Tag: Insects
My kids and I were looking for dragonflies around a river. I was looking over the water, when my father pointed out this little guy sitting on a garden hose.
While the kids and I were out on a nature walk we found a Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) flying around a river.
We again found Eastern Pondhawks on the wing. For some reason we only got good photos of the green females again this year.
I have been meaning to post something for months. As I logged in tonight, I realized that it has been exactly a year since my last post. I know a lot of my mental block has been the loss of…
The dragonflies are starting to thin out a little. We found a male Common Whitetail Skimmer on a log.
The Honey Bee and Bumblebee seem to get a lot of attention, but we should not forget about other Native Pollinators. Single representatives of the Mason bee, orchard bee, and Green Sweat Bee each do more work that an independent Honey Bee. They are not showy, and don’t makes sweet treats for us, but they keep the flowers blooming.
On today’s Bug Safari we found an Eastern Pondhawk. They have been around for a few weeks, but today was the first time one let us get really close. I am sure she thought she was well hidden in the leaves by the trail. Needless to say, we got a very good look at her, and even a few good photos.
This week we had a lot of rain. We didn’t get many chances to get out and explore. Fortunately, we found some Honey Bee action on our deck. At first the kids were a little worried about the wings and stingers, but once we started talking about honey they were on board. We started watching the flowers and that’s how the cucumbers get pollinated!
It is full Dragonfly season around our house. Today’s star was a Violet Dancer Damselfly. When my daughter saw the metallic purple damselfly, she pretended to “faint,” because it was so beautiful.
This last week, we went on another Bug Safari. We saw a lot of insects, but some moved too fast for little watcher. Some were old friends. The top prize was, a female Elfin Skimmer who sat in the grass for at least five minutes. We didn’t know what she was at the time, other than a beautiful dragonfly.
