I need to roll over rotting logs and lift up loose tree bark more often. There’s stuff under there, and what is nice is they seldom fly away on me.
First up is a queen bald faced hornet (
Dolichovespula maculate) that was evidently going into hibernation even though it was only October (last year).
Bald-faced hornet by
Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Next is a semi-mysterious beetle larva. This will be a “wireworm” in the family Tenebrionidae.
Darkling beetle larva by
Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
And here is another semi-mystery beetle larva. It looks to be for a fire-colored beetle, Pyrochroidae. The big pinchers on the rear end is possibly an example of false head mimicry, where an insect has an ersatz head that distracts predators.
Fire-colored beetle larva by
Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Most any time I want I can find a few of these psychedelic leafhoppers in my yard (
Graphocephala coccinea). Most are blue and red, but I also see green and red ones. An accepted common name is ‘candy-striped leafhopper’, and I just like saying that name.
Candy-striped leafhopper by
Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Moving on to two caterpillars. First is a new species, the hitched arches caterpillar (
Melanchra adjuncta). This was on what I think was a native sunflower. According to pictures in BG they are normally green, so the color of this one suggests it will soon pupate.
Hitched arches caterpillar by
Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Next is a hooded owlet caterpillar
Cucullia convexipennis. I see quite a few of these late in the summer. Very easy to spot for obvious reasons.
Hooded owlet caterpillar by
Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Last is a new kind of cricket. There were a few of these, all female, on this one tree trunk. I don’t like to think about how much time it took me to find the ID, mainly b/c I was barking up the wrong tree as it were. But now we both know it’s a jumping bush cricket,
Orocharis saltator. This is a member of a group of species called loud singing bush crickets! Maybe I’ve heard of them…
Jumping bush cricket by
Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr