It had been a great Monday with Jeanne and Emily! However Emily was heading off to class so she missed the second half which follows.
The Six-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sexguttata) sometimes lacks the six spots.
And getting a photograph can be very challenging. They are fast and don’t stand still often.
What a beautiful day to admire the ponds. We headed over to the logs on the far side.
And we were rewarded with a Great Spreadwing (Archilestes grandis)!
A lichen on a dirt clod.
Sunflowers’ cotyledon was scattered along a stretch of a horse trail. Observably someone either dumped them or they had a leak in their bag. Hope the person had other snacks. 😉
Definitely a hat. 😉
One had not shed its seed coat yet.
Two Showy Grasshoppers.
We ended up seeing quite a few of the Autumn Yellow-winged Grasshopper (Arphia xanthoptera) on this trip. The open sandy trails seemed to be a suitable habitat for them. And these guys were the highlight for me. 🙂 And here is a new word for you, crepitate (well it was for me). BugGuide says the male Autumn Yellow-winged Grasshopper crepitates (sings) in flight. So we were hearing what I had called a clacking noise was actually the male’s song. Music to my ears now too!
Indeed a fun way to spend Monday morning, at the grasslands!
I might possibly have seen one of those ridgeback yellow-winged grasshoppers today. I caught a glimpse of something suspicious but it rushed away before I could verify.
The shower grasshoppers were a favorite of the quail i rescued years ago. Love the calm pond pics.
I might possibly have seen one of those ridgeback yellow-winged grasshoppers today. I caught a glimpse of something suspicious but it rushed away before I could verify.
Good article about the MN state park.