A team of six participated in this week's survey; conditions were hot and mostly sunny. After bees, flies are the second most important insect pollinators, but they lack stingers for protection as they fly around flowers. They are not defenseless though, and many avoid predators by mimicking the venomous bees and wasps. The masquerade can be very effective, as illustrated by two examples below. Select Photos and Complete List of Sightings: Oncopeltus fasciatus (large milkweed bugs mating) photo by Val Bugh Unknown sp. (shield bugs hatching) photo by Val Bugh Euschistus servus (brown stink bug) photo by Val Bugh Tylospilus acutissimus (predatory stink bug) photo by Val Bugh Oliarus sp. (cixiid planthopper) photo by Val Bugh Telebasis salva (desert firetail) photo by Val Bugh Physocephala texana (thick-headed fly) photo by Val Bugh Toxomerus politus (flower fly) photo by Val Bugh Sphaenothecus bivittata (longhorn beetle) photo by Val Bugh Encoptolophus subgracilis (southwestern dusky grasshopper nymph) photo by Val Bugh Melanoplus differentialis (differential grasshopper, rather wet) photo by Val Bugh Stagmomantis carolina (Carolina mantis females: color variations) photo by Val Bugh Hemiargus isola (Reakirt's blue) photo by Val Bugh Callopistria floridensis (Florida fern moth) photo by Dan Zinn Thioptera nigrofimbria (black-bordered lemon moth) photo by Val Bugh Schinia chrysellus (broomweed flower moth) photo by Val Bugh Atteva aurea (ailanthus webworm moth) photo by Val Bugh Cudonigera houstonana (juniper budworm moth) photo by Val Bugh Mecaphesa dubia (crab spider eating moth) photo by Val Bugh Gea heptagon (orbweaver) photo by Val Bugh Birds: Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus atricristatus) Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) Western Scrub-jay (Aphelocoma californica) White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus) White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica) Mammals: Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus) Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) Reptiles & Amphibians: Mediterranean Gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) Redstripe Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus) Rio Grande Leopard Frog (Rana berlandieri) Misc.: Globular Drop (Helicina orbiculata) Greenhouse Millipede (Oxidus gracilis) Harvestman (Leiobunum sp.) Halloween Harvestman (Dalquestia formosa) Striped Bark Scorpion (Centruroides vittatus) Insects & Spiders: order family genus/species common name lepidoptera   nymphalidae   Agraulis vanillae   Gulf Fritillary       Danaus gilippus   Queen (adult & larva)       Mestra amymone   Common Mestra       Junonia coenia   Common Buckeye    pieridae   Eurema nicippe   Sleepy Orange       Eurema lisa   Little Yellow       Nathalis iole   Dainty Sulphur       Phoebis sennae   Cloudless Sulphur    lycaenidae   Callophrys gryneus   Juniper Hairstreak       Hemiargus isola   Reakirt's Blue    papilionidae   Battus philenor   Pipevine Swallowtail       Papilio cresphontes   Giant Swallowtail    hesperiidae   Hylephila phyleus   Fiery Skipper       Lerodea eufala   Eufala Skipper       Euphyes vestris   Dun Skipper       Atalopedes campestris   Sachem       Amblyscirtes celia   Celia's Roadside-skipper       Erynnis horatius   Horace's Duskywing       Thorybes pylades   Northern Cloudywing    noctuidae   Tripudia quadrifera   Moth       Thioptera nigrofimbria   Black-bordered Lemon Moth       Callopistria floridensis   Florida Fern Moth       Schinia chrysellus   Broomweed Flower Moth    arctiidae   Hypoprepia miniata   Scarlet-winged Lichen Moth       Estigmene acrea   Saltmarsh Caterpillar (eggs)    geometridae   Synchlora frondaria   Camouflaged Looper (larva)       Fernaldella fimetaria   Moth       Lobocleta peralbata   White Wave    crambidae   Lipocosma polingi   Moth       Aethiophysa lentiflualis   Moth       Dicymolomia julianalis   Moth       Uresiphita reversalis   Genista Caterpillar Moth       Desmia subdivisalis   Moth       Diastictis fracturalis   Moth    pyralidae   Ephestiodes sp.   Moth    tortricidae   Cudonigera houstonana   Juniper Budworm Moth       Epiblema abruptana   Leafroller Moth    oecophoridae   Inga cretacea   Chalky Inga       Inga obscuromaculella   Moth    glyphidoceridae   Glyphidocera lactiflosella   Five-spotted Glyphidocera    zygaenidae   Acoloithus novaricus   False Skeletonizer Moth    gelechiidae   Aristotelia sp.   