Our team of three enjoyed overcast conditions this week, although it was also hot and humid. Dragonflies are superb aerial predators and the photo of a Neon Skimmer below shows some of their adaptations to this end: huge eyes with good vision, a reinforced thorax with strong wing muscles for fast and maneuverable flight, and sharp spines on their legs for grasping prey. Select Photos and Complete List of Sightings: Pogonomyrmex barbatus (red harvester ant queen) photo by Val Bugh Bombus pensylvanicus (American bumble bee - look at all that pollen!) photo by Val Bugh Zelus renardii (assassin bug eating bee) photo by Val Bugh Largus sp. (largus bug) photo by Val Bugh Euschistus sp. (stink bug nymph) photo by Val Bugh Neopamera bilobata (seed bug) photo by Val Bugh Hesperotettix speciosus (showy grasshopper) photo by Val Bugh Boopedon gracile (graceful range grasshopper) photo by Val Bugh Libellula croceipennis (neon skimmer) photo by Val Bugh Argiope aurantia (black and yellow garden spider) photo by Val Bugh Gerstaeckeria sp. (cactus weevil) photo by Val Bugh Synchlora frondaria (southern emerald) photo by Val Bugh Adelphia petrella (moth) photo by Val Bugh Cydia latiferreana (filbertworm moth) photo by Val Bugh Stegasta bosqueella (red-necked peanutworm moth) photo by Val Bugh Leptotes marina (marine blue) photo by Val Bugh Euphyes vestris (dun skipper) photo by Val Bugh Hylephila phyleus (fiery skipper) photo by Val Bugh Pyrgus philetas (desert checkered-skipper) photo by Val Bugh Erynnis horatius (Horace's duskywing) photo by Val Bugh Birds: Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) Western Scrub-jay (Aphelocoma californica) White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica) Mammals: Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus) Roof Rat (Rattus rattus) Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) Reptiles & Amphibians: Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis) Rio Grande Leopard Frog (Rana berlandieri) Misc.: Greenhouse Millipede (Oxidus gracilis) Insects & Spiders: order family genus/species common name lepidoptera   nymphalidae   Agraulis vanillae   Gulf Fritillary       Asterocampa sp.   Emperor       Junonia coenia   Common Buckeye       Danaus gilippus   Queen    pieridae   Eurema nicippe   Sleepy Orange       Eurema lisa   Little Yellow    lycaenidae   Hemiargus isola   Reakirt's blue       Leptotes marina   Marine Blue       Strymon melinus   Gray Hairstreak    papilionidae   Papilio cresphontes   Giant Swallowtail    hesperiidae   Euphyes vestris   Dun Skipper       Lerema accius   Clouded Skipper       Lerodea eufala   Eufala Skipper       Hylephila phyleus   Fiery Skipper       Atalopedes campestris   Sachem       Systasea pulverulenta   Texas Powdered-skipper (larva)       Pyrgus communis/albescens   Common/White Checkered-skipper       Pyrgus philetas   Desert Checkered-skipper       Erynnis horatius   Horace's Duskywing    noctuidae   Melipotis indomita   Moth       Bleptina caradrinalis   Bent-winged Owlet       Bagisara nr. rectifascia   Moth (larva)    arctiidae   Hypercompe scribonia   Great Leopard Moth (larva)    geometridae   Synchlora frondaria   Southern Emerald       Tornos scolopacinaria   Moth    crambidae   Uresiphita reversalis   Genista Caterpillar Moth       Stegea simplicialis   Moth       Achyra rantalis   Garden Webworm Moth       Pyrausta laticlavia   Southern Purple Mint Moth       Pyrausta inornatalis   Inornate Pyrausta Moth    pyralidae   Peoria tetradella   Moth       Adelphia petrella   Moth    tortricidae   Aethes seriatana   Serieated Aethes Moth       Cydia latiferreana   Filbertworm Moth    oecophoridae   Inga obscuromaculella   Moth    gelechiidae   Isophrictis similiella   Moth       Polyhymno luteostrigella   Moth       Stegasta bosqueella   Red-necked Peanutworm Moth    ypsolophidae   Ypsolopha unicipunctella   Agarita Slug Moth    zygaenidae   Acoloithus novaricus   False Skeletonizer Moth (larva)    acrolophidae   Amydria margoriella   Moth coleoptera   coccinellidae   Cycloneda sanguinea   Red Ladybird       Scymnus sp.   