Identificaciones de tfandre

White Rock lake, off the side of the sunset bay pier
This is only the 2nd time I've seen one of these cool spiders. It was over shallow water off the side of a pier so I could only get one side of it. That is a leaf that was caught in the web.
female
Id confirmed on bugguide here: https://bugguide.net/node/view/2195067
@tfandre

White Rock lake, off the side of the Sunset Bay pier
Flowers Are Delicious
I love these colorful katydids. She seemed to really be enjoying the flower she was munching on. Female
ID confirmed in bugguide here: https://bugguide.net/node/view/2194031 @tfandre
@sambiology @Suz, can the flower be indentified? white sweet clover? I'll make a separate observation if you say it can.

White Rock lake, side of the sunset bay pier
New Species Of Katydid
I found another katydid that turned out to be a new species for me. I didn't know that until I sent it off to the experts. It was on the elephant ears on the side of a pier which makes sense because research said they are found in damp meadows, edges of streams, & marshes. Female per the long ovipositor.
ID confirmed in bugguide here: https://bugguide.net/node/view/2193303 @tfandre

White Rock lake, Reinhart branch
Fall Foliage With Raccoon Butt
We are starting to get some autumn color in DFW. Nothing like a bit of wildlife surrounded by autumn leaves. Even better if it would turn around. Sigh

This is my first juvenile, looks different from the dark adult. I didn't realize what it was until I sent it off to the experts. Nice of it to sit on a leaf in the sun and pose for me.
ID confirmed in bugguide here: https://bugguide.net/node/view/2189448 @tfandre

Female Blue-ringed Dancer With Parasites
If you look closely under her abdomen near the thorax, you can see what looks like tiny eggs. They are actually water mites that initially attached when the damselfly was an aquatic larva. They will shorten the damselfly's life & decrease her fertility.
Id confirmed on bugguide here: https://bugguide.net/node/view/2189325
@tfandre

Photo 1:
What A Cool Jumping Spider
I was very excited when I spotted this bright orange jumping spider. I didn't know what it was, but I knew it was new for me. He was very active crawling & jumping all over the greenery so it was quite challenging to get a few shots. I have the id now from experts. No common name.
Photo 2:
Split Second Face Shot
I chased him around a bit trying to get a face shot. He would only face me for a split second before turning his back and jumping again.
Photo 3:
That Gorgeous Abdomen
Got a good shot of that bright orange abdomen right before he sailed off the stem into the sunlit yonder.
Tracey was with me, here are her shots: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/29814176
@tfandre

Photo with 1 bug:
New Kind Of Seed Bug
Found a tiny seed bug on a grass seed. Very hard to photograph. With that patchwork pattern I knew it was a new species for me. It has no common name & I could not find much information on it. Just that it feeds on grass...which is where I found 3 of them.
Photo with 2 bugs
New Kind Of Seed Bug Mating
With a new species, it helps to have both a male & female. I got very lucky to find 2 of them mating. Only way I would know a male from the female. They look alike but the female appears to be larger.
Id confirmed on bugguide here: https://bugguide.net/node/view/2170197
@tfandre also you have these individuals on iNat already.

I found a new kind of jumping spider. Very small and cute on a giant ragweed stalk. It only gave me one shot before it lived up to its name and disappeared.

ID confirmed in bugguide here: https://bugguide.net/node/view/2163280 @tfandre

This is a new species for me. I didn't even notice it had white antennae until I got an id from the experts. I'm just glad it stayed put long enough to get a shot.

ID confirmed in bugguide here: https://bugguide.net/node/view/2160662 @tfandre

Same Kind, Different Age
On Mother's Day, my grandson Riley & I explored the vacant lot beside his house. This was the 2nd grasshopper he found. This one was male and a nymph. The wings are just beginning to form. It was in the street right in front of the vacant lot. After I took my shot, Riley carefully stalked and caught it.

Another Fourth Of July Grasshopper
I found this guy on a fence post in the pasture behind my daughter's land. Only the 2nd of this species I've seen & my first male. He was nice enough to pose briefly for me.
Male Two-Striped Grasshopper

White Rock lake, fish hatchery
Eye To Eye With A Mydas Fly
These guys are bold. They are flies, but mimic spider wasps. I always jump when they buzz my head, so loud. Totally harmless. Makes me jump then lands and laughs at me. They get their name from the clubs at the end of the antennae.

Id confirmed in bugguide here: https://bugguide.net/node/view/2173349
@tfandre

Found A New Kind Of Bee
Went on a little nature walk with my daughter & 2 of my grandkids. The eleventh thing we saw turned out to be a new kind of bee for me. A cute native leafcutter bee with the habit of sticking its butt up. Enjoying the nectar of native sunflowers.
Male Leafcutter Bee (Megachile policaris)
Common Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
ID confirmed in bugguide here: https://bugguide.net/node/view/2156186 @tfandre

New for me. It was on the side of my daughter's house. She lives on a couple of acres of rural land.

ID confirmed in bugguide here: https://bugguide.net/node/view/2143812 @tfandre @sambiology @williamedwards

Weird Little Bug
This guy was not cooperating, running all over a large rock. I finally got a side shot before it tumbled over the edge and off into the grass and out of sight. First adult of this species I've photographed, had seen one nymph prior. Maybe because they are a nocturnal stink bug. Love the name, Elf Shoe. Look at that one black toe on the end of each foot.
Id confirmed in bugguide here: https://bugguide.net/node/view/2095397 @tfandre

One Eleven Ranch Park
Grasshopper Camo
Every inch of this grasshopper nymph blends in with either the green grass blades beside it or the sparkly dirt under it. I never saw it until it jumped in front of me. Was able to get this shot before it jumped further away.
nymph
Id confirmed in bugguide here: https://bugguide.net/node/view/2134273 @tfandre

Milkweed Predator
Very smart predator. The milkweed blossoms attract tons of flies, bees, wasps, butterflies even before fully open. Not to mention aphids. Perfect place for an assassin to hang out.
SUNSET / BLOOD FLOWER Scarlet Milkweed (Asclepias Curassavica)
Id confirmed in bugguide here: https://bugguide.net/node/view/2130057 @tfandre

This one is for the nymph
High Drama In The Lantana
Always drama to be found in my yard. This time it was an assassin bug nymph making a meal of a fly. The nymph has inserted its feeding tube into the anal opening of the fly, injected venom that liquifies the insides of the fly so that the nymph can suck it out while the fly is paralyzed.
Leafhopper Assassin Bug Nymph (Zelus renardii)
Flesh Fly (Family Sarcophagidae)
Id confirmed in bugguide here: https://bugguide.net/node/view/2129656
@tfandre