Five volunteers participated in this week's survey under cool and mostly cloudy conditions, which kept flying insect numbers low but allowed mollusks to remain active. We found a pair of Garden Snails mating (see photo below), which looks sort of like a slow-motion wrestling match. These land snails are hermaphrodites, which means each animal is both male and female. They "shoot" love darts into each other (yes, REALLY), then both inseminate their partner. It all works very well, since there is no dearth of this species in the Gardens. Select Photos and Complete List of Sightings: Alcaeorrhynchus grandis (predatory stink bug) photo by Val Bugh Copestylum tamaulipanum (flower fly) photo by Val Bugh Augochloropsis metallica (green sweat bee) photo by Val Bugh Lasioglossum sp. (sweat bee) photo by Val Bugh Protandrena sp. (bee) photo by Val Bugh Unknown sp. (braconid wasp) photo by Val Bugh Arphia simplex (plains yellow-winged grasshopper) photo by Val Bugh Melanoplus femurrubrum (red-legged grasshopper) photo by Val Bugh Conocephalus strictus (straight-lanced meadow katydid, female) photo by Val Bugh Asphaera lustrans (flea beetle) photo by Val Bugh Antaeotricha lindseyi (bird-dropping moth) photo by Val Bugh Oenobotys texanalis (moth) photo by Val Bugh Stenoptilodes sp. (plume moth) photo by Val Bugh Phyciodes phaon (phaon crescent) photo by Val Bugh Libytheana carinenta (American snout) photo by Val Bugh Atalopedes campestris (sachem) photo by Val Bugh Brephidium exile (western pygmy-blue) photo by Val Bugh Estigmene acrea (saltmarsh caterpillar) photo by Val Bugh Otala lactea (garden snails mating) photo by Val Bugh Thanatus sp. (running crab spider) photo by Val Bugh Birds: Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus atricristatus) Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus) White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica) Yellow-throated Vireo (Vireo flavifrons) Misc.: Garden Snail (Otala lactea) Sowbug (Porcellionides pruinosus) Insects & Spiders: order family genus/species common name lepidoptera   nymphalidae   Phyciodes phaon   Phaon Crescent       Chlosyne lacinia   Bordered Patch       Junonia coenia   Common Buckeye       Vanessa atalanta   Red Admiral       Agraulis vanillae   Gulf Fritillary (larva)       Libytheana carinenta   American Snout       Danaus gilippus   Queen    pieridae   Eurema nicippe   Sleepy Orange       Colias eurytheme   Orange Sulphur       Nathalis iole   Dainty Sulphur       Pontia protodice   Checkered White    lycaenidae   Hemiargus ceraunus   Ceraunus Blue       Hemiargus isola   Reakirt's Blue       Brephidium exile   Western Pygmy-blue       Strymon melinus   Gray Hairstreak    hesperiidae   Pyrgus communis/albescens   Common/White Checkered-skipper       Atalopedes campestris   Sachem       Hylephila phyleus   Fiery Skipper       Lerema accius   Clouded Skipper    noctuidae   Megalographa biloba   Bilobed Looper Moth       Mythimna unipuncta   Armyworm Moth       Heliothis virescens   Tobacco Budworm (larva)       Feltia subterranea   Subterranean Dart    arctiidae   Estigmene acrea   Saltmarsh Moth (larva)    geometridae   Digrammia pallidata   Moth       Digrammia californiaria   Moth       Chlorochlamys chloroleucaria   Blackberry Looper (larva)    crambidae   Nomophila nearctica   Lucerne Moth       Oenobotys texanalis   Moth       Spoladea recurvalis   Hawaiian Beet Webworm Moth       Diacme elealis   Moth    elachistidae   Antaeotricha lindseyi   Bird-dropping Moth    pterophoridae   Stenoptilodes sp.   Plume Moth    coleophoridae   Blastobasis sp.   Moth    gelechiidae   Deltophora glandiferella   Moth coleoptera   coccinellidae   Coccinella septempunctata   Seven-spotted Ladybird (adult, pupa & larva)       Cycloneda sanguinea   Red Ladybird       Harmonia axyridis   Multi-colored Asian Ladybird    chrysomelidae   Diabrotica undecimpunctata   Spotted Cucumber Beetle       Asphaera lustrans   Flea Beetle    meloidae   Epicauta pennsylvanica   Blister Beetle hemiptera   coreidae   Leptoglossus phyllopus   Eastern Leaf-footed Bug (adult & nymph)       Hypselonotus punctiventris   Coreid Bug    alydidae   Hyalymenus tarsatus   Texas Bow-legged Bug (adult & nymph)    rhopalidae   Niesthrea louisianica   Scentless Plant Bug    lygaeidae   Lygaeus kalmii   Small Milkweed Bug    miridae   Polymerus basalis   Plant Bug       Halticotoma valida   Yucca Plant Bug    reduviidae   Zelus renardii   Assassin Bug    scutelleridae   Diolcus chrysorrhoeus   Shield Bug    pentatomidae   Euschistus obscurus   Stink Bug       Thyanta custator   Stink Bug       Alcaeorrhynchus grandis   Predatory Stink Bug homoptera   cicadellidae   Neokolla uhleri   Leafhopper       Homalodisca vitripennis   Glassy-winged Sharpshooter    membracidae   Vanduzea sp.   Treehopper hymenoptera   apidae   Apis mellifera   Honey Bee    andrenidae   Protandrena sp.   Bee    halictidae   Augochloropsis metallica   Green Sweat Bee       Lasioglossum sp.   Sweat Bee    vespidae   Polistes carolina   Red Wasp       Polistes exclamans   Paper Wasp       Polistes fuscatus   Paper Wasp       Euodynerus hidalgo   Mason Wasp    braconidae   Unknown sp.   Braconid Wasp diptera   syrphidae   Allograpta obliqua   Flower Fly       Eupeodes volucris   Flower Fly       Palpada furcata   Flower Fly       Copestylum marginatum   Black Flower Fly       Copestylum tamaulipanum   Flower Fly    anthomyiidae   Unknown sp.   Root Maggot Fly    sarcophagidae   Unknown sp.   Flesh Fly    tachinidae   Trichopoda pennipes   Feather-legged Fly odonata   libellulidae   Sympetrum corruptum   Variegated Meadowhawk orthoptera   acrididae   Schistocerca sp.   Bird Grasshopper (nymph)       Schistocerca nitens   Gray Bird Grasshopper       Melanoplus plebejus   Plebeian Grasshopper       Melanoplus femurrubrum   Red-legged Grasshopper       Chortophaga viridifasciata   Northern Green-striped Grasshopper       Arphia simplex   Plains Yellow-winged Grasshopper       Orphulella speciosa   Pasture Grasshopper    tetrigidae   Paratettix mexicanus   Pygmy Grasshopper (nymph)    tettigoniidae   Conocephalus strictus   Straight-lanced Meadow Katydid araneae   salticidae   Phidippus audax   Bold Jumper    thomisidae   Mecaphesa sp.   Crab Spider    philodromidae   Philodromus sp.   Running Crab Spider       Thanatus sp.   Running Crab Spider    oxyopidae   Peucetia viridans   Green Lynx    lycosidae   Pardosa sp.   Wolf Spider