Our party of eight endured scorching temperatures under sunny skies. Even the American Lady was resting in the shade rather than fluttering around flowers. The blue dasher pictured below is obelisking, a behavior of some dragonflies to avoid getting overheated, in which the abdomen is pointed toward the sun to minimize the surface exposed to the rays. The scorpion we found had several tiny orange mite larvae attached to its front legs. These parasitic larvae will drop off to become predatory adults. Select Photos and Complete List of Sightings: Vanessa virginiensis (American lady) photo by Val Bugh Lycomorpha pholus (black-and-yellow-lichen moth) photo by Val Bugh Manduca sexta (Carolina sphinx larva, parasitized by braconid wasp) photo by Val Bugh Hemaris diffinis, Epargyreus clarus, Agraulis vanillae (eggs: snowberry clearwing, silver-spotted skipper, gulf fritillary) photo by Val Bugh Centruroides vittatus (striped bark scorpion) photo by Val Bugh Argiope aurantia (black and yellow garden spiders: two stages of immatures) photo by Val Bugh Euptilon sp. (antlion) photo by Val Bugh Schistocerca sp. (bird grasshopper, nymph) photo by Val Bugh Schistocerca lineata (spotted bird grasshopper, nymph) photo by Val Bugh Cryptocephalus fulguratus (leaf beetle) photo by Val Bugh Libellula croceipennis (neon skimmer, female just molted) photo by Val Bugh Libellula croceipennis (neon skimmer, male) photo by Val Bugh Erythemis simplicicollis (eastern pondhawk, male) photo by Val Bugh Pachydiplax longipennis (blue dasher, obelisking) photo by Val Bugh Megachile sp. (leaf-cutter bee, with full load of pollen) photo by Val Bugh Polistes aurifer (paper wasp) photo by Val Bugh Rana berlandieri (Rio Grande leopard frog) photo by Val Bugh Sigmodon hispidus (hispid cotton rat) photo by Val Bugh Birds: Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) Black-Chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus atricristatus) Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris) Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) Western Scrub-jay (Aphelocoma californica) White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica) Mammals: Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus) Reptiles & Amphibians: Redstripe Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus) Texas Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta lindheimeri) Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) Rio Grande Leopard Frog (Rana berlandieri), adult & tadpole Misc.: Millipede (Unknown sp.) Harvestman (Unknown sp.) Striped Bark Scorpion (Centruroides vittatus) Mites (Leptus sp.), larvae on scorpion Insects & Spiders: order family genus/species common name lepidoptera   nymphalidae   Agraulis vanillae   Gulf Fritillary (adult & egg)       Phyciodes texana   Texan Crescent       Vanessa virginiensis   American Lady       Asterocampa celtis   Hackberry Emperor       Danaus gilippus   Queen    lycaenidae   Hemiargus isola   Reakirt's Blue       Leptotes marina   Marine Blue    papilionidae   Papilio cresphontes   Giant Swallowtail    pieridae   Phoebis sennae   Cloudless Sulphur    hesperiidae   Hylephila phyleus   Fiery Skipper       Epargyreus clarus   Silver-spotted Skipper (adult & egg)       Euphyes vestris   Dun Skipper       Pyrgus philetas   Desert Checkered-skipper    arctiidae   Lycomorpha pholus   Black-and-yellow Lichen Moth    sphingidae   Hemaris diffinis   Snowberry Clearwing (adult & egg)       Manduca sexta   Carolina Sphinx (larva)    geometridae   Lobocleta ossularia   Drab Brown Wave       Lobocleta peralbata   White Wave       Pimaphera percata   Moth    crambidae   Aethiophysa lentiflualis   Moth       Uresiphita reversalis   Genista Caterpillar    pyralidae   Peoria tetradella   Grass-veneer Moth       Elasmopalpus lignosellus   Lesser Cornstalk Borer Moth coleoptera   chrysomelidae   Asphaera lustrans   Flea Beetle       Donacia sp.   