I saw a new beetle! I first thought it was an iron-clad beetle, it was black and white mottled and about the right size, but it moved way too fast. It took several attempts to photograph it. iNaturalist says it is a Texas eyed click beetle. I can certainly see the reason for the name with those two large black sots on its thorax.
I have a red paper wasp that is trying really hard to establish a nest in our mailbox.
The wasp flies out when I open the box, and I remove the nest when I get the mail. I’m hoping eventually she’ll look for a different spot.
Here is a collection of spiders from around the house in celebration of Halloween.
I was quite confused when I saw Queen butterfly wings caught in the foliage of the Gregg’s Mistflower as I walked by.
I stopped to look and saw that the butterfly wasn’t just haphazardly hung up, it was in the grip of a large Praying Mantis the exact color of the leaves. I had stumbled upon the predator mid-meal. Here is a video short.
The Carolina Mantis was completely unconcerned how close I was with my phone. If I had passed by a minute later, I would have only seen the butterfly wings on the ground, and not the camouflaged mantis.
This fall is giving us the opportunity to observe some rather large insects.
Critters and Craft 