The weather was sunny, breezy and warm as five volunteers conducted this week's survey. Although katydids are rarely seen mating (they seem to do so during the night), the female often bears evidence the next morning. As can be seen in the photo below, the male provides a large spermatophore which looks like a white glob. Part of it contains a sperm packet which is inserted into the female, but the rest is a nutritious gel that the female will consume to help with egg production. Select Photos and Complete List of Sightings: Rana berlandieri (Rio Grande leopard frog - its tadpole tail is almost completely absorbed!) photo by Val Bugh Mangora gibberosa (orbweaver) photo by Val Bugh Argia plana (springwater dancers ovipositing in tandem) photo by Val Bugh Lygaeus kalmii (small milkweed bug nymph) photo by Val Bugh Arethaea ambulator (walking thread-legged katydid female with spermatophore attached) photo by Val Bugh Paracyrtophyllus robustus (truncated true katydid nymph) photo by Val Bugh Mermiria sp. (slant-faced grasshopper nymph) photo by Val Bugh Cryptocephalus notatus (leaf beetles mating) photo by Val Bugh Typocerus sinuatus (flower longhorn) photo by Val Bugh Unknown sp. (geometrid moth larva) photo by Val Bugh Lycia ypsilon (woolly gray larva) photo by Val Bugh Pontia protodice (checkered white larva) photo by Val Bugh Pontia protodice (checkered white pupa) photo by Val Bugh Pontia protodice (checkered white, female) photo by Val Bugh Satyrium favonius (oak hairstreak) photo by Val Bugh Vanessa virginiensis (American lady) photo by Val Bugh Myelopsis minutularia (moth) photo by Val Bugh Eupithecia miserulata (common pug) photo by Val Bugh Adaina ambrosiae (ambrosia plume moth) photo by Val Bugh Litodonta hydromeli (prominent) photo by Val Bugh Nemoria zygotaria (emerald) photo by Val Bugh Birds: Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), nestlings Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) Mammals: Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus) Reptiles & Amphibians: Redstripe Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus) Rio Grande Leopard Frog (Rana berlandieri) Misc.: Harvestman (Unknown sp.) Insects & Spiders: order family genus/species common name lepidoptera   nymphalidae   Vanessa atalanta   Red Admiral       Vanessa cardui   Painted Lady (adult & larva)       Vanessa virginiensis   American Lady       Euptoieta claudia   Variegated Fritillary (adult & larva)       Agraulis vanillae   Gulf Fritillary (adult, pupa & larva)       Asterocampa clyton   Tawny Emperor       Junonia coenia   Common Buckeye (adult & larva)       Danaus plexippus   Monarch (adult & larva)       Danaus gilippus   Queen    pieridae   Pontia protodice   Checkered White (adult, pupa & larva)       Colias eurytheme   Orange Sulphur (adult & larva)       Eurema nicippe   Sleepy Orange (adult & larva)       Nathalis iole   Dainty Sulphur    papilionidae   Battus philenor   Pipevine Swallowtail    lycaenidae   Strymon melinus   Gray Hairstreak       Satyrium favonius   Oak Hairstreak       Hemiargus isola   Reakirt's Blue    hesperiidae   Pyrgus communis/albescens   Common Checkered-skipper    noctuidae   Peridroma saucia   Variegated Cutworm (larva)       Hypena scabra   Green Cloverworm Moth (adult & larva)       Galgula partita   The Wedgling       Caenurgina erechtea   Forage Looper Moth       Acronicta rubricoma   Ruddy Dagger (larva)       Abrostola microvalis   Moth       Alypia octomaculata   Eight-spotted Forester (larva)       Chrysodeixis includens   Soybean Looper (larva)       Rachiplusia ou   Gray Looper Moth       Cucullia laetifica   Cucullia laetifica (larva)       Spodoptera ornithogalli   Yellow-striped Armyworm (larva)       Zale lunata   Lunate Zale       Zale lunifera   Bold-based Zale       Plusiodonta compressipalpis   Moonseed Moth       Tarache tetragona   Four-spotted Bird Dropping Moth       Heliothis virescens   Tobacco Budworm (larva)    notodontidae   Litodonta hydromeli   Prominent    geometridae   Nemoria zygotaria   Emerald       Digrammia atrofasciata   Moth       Digrammia pallidata   Moth       Lycia ypsilon   Woolly Gray (larva)       Unknown sp.   