Although temperatures were pleasant under heavy cloud cover for the early part of the morning, the sun later came out and really heated things up for our six participants. The pair of leafhoppers shown below are engaged in a form of courtship behavior. The male (smaller and darker) and female sit side by side, as if getting to know each other even though they are not mating. This close-up photo shows the male's front leg actually contacting the female. It's sort of like holding hands. Select Photos and Complete List of Sightings: Quiscalus quiscula (common grackle) photo by Harriett Wolf Otala lactea (garden snail) photo by Harriett Wolf Phlegra hentzi (jumping spider) photo by Val Bugh Banasa euchlora (stink bug) photo by Val Bugh Homalodisca vitripennis (glassy-winged sharpshooter) photo by Val Bugh Neokolla dolobrata (leafhopper, male & female) photo by Val Bugh Dictyonissus griphus (issid planthopper, nymph) photo by Val Bugh Villa lateralis (bee fly) photo by Val Bugh Unknown sp. (barklouse) photo by Val Bugh Chimarra sp. (black caddisfly) photo by Val Bugh Pachydiplax longipennis (blue dasher, male) photo by Val Bugh Lema trabeata (leaf beetle, larva) photo by Val Bugh Lema trabeata (leaf beetle, ovipositing) photo by Val Bugh Strangalia sexnotata (flower longhorn, male) photo by Val Bugh Unknown sp. (geometrid moth larva or inchworm) photo by Val Bugh Adelphia petrella (moth) photo by Val Bugh Euchromius ocelleus (grass-veneer moth) photo by Val Bugh Lactura sp. (moth) photo by Val Bugh Eulithis diversilineata (lesser grapevine looper moth) photo by Val Bugh Danaus gilippus (queen, male) photo by Val Bugh Birds: Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), nestlings Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) Misc.: Garden Snail (Otala lactea) Insects & Spiders: order family genus/species common name lepidoptera   nymphalidae   Vanessa atalanta   Red Admiral       Vanessa cardui   Painted Lady (adult, pupa & larva)       Euptoieta claudia   Variegated Fritillary (adult & larva)       Agraulis vanillae   Gulf Fritillary (adult & larva)       Junonia coenia   Common Buckeye (adult & larva)       Danaus plexippus   Monarch       Danaus gilippus   Queen    pieridae   Pontia protodice   Checkered White (adult & larva)       Colias eurytheme   Orange Sulphur       Nathalis iole   Dainty Sulphur    lycaenidae   Atlides halesus   Great Purple Hairstreak       Satyrium favonius   Oak Hairstreak       Hemiargus isola   Reakirt's Blue (adult & larva)    hesperiidae   Pyrgus communis/albescens   Common Checkered-skipper    noctuidae   Galgula partita   The Wedgling       Melipotis jucunda   Merry Melipotis       Melipotis cellaris   Moth       Spodoptera ornithogalli   Yellow-striped Armyworm (larva)       Zale lunata   Lunate Zale       Catocala micronympha   Little Nymph Underwing       Ponometia candefacta   Olive-shaded Bird Dropping Moth       Heliothis virescens   Tobacco Budworm (larva)       Helicoverpa zea   Corn Earworm Moth       Eubolina impartialis   Moth       Rachiplusia ou   Gray Looper Moth       Trichoplusia ni   Ni Moth    notodontidae   Schizura errucata   Prominent    geometridae   Lobocleta ossularia   Drab Brown Wave       Costaconvexa centrostrigaria   Bent-line Carpet       Iridopsis defectaria   Brown-shaded Gray Moth       Digrammia californiaria   Moth       Anavitrinella atristrigaria   Gulf Coast Gray       Rindgea nigricomma   Moth       Glena quinquelinearia   Five-lined Glena       Nematocampa resistaria   Horned Spanworm Moth       Unknown sp.   Inchworm (larva)       Pimaphera percata   Moth       Eulithis diversilineata   Lesser Grapevine Looper Moth       Prochoerodes lineola   Large Maple Spanworm Moth       Horisme intestinata   Brown Bark Carpet       Cyclophora nanaria   Dwarf Tawny Wave    saturniidae   Hyalophora cecropia   Cecropia Moth (larva)    crambidae   Mimoschinia rufofascialis   Moth       Uresiphita reversalis   Genista Caterpillar Moth (larva)       Euchromius ocelleus   Grass-veneer Moth    pyralidae   Arta epicoenalis   Moth       Peoria opacella   Grass-veneer Moth       Adelphia petrella   Moth       Salebriaria pumilella   Moth    lacturidae   Lactura sp.   