A morning walk through the Alderfer-Chatfield Nature Preserve turned up a huge number of butterfly sightings…
Category Archives: Insects
Sarcophagidae Fly
Sarcophagidae is a large family of flies, however the individual species found in North America are near impossible to identify in the field. They feed and propagate on dead flesh, but also enjoy honeydew from flowers.
Autumn Walk at Alderfer-Oenslager
Just a few photographs from my walk through Alderfer-Oenslager Wildlife Sanctuary located in Sharon Township.
Clear-winged Grasshopper
This small grasshopper was found on the leaf of a daylily in our landscaping. I know very little about grasshoppers, but I believe it to be a Clear-winged Grasshopper, which are widespread in North America but only found in the most northern areas of Ohio.
Dolichopodidae
Dolichopodidae, or the long-legged flies, are a large family of “true flies” with more than 7,000 described species. Or so says wikipedia. They also tend to have beautiful metallic colors. These two were spotted on the pepper plants in my garden. I believe they were involved in a mating ritual or territorial dispute. The one …
Baltimore Checkerspot
A new “life butterfly” for me today, thanks to my wife who spotted it first: Euphydryas phaeton, aka the Baltimore Checkerspot. This butterfly was incredibly cooperative and allowed me to take as many pictures as I needed to get a good one.
Golden-backed Snipe Fly: Mating Event
I’ve posted photos of this fly in the past, but this is the first time I’ve captured the male & female together, and definitely the first time I have seen a mating event. The mating flies are still capable of flight, and I had to chase this pair across the grass to get the photograph. …
Two-Striped Grasshopper
Cleveland Metroparks – West Creek was exploding with this grasshopper species on Saturday. Thousands were hopping on the trails, meadows, and parking areas.
Feather-legged Fly
I get excited when I realize that I’m looking at something new. With the help of duckduckgo and the right search terms, I was able to identify it as a Feather-legged Fly, probably Trichopoda pennipes. It was flitting around on the grassy field at Bath Nature Preserve this morning.
Chickweed Geometer
If your yard has clover growing in it, it might have these too: Chickweed Geometer, a relatively small but colorful moth about 3/4″ to 1″ in width, resting in the grass with its wings spread. My records show that my last observation was also in September– its their time of year.