21-SEPT-2015
Red squirrel
All the squirrels are busily finding and storing food for winter, but of course they have to eat now too, and this one was caught full-chomp by Barry.
21-SEPT-2015
Woolly bear caterpillar (Pyrrharctia isabella), #8129
Late summer sees the advent of these so-familiar caterpillars. By mid-autumn they are usually abundant, to the point that in some years they get run over by the hundreds as they try to cross roads. Even people who dislike insects seem to like these guys... they are such a familiar sight, and perhaps their name, woolly bear, makes them cuddly. They turn into quite a pretty moth, called the Isabella tiger moth.(CH)
17-SEPT-2015
Bumble bee
A very pale coloured bumble bee found by Barry.
17-SEPT-2015
Spittlebug (Cercopidae)
Could by a meadow spittlebug, but a little difficult to say for sure. Meadow spittlebugs have a huge variety of colours and patterns, so it could be...
Northern flicker
Caught by Barry just after some vigorous preening. Flickers are very noticeable these days. I saw at least five fly up from the ground the other day when I was at FWG. (CH)
21-SEPT-2015
Spotted spreadwing (Lestes congener)
Barry photographed this lovely spreadwing perched on some asters. These are insect eaters, not nectar feeders, and the asters simply make a handy perch from which to fly after passing insects.(CH)
17-SEPT-2015
Planthopper (Acanalonia)
About mid-summer these uniquely shaped and vividly coloured planthoppers appear. There is a pink form but they are not seen too often.(CH)
19-SEP-2015
Bumble bee on sunflower
Checking out all available sources of food.
19-SEP-2015
Black-capped chickadee
Lots of chickadees around the garden, flitting along branches plucking larvae and eggs seen only by them. Also around were nashville warblers, blue jays, robins, white-breasted nuthatches, catbirds, etc.
19-SEP-2015
Cynipid wasp galls (Phylloteras poculum)
Another view of the galls on a bur oak leaf.
19-SEP-2015
Brown mantidfly (Climaciella brunnea)
One last shot of this unusual looking, but not uncommon, insect. Here you can see why it has the "mantid" part to its name... it looks much like a strange praying mantis. However, it is not related to the praying mantis, nor is it a fly. (CH)
19-SEP-2015
Brown mantidfly (Climaciella brunnea)
A back view of this interesting insect, showing why it is sometimes called the wasp mantidly.