Moth       Polyhymno acaciella   Moth    yponomeutidae   Atteva aurea   Ailanthus Webworm Moth coleoptera   chrysomelidae   Asphaera lustrans   Flea Beetle       Pachybrachis turbidus   Leaf Beetle    coccinellidae   Cycloneda sanguinea   Red Lady Beetle (adult & larva)    carabidae   Pasimachus californicus   Ground Beetle    tenebrionidae   Eleodes goryi   Darkling Beetle    cerambycidae   Sphaenothecus bivittata   Longhorn Beetle    scarabaeidae   Diplotaxis sp.   Scarab    curculionidae   Curculio sp.   Nut Weevil hemiptera   coreidae   Leptoglossus clypealis   Leaf-footed Bug       Leptoglossus phyllopus   Eastern Leaf-footed Bug       Chariesterus antennator   Euphorbia Bug    lygaeidae   Oncopeltus fasciatus   Large Milkweed Bug (adult & nymph)    rhyparochromidae   Heraeus plebejus   Seed Bug    miridae   Halticotoma valida   Yucca Plant Bug       Halticotoma sp.   Plant Bug    reduviidae   Zelus renardii   Assassin Bug (nymph)    cydnidae   Pangaeus sp.   Burrowing Bug    scutelleridae   Diolcus sp.   Shield Bug       Unknown sp.   Shield Bug (nymph)    pentatomidae   Euschistus servus   Brown Stink Bug       Euschistus obscurus   Stink Bug       Chinavia hilare   Green Stink Bug       Tylospilus acutissimus   Predatory Stink Bug homoptera   cicadellidae   Cuerna costalis   Leafhopper       Texananus excultus   Leafhopper       Graphocephala versuta   Leafhopper    flatidae   Ormenis sp.   Planthopper    cixiidae   Oliarus sp.   Planthopper    cicadidae   Tibicen superbus   Superb Cicada hymenoptera   apidae   Apis mellifera   Honey Bee       Bombus pensylvanicus   American Bumble Bee       Melissodes sp.   Digger Bee       Xylocopa micans   Southern Carpenter Bee    halictidae   Agapostemon sp.   Green Sweat Bee    megachilidae   Dianthidium sp.   Resin Bee       Megachile sp.   Leaf-cutter Bee    vespidae   Polistes exclamans   Paper Wasp       Polistes carolina   Red Wasp       Polistes fuscatus   Northern Paper Wasp       Euodynerus sp.   Mason Wasp    sphecidae   Sphex ichneumoneus   Great Golden Digger Wasp       Sphex texanus   Digger Wasp       Sceliphron caementarium   Black-and-yellow Mud Dauber    crabronidae   Tachytes sp.   Digger Wasp diptera   syrphidae   Ocyptamus fascipennis   Flower Fly       Copestylum tamaulipanum   Flower Fly       Toxomerus politus   Flower Fly    conopidae   Physocephala texana   Thick-headed Fly    asilidae   Polacantha sp.   Robber Fly    dolichopodidae   Condylostylus sp.   Long-legged Fly    culicidae   Aedes albopictus   Asian Tiger Mosquito       Aedes aegypti   Yellow-fever Mosquito    limoniidae   Unknown sp.   Crane Fly odonata   coenagrionidae   Ischnura ramburii   Rambur's Forktail       Ischnura hastata   Citrine Forktail       Argia immunda   Kiowa Dancer       Telebasis salva   Desert Firetail    libellulidae   Libellula croceipennis   Neon Skimmer       Pachydiplax longipennis   Blue Dasher       Erythemis simplicicollis   Eastern Pondhawk       Tramea onusta   Red Saddlebags    aeshnidae   Anax junius   Common Green Darner orthoptera   acrididae   Encoptolophus subgracilis   Southwestern Dusky Grasshopper (adult & nymph)       Melanoplus plebejus   Plebeian Grasshopper       Melanoplus differentialis   Differential Grasshopper       Schistocerca nitens   Gray Bird Grasshopper       Schistocerca obscura   Obscure Bird Grasshopper       Schistocerca sp.   Bird Grasshopper (nymph)    tettigoniidae   Microcentrum rhombifolium   Greater Angle-wing    gryllidae   Gryllus sp.   Field Cricket (nymph)    mogoplistidae   Cycloptilum sp.   Scaly Cricket (nymph) mantodea   mantidae   Stagmomantis carolina   Carolina Mantis dermaptera   anisolabididae   Euborellia annulipes   Ring-legged Earwig blattodea   polyphagidae   Arenivaga sp.   Sand Roach embioptera   oligotomidae   Oligotoma sp.   Webspinner araneae   araneidae   Argiope aurantia   Black and Yellow Garden Spider       Argiope trifasciata   Banded Garden Spider       Gea heptagon   Orbweaver       Metepeira sp.   Orbweaver    thomisidae   Mecaphesa dubia   Crab Spider    salticidae   Anasaitis canosa   Jumping Spider       Thiodina puerpera   Jumping Spider