And much more important is their role in pollination, not just in our gardens, natural areas, but also on farms.
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A Transverse Flower Fly (Eristalis transversa) enjoying the nectar of Gray-headed Coneflowers (Ratibida pinnata). Measuring in at 0.28″ to 0.47″. Though it looks like a bee, it does not sting. Often found hanging out around flowers, which explains its common name.
Flower Flies are energetic fliers, able to beat their wings several hundred times a second, which gives them the ability to hover, dart, zoom and back up in mid-air.
Hmm, the hummingbird of the insect world?
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A male Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olinacea) sitting among legumes of a Redbud (Cercis canadensis).
A brilliant red bird. Even a shade brighter than our year-round, red bird, the Cardinal (Cardinalis Cardinalis).
Scarlet Tanagers, both male and female, sing a song that sounds like our Robin (Turdus migratorius), although the Scarlet Tanagers sound like they have a cold, and don’t quite know the tune. Because of that they don’t have the perfect sweet song that the Robin has.
A female Scarlet Tanager enjoying some of my blueberries
I hear Scarlet Tanagers singing all day long, and if I’m in the vicinity of my blueberry bushes, I’ll get to see one!
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