Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

Here are more critters from the merry month of May last season.
I see a lot of these lovely caterpillars. It is the larva of the copper underwing moth (Amphipyra pyramidoides), and I found this one deep in the woods … somewhere. I flush out a lot of the adult moths when doing yard work, although I’ve never gotten around to photographing one.
Copper underwing caterpillar by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Next is a small moth, and it is Henricus edwardsiana. A bird dropping mimic. There is no way I would have gotten the ID, btw, but it has the ‘look’ of Tortricidae. A quick search in BugGuide, and voila! BugGuide is so awesome!
Bird dropping mimic by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

There was a brief time when the tiny “minnow” mayflies were out on their brief nuptial flight. These are about the size of the fingernail on your little finger. Females look pretty ordinary, as shown in the first picture. This was a picture done from a few hand held stacks in the field.
Minnow mayfly by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

I took a few males home, and here you can see that these have weird eyes. The big upward facing eyes are thought to be used to look for females. This is focus stacked from a bunch of pictures in a staged setting. The genus is likely Callibaetis.
Minnow mayfly by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Finally, back in the woods again, I found this lovely male jumping spider, Phidippus whitmani. The little guy was pretty restless, so a lot of pictures had to be taken.
Jumping spider by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Jumping spider by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Jumping spider by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Thanks for looking!

sscnxy

Mark, I really appreciate your affinity for these fascinating little critters from both a naturalist's and a photographer's standpoint. You project an amazement and fascination that I like very much and which are clearly apparent in your marvelous posts. Thank you!

NY

Don, the 2nd son Loc: Crowded Florida

Just FANTASTIC!!

RLSprouse Loc: Encinitas CA (near Sandy Eggo)

Wonderful set, Mark! Both fascinating and inspiring. Thanks for sharing.

~ Russ

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

An outstanding set, Mark.

tinusbum Loc: east texas

love the jumper,but who doesn't :-D

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

Thank you, everybody!
That jumper in particular was pretty special. Had not seen that one before to my recollection.

Curmudgeon Loc: SE Arizona

Spiders are cuter than kittens Nice set Mark

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Mark, another Masterclass series along with the educational narratives.

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

Thank you once again, everyone! I just finished re-building my diffusers for the twin flash. Can't wait to test it on something shiny to see if I am rid of those stubborn 'hot spots'.

fetzler Loc: North West PA

Great photos as usual. I grew up in Detroit and lived about a mile from Lake St. Clair. I recall the mayflies (we called them fish flies back then) covering store windows and even sidewalks. There were zillions!

sscnxy

Hello Mark. Can you send me a picture of your twin flashes and diffuser when you get a chance? Thanks.

NY

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

On its way.