Ladybird Beetle (adult & larva)       Zagloba sp.   Ladybird Beetle    chrysomelidae   Asphaera lustrans   Flea Beetle    cerambycidae   Lepturges angulatus   Longhorn Beetle    hybosoridae   Hybosorus illigeri   Scavenger Scarab Beetle    scarabaeidae   Phyllophaga sp.   June Beetle    anthicidae   Notoxus sp.   Antlike Flower Beetle    curculionidae   Rhodobaenus tredecimpunctatus   Cocklebur Weevil       Gerstaeckeria sp.   Cactus Weevil hemiptera   coreidae   Acanthocephala terminalis   Coreid Bug       Hypselonotus punctiventris   Coreid Bug       Leptoglossus phyllopus   Eastern Leaf-footed Bug       Narnia femorata   Cactus Bug    largidae   Largus sp.   Largus Bug (adult & nymph)    rhyparochromidae   Neopamera bilobata   Seed Bug    lygaeidae   Lygaeus kalmii   Small Milkweed Bug       Oncopeltus fasciatus   Large Milkweed Bug    reduviidae   Zelus renardii   Assassin Bug    pentatomidae   Euschistus sp.   Stink Bug homoptera   cicadellidae   Neokolla dolobrata   Leafhopper       Homalodisca vitripennis   Glassy-winged Sharpshooter (adult & nymph)       Cuerna costalis   Leafhopper    cercopidae   Clastoptera sp.   Spittlebug    cicadidae   Tibicen texanus   Cicada       Tibicen superbus   Superb Cicada    aphididae   Unknown sp.   Aphid hymenoptera   apidae   Apis mellifera   Honey Bee       Bombus pensylvanicus   American Bumble Bee       Xylocopa parkinsoniae   Large Carpenter Bee    halictidae   Lasioglossum sp.   Sweat Bee    vespidae   Polistes exclamans   Paper Wasp       Polistes carolina   Red Wasp       Polistes bellicosus   Paper Wasp    formicidae   Solenopsis invicta   Imported Fire Ant       Pogonomyrmex barbatus   Red Harvester Ant diptera   dolichopodidae   Condylostylus sp.   Long-legged Fly    lauxaniidae   Unknown sp.   Lauxaniid Fly    asilidae   Promachus hinei   Robber Fly    drosophilidae   Unknown sp.   Vinegar Fly    sarcophagidae   Unknown sp.   Flesh Fly    calliphoridae   Lucilia sp.   Blow Fly    culicidae   Aedes albopictus   Asian Tiger Mosquito odonata   coenagrionidae   Ischnura ramburii   Rambur's Forktail       Argia immunda   Kiowa Dancer       Enallagma civile   Familiar Bluet    libellulidae   Libellula croceipennis   Neon Skimmer       Pachydiplax longipennis   Blue Dasher       Tramea onusta   Red Saddlebags    aeshnidae   Anax junius   Common Green Darner (exuviae) orthoptera   acrididae   Schistocerca sp.   Bird Grasshopper (nymph)       Schistocerca nitens   Gray Bird Grasshopper       Chortophaga viridifasciata   Northern Green-striped Grasshopper       Lactista aztecus   Aztec Bandwing       Encoptolophus costalis   Dusky Grasshopper       Mermiria bivittata   Two-striped Mermiria       Eritettix abortivus   Texas Short-winged Slant-faced Grasshopper (nymph)       Boopedon gracile   Graceful Range Grasshopper       Orphulella speciosa   Pasture Grasshopper       Hesperotettix speciosus   Showy Grasshopper    tettigoniidae   Conocephalus strictus   Straight-lanced Meadow Katydid       Orchelimum sp.   Meadow Katydid (nymph)       Dichopetala catinata   Spoon-tailed Short-winged Katydid    gryllidae   Oecanthus varicornis   Tree Cricket trichoptera   hydropsychidae   Hydropsyche sp.   Netspinning Caddisfly neuroptera   ascalaphidae   Ululodes macleayanus   Owlfly embioptera   oligotomidae   Oligotoma sp.   Webspinner araneae   salticidae   Phidippus audax   Bold Jumper       Habronattus cognatus   Jumping Spider    araneidae   Argiope aurantia   Black and Yellow Garden Spider       Araneus bicentenarius   Giant Lichen Orbweaver       Eustala anastera   Orbweaver