05-AUG-2009
Snapping turtle
This medium sized snapping turtle was perched quite precariously on a small log in the Amphibian Pond. He kept kicking one of his back legs as if to shake something off. With all the duckweed covering his head he looks more prehistoric than ever. When I first noticed him, I thought he was injured or even dead, as he was lying with his head hanging in the water. Eventually he raised it and then began the kicking movement with his leg. Nearby, a painted turtle floated just below the surface of the water.
05-AUG-2009
Sphecid wasp (Sphex ichneumoneus) on swamp milkweed
The Sphecid wasps are also called Thread-waisted wasps. It is easy to see why this particular wasp species was given the specific name "ichneumoneus"! Never abundant at FWG (although common in the region), they can be seen nectaring on flowers, along with the other large Sphecid, the Great black digger, Sphex pensylvanicus. Like many sphecids, this one creates a burrow in the ground which it stocks with prey for its larvae.
5-AUG-2009
Ambush bug (Phymata sp.) on Queen Anne's Lace
It is tough to get a head shot of these guys. They are so gnarly and lumpy that it obscures features. However, in this one you can at least see the eyes!