Aquatic Leaf Beetle       Cryptocephalus fulguratus   Leaf Beetle       Anomoea sp.   Leaf Beetle    coccinellidae   Harmonia axyridis   Multi-colored Asian Ladybird       Coccinella septempunctata   Seven-spotted Ladybird    buprestidae   Agrilus sp.   Metallic Woodborer    tenebrionidae   Eleodes goryi   Darkling Beetle    anthribidae   Trigonorhinus limbatus   Fungus Weevil hemiptera   coreidae   Acanthocephala terminalis   Coreid Bug       Leptoglossus phyllopus   Eastern Leaf-footed Bug       Hypselonotus punctiventris   Coreid Bug    rhyparochromidae   Ligyrocoris sp.   Seed Bug    rhopalidae   Jadera haematoloma   Red-shouldered Bug    tingidae   Corythuca sp.   Lace Bug    reduviidae   Zelus renardii   Assassin Bug (nymph)    berytidae   Jalysus sp.   Stilt Bug    cydnidae   Pangaeus sp.   Burrowing Bug    pentatomidae   Euschistus servus   Brown Stink Bug       Euschistus sp.   Stink Bug (nymph) homoptera   cicadellidae   Homalodisca vitripennis   Glassy-winged Sharpshooter       Penthimia americana   leafhopper (nymph)       Cuerna costalis   Leafhopper       Neokolla dolobrata   Leafhopper (adult & nymph)    cicadidae   Tibicen sp.   Cicada (exuviae & wings) hymenoptera   apidae   Apis mellifera   Honey Bee       Xylocopa virginica   Eastern Carpenter Bee       Xylocopa tabaniformis   Large Carpenter Bee    halictidae   Unknown sp.   Sweat Bee    megachilidae   Megachile sp.   Leaf-cutter Bee       Anthidiellum gilense   Bee    vespidae   Polistes metricus   Paper Wasp       Polistes carolina   Red Wasp       Polistes exclamans   Paper Wasp       Polistes aurifer   Paper Wasp    sphecidae   Prionyx sp.   Thread-waisted Wasp       Sceliphron caementarium   Yellow-and-Black Mud Dauber    crabronidae   Bicyrtes sp.   Sand Wasp    pompilidae   Unknown sp.   Spider Wasp    braconidae   Cotesia congregata   Braconid Wasp (larvae in hornworm)    ichneumonidae   Unknown sp.   Ichneumon diptera   asilidae   Atomosia sp.   Robber Fly    sarcophagidae   Unknown sp.   Flesh Fly    conopidae   Physocephala sp.   Thick-headed Fly    dolichopodidae   Condylostylus sp.   Long-legged Fly    tephritidae   Tomoplagia obliqua   Fruit Fly odonata   coenagrionidae   Ischnura ramburii   Rambur's Forktail       Ischnura posita   Fragile Forktail       Argia immunda   Kiowa Dancer       Enallagma civile   Familiar Bluet    libellulidae   Libellula croceipennis   Neon Skimmer       Pachydiplax longipennis   Blue Dasher       Erythemis simplicicollis   Eastern Pondhawk       Tramea onusta   Red Saddlebags orthoptera   acrididae   Schistocerca sp.   Bird Grasshopper (nymph)       Schistocerca lineata   Spotted Bird Grasshopper (nymph)       Lactista aztecus   Aztec Bandwing    tettigoniidae   Scudderia furcata   Fork-tailed Bush Katydid       Pediodectes sp.   Shieldback dermaptera   anisolabididae   Euborellia annulipes   Ring-legged Earwig neuroptera   myrmeleontidae   Euptilon sp.   Antlion    ascalaphidae   Ululodes macleayanus   Owlfly araneae   salticidae   Phidippus audax   Bold Jumper       Platycryptus undatus   Jumping Spider       Thiodina puerpera   Jumping Spider    araneidae   Argiope aurantia   Black and Yellow Garden Spider    thomisidae   Mecaphesa sp.   Crab Spider    oxyopidae   Peucetia viridans   Green Lynx