cindydarnell's Favorites

I was quite surprised to flush a Woodcock from the drainage ditch behind my house this morning (5 August 2009, this observation is pulled from old Flickr photos). It flew up into a woodland clearing and remained in the open for a while, preening. I was able to get close enough to get a recognizable photo--just for fun.
Some years ago, I heard one calling during the late winter breeding period from the small woodlot behind my house, so perhaps this is a resident bird, though it could be an early migrant. (They breed in this area, but are probably more abundant in winter, with an influx of migrants from the North.)

Update: saw the same bird (presumably) in my yard on 10 August, so it seems to be hanging around. (Perhaps an early migrant or disperser from better habitat in the area.)
Location: Durham NC (USA)
Years ago (1990's) I could find these birds displaying at an abandoned farm about two miles distant, but that site has been developed. There are other marshy wetland habitats suitable nearby, but as of early 2023 this is the only sighting I've had from my yard.

Great Purple Hairstreak - Atlides halesus
bugguide.net/node/view/2844
Location: Durham NC (USA)
I encountered this fresh butterfly on a cool evening thanks to my dog, who found it on the road under a street light and tried to eat it. After losing it once, I returned a couple of hours later and was able to photograph it. The hostplant is mistletoe, which is uncommon in this neighborhood, but I have found the butterfly a few times over the last several years. Happy Wing Wednesday!
Edit. Added some studio shots taken later to highlight possible aposematic and mimetic markings.

Interesting beetle on the sand near a lake in the NC Sandhills, Richmond County. They appeared to be:
Oblique-lined Tiger Beetle - Cicindela (Tribonia) tranquebarica (11-15 mm)
Subspecies Cicindela tranquebarica tranquebarica, I guess?
References:

• bugguide.net/node/view/16679 (species)
• bugguide.net/node/view/739019 (ssp. tranquebarica)
• Pearson et al. A Field Guide To The Tiger Beetles Of The United States And Canada (Oxford University Press, 2006), pp. 106-108, plate 12(1)
• Evans, Beetles of Eastern North America (Princeton Univ. Press, 2004), p. 70
• Choate, Tiger Beetles of Florida (University Press of Florida), pp. 81, 125

I found this interesting lady beetle on a vine in a woodland near Bynum, Chatham County, North Carolina (USA), on 30 August 2020. I captured it for some studio photos, along with some foliage from the plant it was on. It proceeded to chew holes in the leaf, confusing me to no end--I was sure it was a leaf beetle. Aha! It is a member of subfamily Epilachninae--Plant-eating Lady Beetles. Note the defensive reflex bleeding common among lady beetles visible in a couple of frames.
Squash Lady Beetle - Epilachna borealis (9 mm)
bugguide.net/node/view/61612

Happy Wing Wednesday! This spider wasp was found inside a suburban structure and captured for studio photos. I believe it is:
Spider wasp - Auplopus mellipes (female, 10-11 mm length)
bugguide.net/node/view/7640
Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong on the gender--it looks like images I see of undoubted females with prey.

Grays Lily (or Roan Lily) - Lilium grayi
Our small party found three of these in the Roan Mountain area, two along trails and one along a roadside. This one was very convenient for photography and could be photographed easily without stepping off a trail. I used, mostly, a long telephoto lens to make sure I did not get too close to this sensitive plant. Several blossoms appeared to have been damaged by nectar thieves, with holes at the base. I saw ants visiting these perforations, but I suspect a larger insect made them. An astute observer on another forum suggested a Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa virginica.
Elevation is about 5600 feet (1,700 meters). This was very close to the North Carolina/Tennessee state line.

I found this type of bug crawling around my house. It looks almost like a spider but it is clearly not. This bug has six legs with two "antennae"(not sure if that's what you call it) in the front. The bug's abdomen is a bright red with a few speckles of black. The bug's head and thorax is black, though where the head connects to the rest of the body, it is white. On the tips of the "antennae", are brown. The bug's size is around the size of my thumb and moves pretty fast.

I did ask someone from the company, Team Pest, about what genus species this bug identified as and they said that it was a Wheel bug; a type of assassin bug. They come from the family Reduviidae. They are one of the largest terrestrial true bugs around. Their scientific name is Arilus cristatus and they are sexually dimorphic; meaning that the two sexes of this bug exhibit different characteristics beyond sexual organs. They are beneficial bugs, which means they provide services helpful to other species, such as: pollination and pest control. You should be wary of handling them as they can give some nasty bites; however, they do not come off as aggressive as they try to avoid contact. After looking at some pictures of wheel bugs, I can say that I agree with this identification.

I saw this while out walking on a trail with my dog. Johnston Mills trail. It was small that I almost missed it. It had a darker brown head and a tan body, almost blending in. I didn’t get to see if it had a red belly cause my dog was trying to fight it.