Juvenile Green Herons

My wife spotted four juvenile green herons at the end of the fishing dock on Bath Pond. Here is a picture of two of them. At first glance I thought they were American Bittern, but the body posture and the yellow around the eye confirm them as Green Heron.

Blue Dasher

I’m not qualified to identify most dragonflies; there are too many species (over three-thousand) and many that look very much alike. However, I’m fairly confident that this is a Blue Dasher male, possibly a fresh hatching because the eyes don’t look fully developed.

Spined Soldier Bug

This is the Spined Soldier Bug, but in the nymph stage. A very colorful nymph! It was resting, and perhaps feeding, on my zinnias. Unlike some stink bugs, this species is considered to be beneficial, and when it feeds on plant nectar it is non-damaging to the plant.