Inchworm (larva)       Costaconvexa centrostrigaria   Bent-line Carpet       Iridopsis defectaria   Brown-shaded Gray Moth       Pleuroprucha insulsaria   Common Tan Wave       Anavitrinella atristrigaria   Gulf Coast Gray       Cyclophora nanaria   Dwarf Tawny Wave       Lobocleta ossularia   Drab Brown Wave       Orthonama obstipata   The Gem       Eupithecia miserulata   Common Pug       Nematocampa resistaria   Horned Spanworm Moth       Tornos scolopacinaria   Moth    saturniidae   Hyalophora cecropia   Cecropia Moth (larva)    crambidae   Urola nivalis   Snowy Urola       Udea rubigalis   Celery Leaftier Moth       Uresiphita reversalis   Genista Caterpillar Moth (adult & larva)       Nomophila nearctica   Lucerne Moth       Euchromius ocelleus   Grass-veneer Moth       Petrophila jaliscalis   Moth       Diastictis facturalis   Moth       Microcrambus croesus   Grass-veneer Moth    pyralidae   Parachma ochracealis   Moth       Arta sp.   Moth       Galasa nigrinodis   Boxwood Leaftier Moth       Myelopsis minutularia   Moth    tortricidae   Archips georgiana   Leafroller Moth    pterophoridae   Adaina ambrosiae   Ambrosia Plume Moth    acrolophidae   Acrolophus mortipennella   Tubeworm Moth    oecophoridae   Inga cretacea   Chalky Inga    sphingidae   Hyles lineata   White-lined Sphinx (larva)    gelechiidae   Anacampsis paltodoriella   Moth       Stegasta bosqueella   Red-necked Peanutworm Moth       Isophrictis rudbeckiella   Moth    xyloryctidae   Scythris fuscicomella   Moth coleoptera   chrysomelidae   Diabrotica undecimpunctata   Spotted Cucumber Beetle       Systena hudsonias   Flea Beetle       Cryptocephalus notatus   Leaf Beetle    coccinellidae   Coccinella septempunctata   Seven-spotted Ladybird       Hippodamia convergens   Convergent Ladybird (adult, pupa, & larva)    cerambycidae   Typocerus sinuatus   Flower Longhorn    buprestidae   Acmaeodera ornatoides   metallic Woodborer       Acmaeodera neglecta   Metallic Woodborer    mordellidae   Mordellistena cervicalis   Tumbling Flower Beetle hemiptera   miridae   Taedia sp.   Plant Bug       Neurocolpus sp.   Plant Bug       Oncerometopus nigriclavus   Plant Bug (adult & nymph)       Metriorrhynchomiris dislocatus    Plant Bug       Phytocoris sp.   Plant Bug    reduviidae   Apiomerus spissipes   Bee Assassin    coreidae   Leptoglossus clypealis   Leaf-footed Bug (nymph)    lygaeidae   Oncopeltus fasciatus   Large Milkweed Bug       Lygaeus kalmii   Small Milkweed Bug (nymph) homoptera   aphididae   Unknown sp.   Aphid    cercopidae   Unknown sp.   Spittlebug (nymph) hymenoptera   apidae   Apis mellifera   Honey Bee       Xylocopa parkinsoniae   Large Carpenter Bee       Melissodes sp.   Digger Bee    andrenidae   Protandrena sp.   Mining Bee    eulophidae   Euplectrus sp.   Wasp (pupa) diptera   dolichopodidae   Unknown sp.   Long-legged Fly    bombyliidae   Poecilanthrax lucifer   Bee Fly    tipulidae   Tipula sp.   Crane Fly    platystomatidae   Rivellia sp.   Signal Fly    syrphidae   Copestylum marginatum   Flower Fly       Copestylum avidum   Flower Fly       Toxomerus marginatus   Flower Fly    asilidae   Efferia sp.   Robber Fly    stratiomyidae   Hermetia chrysopila   Soldier Fly    tachinidae   Archytas sp.   Tachinid Fly odonata   coenagrionidae   Argia plana   Springwater Dancer       Argia immunda   Kiowa Dancer       Ischnura ramburii   Rambur's Forktail    lestidae   Lestes australis   Southern Spreadwing    libellulidae   Libellula croceipennis   Neon Skimmer orthoptera   acrididae   Mermiria sp.   Slant-faced Grasshopper (nymph)       Paraidemona sp.   Spur-throated Grasshopper       Arphia simplex   Plains Yellow-winged Grasshopper    tettigoniidae   Arethaea ambulator   Walking Thread-legged Katydid       Dichopetala catinata   Spoon-tailed Short-winged Katydid (nymph)       Paracyrtophyllus robustus   Truncated True Katydid (nymph) thysanoptera   aeolothripidae   Aeolothrips sp.   Predatory Thrips psocoptera   psocidae   Unknown sp.   Barklouse araneae   tetragnathidae   Tetragnatha laboriosa   Silver Long-jawed Orbweaver    thomisidae   Mecaphesa sp.   Crab Spider    araneidae   Mangora gibberosa   Orbweaver