Flash Mob, Part 2

I believe alien life is quite common in the universe, although intelligent life is less so. Some say it has yet to appear on planet Earth.

~Stephen Hawking

I returned Friday from a few days helping out my mom in the mountains of Virginia and have been slugging around the house and yard trying to avoid the heat and humidity, It’s tough when you sweat through a tee shirt just walking around the wildflower jungle with a camera. Here are a few more macro subjects with the new flash set-up.

I posted some pics of the Red Aphids last time, a few of which were being eaten by Syrphid Fly larvae. These two have been killed by a tiny wasp parasitoid that devours their insides, pupates inside their empty husk, and then exits through the hole you see on their sides. These empty shells are called Mummy Aphids (click photos to enlarge)

Some hatched insect eggs (maybe Stink Bug eggs) on an iris leaf

An unidentified winged ant. I saw a few others one morning…perhaps a mating flight?

An unidentified sharpshooter (a type of leafhopper), possibly in the genus *Draeculacephala*, which means Dracula-headed.

An early instar of one of my favorite caterpillars, a Spicebush Swallowtail (*Papilio troilus*). I spotted the tell-tale folded leaf on a Northern Spicebush (*Lindera benzoin*) out front. I gently opened the fold to reveal this snake mimic larva with incredibly life-like fake eyes. You can see the silk that the caterpillar spun on the leaf to fold it (silk contracts as it dries, pulling the two sides of the leaf together).

A large Rustic Sphinx Moth (*Manduca rustica*) caterpillar feeding on American Beautyberry (*Callicarpa americana*)

A new insect (for me anyway) in the yard, a White-fringed Weevil, *Naupactus leucoloma* – one of the so-called broad-nosed weevils. Originally from South America, this beetle is now considered an agricultural pest throughout the southern United States. Males are unknown for this species. Oddly, I saw several of these one afternoon and when I went out the next day to look again, I couldn’t find any.

Another new species for me was this tiny (less than 1/4 inch) Saddled Leafhopper, *Colladonus clitellarius*.

Some of the hopper nymphs are just comical looking. I think this is a Coppery Leafhopper, *Jikradia olitoria.* The upturned abdomen is diagnostic.

Here is an adult Coppery Leafhopper. This species is quite variable in color as an adult. Many leaf- and planthopper species can be difficult to photograph since they tend to move under a leaf when approached with a macro lens. This one obliged me by perching in one spot while I took several photos.

I found several of these tiny predators throughout the yard. This spiky little guy looks like it just woke up from a hard night of partying. This is a Spiny Assassin Bug nymph, *Sinea sp.*

Unidentified fly. Note the toe pads and the fact that it has only two wings which makes it a member of the fly family, Diptera (translates to two wings).

One of my favorite summer yard critters, a Two-marked Treehopper, *Enchenopa binotata*. Treehoppers are known for their often bizarre shapes due to enlarged pronotums (the prominent plate-like structure that covers all or part of the thorax of some insects). This species is a thorn mimic.

Here is another type of treehopper in the Buffalo treehopper group. This one may be *Hadrophallus bubalus* (no common name, although something like triceratops treehopper seems appropriate). This is another new species for the yard. As a by-product of their feeding on copious quantities of plant sap, treehoppers often secrete a sugary substance called honeydew, which can serve as a food source for bees, wasps, and ants. You can see this one was accompanied by an ant. Ants often provide protection from predators in exchange for the honeydew.

A head-on view of the above treehopper. Interestingly, treehoppers communicate with one another by vibrating the stems and leaves of their host plants creating sounds too high-pitched for the human ear.

It seems as though spikiness is a thing in the yard right now. Here is a Spiny-backed Orbweaver, *Gasteracantha cancriformis*. This one is feeding on a large black ant. The rigid spines are believed to help protect them from predators like birds. This one was about 10mm across and is a female. Like many spider species, the males are smaller than females, in this case much smaller (only 2 – 3mm).

There has been an emergence in the yard of these flying tigers this week. This is a robber fly known as the False Bee-killer, *Promaschus bastardii*. I’m guessing the scientific name was coined by a bee ecologist. Every year, about this time, I see several of these large (a little over an inch long) robber flies snagging flying insects out of the air. Their loud buzzing is a give-away as they fly off when I am walking through the yard. I saw two this day, each with a species of bee (this one, a Honeybee, the other had a native bee of some sort).

Though the far reaches of the universe have been in the news a lot recently because of the amazing images from the James Webb Space Telescope, I continue to see aliens right outside my front door. Take a look and I think you will be amazed at what you can find as well.

18 thoughts on “Flash Mob, Part 2”

Kj4ta on July 17, 2022 at 8:19 am said:

Fantastic captures!

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- roadsendnaturalist on July 17, 2022 at 8:28 am said:
  
  Thank you.
  
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- roadsendnaturalist on July 17, 2022 at 10:33 am said:
  
  Thanks, Ken.
  
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Susan Cloutier on July 17, 2022 at 9:05 am said:

Wonderful! Thanks for the info and great images.

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- Mike on July 17, 2022 at 10:27 am said:
  
  Thank you, Susan.
  
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Denis DuBay on July 17, 2022 at 10:00 am said:

Amazing photos, Mike! Thanks for sharing. Aliens indeed.

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- Mike on July 17, 2022 at 10:27 am said:
  
  Thanks, Denis.
  
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Kim Smith on July 17, 2022 at 10:21 am said:

Loved all of these! I’m fond of weevils but hadn’t heard of the broad-nosed varieties before. And I’m curious about the leaf in the background of the sharpshooter pic…?

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- Mike on July 17, 2022 at 10:30 am said:
  
  Thanks, Kim. That is a very young (and slightly crinkled for some reason) Redbud leaf with water droplets on it.
  
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Birder's Journey on July 17, 2022 at 10:29 am said:

These are fantastic photos! I just love how you’ve captured and shown off so beautifully their unique designs and special tricks of camouflage!

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- Mike on July 17, 2022 at 10:31 am said:
  
  Thank you.
  
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Peggy Schaeffer on July 17, 2022 at 12:02 pm said:

Great photos and I especially like the treehoppers since I’ve been reading about them in the book An Immense World, by Ed Yong, all about the sensory capabilities & lworlds of animals—- have you read it? I think you’d appreciate it!

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The Cedar Journal on July 17, 2022 at 1:30 pm said:

Thank you. What wonderful captures.

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- Mike on July 20, 2022 at 8:28 am said:
  
  Thanks
  
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Ann on July 19, 2022 at 10:47 am said:

Beautiful detail and good information about these critters. I need to open my eyes and notice some of these guys in my own yard!

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- roadsendnaturalist on July 19, 2022 at 11:08 am said:
  
  Thanks, Ann. It is amazing what is out there, especially if you have a lot of native plants in your yard.
  
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Sue on July 19, 2022 at 8:59 pm said:

Those closeups are great. So much to see . I especially liked the two mark treehopper. Can’t tell head from tsil. Weird little thing.

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- Mike on July 20, 2022 at 8:27 am said:
  
  Thanks, Sue. Yes, those treehoppers can be quite bizarre.
  
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