It is cold, with several inches of fallen snow. But I can always call up pictures and memories from past summer adventures.
A candidate for my favorite of all damselflies is the ebony jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata). These are common along forest trails, especially near rivers where they spend their youth. This picture is focus stacked from two pictures.
Ebony jewelwing by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Big sands tiger beetle (Cicindela formosa). Not as common in my area as the similar festive tiger beetle, but C. formosa seems a bit larger. This one was unusually cooperative about being approached.
Big sand tiger beetle by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Big sand tiger beetle by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Nymphs of the masked hunter assassin bug (Reduvius personatus) are virtually impossible to find, and you can see why. They will be concealed in whatever dirt or sand is local to their hunting ground. I only saw this one because it moved! The next picture shows an adult. Easy to see, and rather creepy looking, even by assassin bug standards.
Masked hunter by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Masked hunter assassin bug by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
A common small jewel is the candy-striped leafhopper (Graphocephala coccinea).
Candy-striped leafhopper by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Candy-striped leafhopper by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
The odd-looking Gasteruptiid wasps are parasites on the nests of solitary bees and wasps. I always see them visiting small flowers of this sort. This one is Gasteruption sp. I don't know why they have their curiously long necks, but the second picture wordlessly suggests a reason.
Gasteruptiid wasp by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Gasteruptiid wasp by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
I close with one of the strangest of all insects that I know. Blister beetles grow up as parasites on other insects. Oil blister beetles are parasitic on the nests of ground-nesting solitary bees. This female (Meloe impressus), is heavy with eggs. I know my finger is over-exposed, dang it! But she will lay her eggs in a mass in the soil, and the hatched larvae embark on a very strange life history. You can watch this video, if you wish to learn of them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ8h1YBTSvE .
Oil blister beetle by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Thanks for looking!
Warm memories of summers past
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Warm memories of summers past
Last edited by MarkSturtevant on Wed Jan 27, 2021 10:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters
Dept. of Still Waters
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Re: Warm memories of summers past
Beautiful pictures! You are braver than I wrt touching blister beetles.
Re: Warm memories of summers past
I never cease to be amazed by the various survival mechanisms that creatures have developed. Thank you for the link to that video on the blister beetles.
Beautiful pictures.
Beautiful pictures.