A cold, sunny morning with only light wind was delightful for our 5 participants. The recent low temperatures have diminished insect numbers, but there are plenty of birds. Moths were conspicuously absent. Spider mites on a kidneywood plant were first noticed because of their webbing and the damage they do to leaves. It took a bit of searching to find the miniscule creatures huddled together on some twigs. The relatively few flowers blooming were a draw to small bees and other insects. Select Photos and Complete List of Sightings: Lasioglossum sp. (sweat bee) photo by Val Bugh Hemiargus isola (Reakirt's blue, male) photo by Val Bugh Hemiargus isola (Reakirt's blue larva with ant) photo by Val Bugh Diabrotica balteata (banded cucumber beetle) photo by Val Bugh Unknown sp. (green sweat bee and spotted cucumber beetle) photo by Val Bugh Eritettix abortivus (Texas short-winged slant-faced grasshopper) photo by Val Bugh Dicromantispa sayi (mantisfly) photo by Val Bugh Unknown sp. (spider mites) photo by Val Bugh Phidippus carolinensis (Carolina jumper) photo by Val Bugh Pseudosermyle strigata (walkingstick, female) photo by Val Bugh Phoebis sennae (cloudless sulphur) photo by Val Bugh Toxomerus marginatus (flower fly) photo by Val Bugh Tritoxa sp. (picture-winged fly) photo by Val Bugh Birds: American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris) Le Conte's Sparrow (Ammodramus leconteii) Lincoln's Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii) Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) Orange-crowned Warbler (Vermivora celata) Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) Titmouse (Baeolophus sp.) Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus) Western Scrub-jay (Aphelocoma californica) White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata) Mammals: White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) Reptiles: Eastern Blackneck Garter Snake (Thamnophis cyrtopsis ocellatus) Misc.: Spider Mites (family Tetranychidae) Insects & Spiders: order family genus/species common name lepidoptera   nymphalidae   Danaus gilippus   Queen       Agraulis vanillae   Gulf Fritillary       Vanessa atalanta   Red Admiral       Junonia coenia   Common Buckeye       Euptoieta claudia   Variegated Fritillary    pieridae   Eurema nicippe   Sleepy Orange       Eurema lisa   Little Yellow       Nathalis iole   Dainty Sulphur       Colias cesonia   Southern Dogface       Phoebis sennae   Cloudless Sulphur    lycaenidae   Hemiargus isola   Reakirt's Blue (adult & larva)       Strymon melinus   Gray Hairstreak    hesperiidae   Lerema accius   Clouded Skipper       Lerodea eufala   Eufala Skipper       Pyrgus philetas   Desert Checkered-skipper    geometridae   Costaconvexa centrostrigaria   Bent-line Carpet       Unknown sp.   Inchworm odonata   libellulidae   Sympetrum corruptum   Variegated Meadowhawk       Sympetrum vicinum   Autumn Meadowhawk coleoptera   chrysomelidae   Asphaera lustrans   Flea Beetle       Diabrotica undecimpunctata   Spotted Cucumber Beetle       Diabrotica balteata   Banded Cucumber Beetle       Phaedon viridis   Leaf Beetle    buprestidae   Acmaeodera flavomarginata   Metallic Woodborer hemiptera   coreidae   Chariesterus antennator   Euphorbia Bug    miridae   Halticotoma valida   Yucca Plant Bug       Polymerus sp.   Plant Bug    pentatomidae   Euschistus servus   Brown Stink Bug homoptera   cicadellidae   Graphocephala versuta   Leafhopper       Cuerna costalis   Leafhopper (nymph) hymenoptera   vespidae   Vespula squamosa   Southern Yellowjacket       Polistes exclamans   Paper Wasp       Polistes metricus   Paper Wasp       Polistes fuscatus   Paper Wasp       Polistes carolina   Red Wasp    formicidae   Unknown sp.   Ant    apidae   Apis mellifera   Honey Bee    halictidae   Unknown sp.   Green Sweat Bee       Unknown sp.   Sweat Bee       Lasioglossum sp.   Sweat Bee diptera   syrphidae   Toxomerus marginatus   Flower Fly    calliphoridae   Cynomya cadaverina   Bluebottle Fly    ulidiidae   Tritoxa sp.   Picture-winged Fly orthoptera   acrididae   Schistocerca americana   American Bird Grasshopper       Melanoplus sp.   Spur-throated Grasshopper (nymph)       Melanoplus ponderosus   Ponderous Grasshopper       Melanoplus differentialis   Differential Grasshopper       Melanoplus flabellatus   Spur-throated Grasshopper       Eritettix abortivus   Texas Short-winged Slant-faced Grasshopper       Lactista aztecus   Aztec Bandwing (adult & nymph)       Chortophaga viridifasciata   Northern Green-striped Grasshopper (adult & nymph)       Arphia simplex   Plains Yellow-winged Grasshopper       Trimerotropis pallidipennis   Pallid-winged Grasshopper       Encoptolophus costalis   Dusky Grasshopper    gryllidae   Oecanthus sp.   Tree Cricket neuroptera   chrysopidae   Unknown sp.   Green Lacewing    mantispidae   Dicromantispa sayi   Mantisfly phasmatodea   heteronemiidae   Pseudosermyle strigata   Walkingstick mantodea   mantidae   Stagmomantis carolina   Carolina Mantis araneae   araneidae   Argiope aurantia   Black and Yellow Garden Spider    salticidae   Phidippus audax   Bold Jumper       Phidippus carolinensis   Carolina Jumper    lycosidae   Unknown sp.   Wolf Spider    oxyopidae   Peucetia viridans   Green Lynx       Oxyopes salticus   Striped Lynx