Ahh, skippers. So many, so very hard to tell apart. In this case, I feel confident in my id.
Category Archives: Insects
Physocephala tibialis or Thick-headed Fly
Identification is tentative but probably correct or very close. It’s a wasp-mimic, but the eyes are distinctly those of a fly. It was strikingly beautiful in the field. It’s not a great photo, but its one of only two I got before it flew away. The colloquial name, while amusing, is not a pejorative but […]
Hunchback Bee Fly
An interesting fly in both appearance and behavior. Something like the “Brown Cowbird” of insects, it will lay its eggs in the nest of wasps. The unsuspecting wasp stocks the nest with provisions for its own larva, but this fly’s larva gets fed instead.
Clearwing Hummingbird Moth
As the name implies, this is a moth that bears a passing resemblance to a hummingbird when seen with the naked eye. The wings beat very fast, just like a hummingbird, and I was fortunate to capture an image where they could be clearly seen.
The Many Colors of Dragonflies
These identifications should all be taken with a grain of salt, which is to say– the best that I could do.
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.
Great Spangled Fritallary
In general, butterflies have been few and far between this year. Many people have noticed, and there is speculation on causes from the unusually cold spring all the way to the nefarious “climate change.” So far I’ve only seen one of these in my yard. (And yes, that’s Poison Ivy that the Fritallary is resting […]
Virginia Ctenucha
Good luck pronouncing the name of this moth. The black wings are usually covering up the beautiful metallic blue body; fortunately he was stretching when I took this photo.
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.
Bronze Copper
First time I’ve photographed or identified this butterfly. Interesting colors, with the underwing slate-gray to almost white with black spots, while the topside is the name-sake “bronze copper” with stronger orange at the edges of the hind wing.