The heat shortened this survey a bit, but our group of three made a few very interesting observations. Female wasps digging nests in the gravel and dirt are becoming more numerous. We saw about a dozen tiny dark wasps flitting about the potted passionflower vines near the Insectary. They would land on the soil, chase each other, and never really held still, but we could not figure out just what was causing their behaviors. The Spicebush Swallowtail larvae are growing nicely; they have the cutest eye spots! The most spectacular sighting was a male Giant Walkingstick. These insects feed on oak and rely on their camouflage for defense. Select Photos and Complete List of Sightings: Argia plana (springwater dancer, female) photo by Val Bugh Bicyrtes sp. (sand wasp) photo by Val Bugh Euschistus servus (brown stink bug) photo by Val Bugh Hyperaspis signata (ladybird beetle, 2.5 mm long) photo by Val Bugh Sceloporus olivaceus (Texas spiny lizard) photo by Val Bugh Oxyopes acleistus (lynx spider) photo by Val Bugh Manduca sexta (Carolina sphinx larva, very young) photo by Val Bugh Melanoplus differentialis (differential grasshopper nymph) photo by Val Bugh Libellula croceipennis (neon skimmer, male) photo by Val Bugh Paraidemona sp. (grasshopper) photo by Val Bugh Cycloptilum sp. (scaly cricket, nymph) photo by Val Bugh Systasea pulverulenta (Texas powdered-skipper larva) photo by Val Bugh Polygyra cereolus (land snails) photo by Val Bugh Papilio troilus (spicebush swallowtail larva) photo by Val Bugh Megaphasma denticrus (giant walkingstick, male) photo by Val Bugh Unknown sp. (stink bug nymph) photo by Val Bugh Tachysphex sp. (wasp) photo by Val Bugh Cyclophora nanaria (dwarf tawny wave) photo by Val Bugh Zelus luridus (assassin bug) photo by Val Bugh Birds: Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus atricristatus) Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) Mammals: Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) Reptiles & Amphibians: Texas Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus olivaceus) Rio Grande Leopard Frog (Rana berlandieri) Mollusks: Land Snail (Polygyra cereolus) Insects & Spiders: order family genus/species common name lepidoptera   nymphalidae   Danaus gilippus   Queen       Asterocampa celtis   Hackberry Emperor       Agraulis vanillae   Gulf Fritillary       Phyciodes texana   Texan Crescent       Junonia coenia   Common Buckeye    pieridae   Eurema lisa   Little Yellow    papilionidae   Papilio polyxenes   Black Swallowtail       Papilio troilus   Spicebush Swallowtail (larva)       Papilio cresphontes   Giant Swallowtail (adult & larva)    hesperiidae   Euphyes vestris   Dun Skipper       Thorybes pylades   Northern Cloudywing       Systasea pulverulenta   Texas Powdered-skipper (larva)    noctuidae   Ogdoconta cinereola   Common Pinkband       Tripudia quadrifera   Moth       Ponometia candefacta   Olive-shaded Bird Dropping Moth       Ponometia phecolisca   Bird Dropping Moth    notodontidae   Hippia packardii   Prominent       Schizura errucata   Prominent       Lochmaeus bilineata   Double-lined Prominent    sphingidae   Manduca sexta   Carolina Sphinx (larva)    saturniidae   Automeris io   Io Moth (larva)    geometridae   Glenoides texanaria   Texas Gray Moth       Cyclophora nanaria   Dwarf Tawny Wave    tortricidaew   Platynota flavedana   Black-shaded Platynota Moth    lacturidae   Lactura sp.   Moth odonata   coenagrionidae   Argia immunda   Kiowa Dancer       Argia plana   Springwater Dancer    libellulidae   Libellula croceipennis   Neon Skimmer       Erythemis simplicicollis   Eastern Pondhawk       Pachydiplax longipennis   Blue Dasher       Libellula luctuosa   Widow Skimmer diptera   unknown family   Unknown sp.   Fly (larva) coleoptera   chrysomelidae   Asphaera lustrans   Flea Beetle    coccinellidae   Hyperaspis signata   Ladybird Beetle    cerambycidae   Stenelytrana gigas   Long-horned Beetle    meloidae   Nemognatha sp.   Blister Beetle hemiptera   reduviidae   Zelus luridus   Assassin Bug       Zelus sp.   Assassin Bug eggs    coreidae   Acanthocephala terminalis   Coreid Bug (adult & nymph)    scutelleridae   Unknown sp.   Shield Bug (nymph)    pentatomidae   Brochymena sp.   Rough Stink Bug (adult & nymph)       Euschistus servus   Brown Stink Bug       Euschistus sp.   Stink Bug (nymph)       Unknown sp.   Stink Bug (nymph)       Chlorochroa ligata   Conchuela (adult & nymph) homoptera   cicadellidae   Prairiana orizaba   Leafhopper    flatidae   Metcalfa pruinosa   Citrus Planthopper    acanaloniidae   Acanalonia parva   Planthopper    cercopidae   Lepyronia quadrangularis   Spittlebug    cicadidae   Tibicen texanus   Cicada hymenoptera   crabronidae   Bicyrtes sp.   Sand Wasp       Tachysphex sp.   Wasp    sphecidae   Sceliphron caementarium   Yellow-and-black Mud Dauber    vespidae   Polistes carolina   Red Wasp       Polistes exclamans   Paper Wasp    chrysididae   Unknown sp.   Cuckoo Wasp    apidae   Xylocopa tabaniformis   Large Carpenter Bee       Apis mellifera   Honey Bee    megachilidae   Megachile sp.   Leaf-cutter Bee orthoptera   acrididae   Schistocerca sp.   Bird Grasshopper (nymph)       Chortophaga viridifasciata   Northern Green-striped Grasshopper       Unknown sp.   Spurthroat Grasshopper (nymph)       Melanoplus differentialis   Differential Grasshopper (adult & nymph)       Paraidemona sp.   Spur-throated Grasshopper       Mermiria sp.   Slant-faced Grasshopper (nymph)    tettigoniidae   Conocephalus strictus   Straight-lanced Meadow Katydid       Scudderia furcata   Fork-tailed Bush Katydid (nymph)       Paracyrtophyllus robustus   Truncated True Katydid    mogoplistidae   Cycloptilum sp.   Scaly Cricket (nymph) phasmatodea   heteronemiidae   Megaphasma denticrus   Giant Walkingstick araneae   araneidae   Argiope aurantia   Black and Yellow Garden Spider    salticidae   Phidippus audax   Bold Jumper       Hentzia palmarum   Long-jawed Jumper    oxyopidae   Oxyopes acleistus   Lynx Spider    clubionidae   Clubiona sp.   Sac Spider