Flower Crab Spider (Misumena vatia)
Another one for my recent Queen Anne’s Lace-themed series. Today’s flowers were sprouting cool bugs, the Flower Crab Spider (Misumena vatia), that were handing out free hugs! Twan Leenders RTPI President
Read MoreBlue Dasher
Let’s kick off the first week of August with a ridiculously well-placed Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) dragonfly, a common species offering an uncommonly superb look and dazzling design for all to enjoy. It may be the vacation season but you do not have to go far to get away from it all when you are out in nature.
Read MoreYellow Warbler on Queen Anne’s Lace
It turns out there are a lot of fans of Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota)! This Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia), photographed yesterday, is among them. The autumn migration continues (what?!) with birds heading south for the winter, and Yellow Warblers enjoy stopping in grasslands and shrublands to feed on the many insects they contain. The faster you can start your journey south the more food you will find along the way all while making a more relaxed trip. Suffice it to say this bird will not be facing the prospect of ice and snow as some warblers still migrating in October...
Read MoreEuropean Mantis (Mantis religiosa)
Today our Project Wild America crew let me play with one of their recent encounters, a European Mantis (Mantis religiosa). Jamestown’s urban habitats are just full of cool surprises!
Read MorePainted Skimmer
The Painted Skimmer (Libellula semifasciata) dragonfly – hard to find a more exquisitely crafted species! Art on the wing…
Read MoreBumblebee & Beetle
One of the many, many bumblebees in my yard looked just off. When I caught it for a closer look, it had a hitchhiking beetle attached to one of its antenna! These flower beetles (Antherophaga sp.) feed on flowers as adults, but their larvae feed on detritus inside bumblebee nests. Apparently, the easiest way to get from one place to the other is to latch onto a passing bumblebee and go along for the ride! Who knew? Photographed for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. Twan Leenders RTPI President
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