Lesser Maple Spanworm Face
Here is a face to face of sorts with the Lesser Maple Spanworm (Speranza pustularia). They seem to be relatively common in my experience this year, and they have a somewhat long flight season compared to some others that I have not seen repeatedly when mothing. What big eyes you have! All the better to see you with… Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreDaddy Longlegs
Those really are some long legs after all…although I believe it is more accurate to call this a harvestman, or opiliones. The story of this being one of the most venormous animals in the world if not for the fact it does not have the requisite fangs to bite humans is a myth on many levels! I did not even notice until posting this photo that it seems to be missing one of those legs… Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreBaby Spiders
I am sorry in advance to those who do not enjoy spiders, but I had to snap a shot of this! Now THAT is a lot of mouths to feed…at least try to remember that all of these spiders will be eating the bugs that actually do bite us. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreSlaty Skimmer
This is an up close and personal look at the ruggedness of a male Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta) dragonfly, scratched and scarred from a tough life on the wing and seen here while resting on vegetation along a pond. That thorax looks rough and beaten on this mighty hunter, but after this was taken it was soon patrolling for females and fending off foes in the fight for life at the water. Don’t you always wonder what those enormous eyes have seen…while they undoubtedly keep a close watch on you? Just another hot July afternoon… Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach...
Read MoreRaindrop Explosion
It is not quite “stop and smell the roses”, but if you pause and take in what is immediately around you then you may end up with some beautiful surprises. I have tried to do this more recently, and avoid staring at the birds or bugs that I know well, those flashy flowers, or some cool weather phenomenon. A recent day saw just a few drops of rain falling from a passing shower. A raindrop landed on this leaf, “exploding” and leaving us with this…the very basis of life! There was not a single drop on any other nearby surface that I could find. This was it, and it...
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