Moth    elachistidae   Ethmia semilugens   Ethmia Moth    prodoxidae   Prodoxus sp.   Bogus Yucca Moth    gelechiidae   Stegasta bosqueella   Red-necked Peanutworm Moth       Dichomeris costarufoella   Moth       Gnorimoschema saphirinella   Moth    oecophoridae   Inga cretacea   Chalky Inga       Inga obscuromaculella   Moth    xyloryctidae   Scythris fuscicomella   Moth    ypsolophidae   Ypsolopha unicipunctella   Agarita Slug Moth coleoptera   chrysomelidae   Diabrotica undecimpunctata   Spotted Cucumber Beetle       Lema trabeata   Leaf Beetle (adult, larva & egg)       Metrioidea sp.   Leaf Beetle       Systena hudsonias   Flea Beetle    coccinellidae   Coccinella septempunctata   Seven-spotted Ladybird       Hippodamia convergens   Convergent Ladybird    cerambycidae   Aneflomorpha sp.   Long-horned Beetle       Mecas cineracea   Long-horned Beetle       Strangalia sexnotata   Flower Longhorn    buprestidae   Acmaeodera ornatoides   Metallic Woodborer    mordellidae   Mordellistena cervicalis   Tumbling Flower Beetle    elateridae   Unknown sp.   Click Beetle    carabidae   Unknown sp.   Ground Beetle    curculionidae   Sitona californius   Broad-nosed Weevil hemiptera   miridae   Calocoris barberi   Plant Bug (adult & nymph)       Halticotoma valida   Yucca Plant Bug    reduviidae   Apiomerus spissipes   Bee Assassin    coreidae   Narnia femorata   Cactus Bug (nymph)       Chelinidea vittiger   Opuntia Bug (nymph)    lygaeidae   Lygaeus kalmii   Small Milkweed Bug    rhyparochromidae   Neopamera bilobata   Seed Bug    rhopalidae   Harmostes sp.   Scentless Plant Bug    pentatomidae   Banasa euchlora   Stink Bug homoptera   cicadellidae   Homalodisca vitripennis   Glassy-winged Sharpshooter       Cuerna costalis   Leafhopper       Neokolla dolobrata   Leafhopper    issidae   Dictyonissus griphus   Planthopper (nymph)       Thionia acuta   Planthopper hymenoptera   apidae   Apis mellifera   Honey Bee       Ceratina sp.   Small Carpenter Bee    sphecidae   Sphex ichneumoneus   Great Golden Digger Wasp       Chalybion sp.   Blue Mud Dauber    vespidae   Polistes carolina   Red Wasp    chrysididae   Unknown sp.   Cuckoo Wasp    eulophidae   Euplectrus sp.   Wasp (pupa)    braconidae   Aleiodes sp.   Mummy Wasp (pupa)    formicidae   Camponotus sp.   Carpenter Ant       Crematogaster sp.   Acrobat Ant    tenthredinidae   Unknown sp.   Common Sawfly (larva) diptera   dolichopodidae   Unknown sp.   Long-legged Fly    platystomatidae   Rivellia sp.   Signal Fly    syrphidae   Allograpta obliqua   Flower Fly       Toxomerus marginatus   Flower Fly       Copestylum tamaulipanum   Flower Fly    bombyliidae   Villa lateralis   Bee Fly    stratiomyidae   Hermetia chrysopila   Soldier Fly    asilidae   Atomosia puella   Robber Fly    agromyzidae   Melanagromyza sp.   Leaf-miner Fly    sciaridae   Unknown sp.   Dark-winged Fungus Gnat    sarcophagidae   Unknown sp.   Flesh Fly    tachinidae   Archytas sp.   Tachinid Fly       Unknown sp.   Tachinid Fly odonata   coenagrionidae   Argia immunda   Kiowa Dancer       Argia fumipennis   Variable Dancer       Argia plana   Springwater Dancer       Ischnura ramburii   Rambur's Forktail    libellulidae   Libellula croceipennis   Neon Skimmer       Pachydiplax longipennis   Blue Dasher orthoptera   acrididae   Melanoplus ponderosus   Ponderous Grasshopper (nymph)       Paraidemona sp.   Spur-throated Grasshopper       Unknown sp.   Spur-throated Grasshopper (nymph)    tetrigidae   Paratettix mexicanus   Pygmy Grasshopper    tettigoniidae   Arethaea ambulator   Walking Thread-legged Katydid       Scudderia furcata   Fork-tailed Bush Katydid (nymph)       Dichopetala catinata   Spoon-tailed Short-winged Katydid       Conocephalus sp.   Meadow Katydid (nymph)       Paracyrtophyllus robustus   Truncated True Katydid (nymph) neuroptera   berothidae   Lomamyia sp.   Beaded Lacewing trichoptera   philopotamidae   Chimarra sp.   Black Caddisfly thysanoptera   aeolothripidae   Aeolothrips sp.   Predatory Thrips psocoptera   psocidae   Loensia moesta   Barklouse       Unknown sp.   Barklouse araneae   tetragnathidae   Tetragnatha laboriosa   Silver Long-jawed Orbweaver    salticidae   Phlegra hentzi   Jumping Spider    thomisidae   Mecaphesa sp.   Crab Spider