It was hot and partly sunny as seven volunteers completed this week's survey. The white fluff produced by cochineal insects on cactus is familiar to most people, as is the red dye that appears when the fluff is squished. The actual insects concealed underneath are rarely seen, so we carefully uncovered one of these soft, nondescript, grayish bugs for the photograph shown below. Select Photos and Complete List of Sightings: Sciurus niger (eastern fox squirrel) photo by Val Bugh Baeolophus atricristatus (black-crested titmouse) photo by Harriett Wolf Thamnophis cyrtopsis ocellatus (eastern blackneck garter snake) photo by Val Bugh Rana berlandieri (Rio Grande leopard frog - it still has a remnant tail!) photo by Val Bugh Ormia sp. (tachinid fly) photo by Val Bugh Mallophora leschenaulti (a very large robber fly) photo by Val Bugh Pygarctia roseicapitis (tiger moth) photo by Dan Zinn Fernaldella fimetaria (moth) photo by Val Bugh Dichomeris inversella (moth) photo by Val Bugh Honora mellinella (moth) photo by Val Bugh Agraulis vanillae (gulf fritillary pupa) photo by Val Bugh Agraulis vanillae (gulf fritillary pupa, after being touched) photo by Val Bugh Polistes exclamans (paper wasp with damselfly prey) photo by Val Bugh Chelinidea vittiger (opuntia bug nymphs) photo by Val Bugh Oebalus pugnax (rice stink bugs) photo by Val Bugh Dactylopius sp. (cochineal insect revealed) photo by Val Bugh Tibicen texanus (cicada) photo by Val Bugh Eleodes goryi (darkling beetle) photo by Val Bugh Argiope trifasciata (banded garden spider) photo by Val Bugh Birds: Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus atricristatus) Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) Western Scrub-jay (Aphelocoma californica) White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica) Mammals: Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus) Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) Reptiles & Amphibians: Texas Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus olivaceus) Eastern Blackneck Garter Snake (Thamnophis cyrtopsis ocellatus) Rio Grande Leopard Frog (Rana berlandieri) Insects & Spiders: order family genus/species common name lepidoptera   nymphalidae   Agraulis vanillae   Gulf Fritillary (adult & pupa)       Danaus gilippus   Queen       Danaus plexippus   Monarch       Asterocampa celtis   Hackberry Emperor       Junonia coenia   Common Buckeye    pieridae   Eurema nicippe   Sleepy Orange    lycaenidae   Callophrys gryneus   Juniper Hairstreak       Strymon melinus   Gray Hairstreak       Hemiargus isola   Reakirt's Blue    papilionidae   Battus philenors   Pipevine Swallowtail       Papilio polyxenes   Black Swallowtail (pupa)    hesperiidae   Hylephila phyleus   Fiery Skipper       Nastra lherminier   Swarthy Skipper    noctuidae   Ponometia candefacta   Olive-shaded Bird Dropping Moth       Tarache quadriplaga   Bird Dropping Moth       Cobubatha lixiva   Moth    arctiidae   Hypoprepia miniata   Scarlet-winged Lichen Moth       Pygarctia roseicapitis   Tiger Moth    geometridae   Chlorochlamys chloroleucaria   Blackberry Looper Moth       Pimaphera percata   Moth       Lobocleta peralbata   White Wave       Fernaldella fimetaria   Moth    crambidae   Microtheoris vibicalis   Moth       Aethiophysa lentiflualis   Moth    pyralidae   Ephestiodes sp.   Moth       Honora mellinella   Moth       Peoria opacella   Grass-veneer Moth    tortricidae   Acleris minuta   Yellow-headed Fireworm Moth       Ecdytolopha mana   Leafroller Moth       Platynota rostrana   Omnivorous Platynota Moth    zygaenidae   Acoloithus novaricus   False Skeletonizer Moth    gelechiidae   Battaristis sp.   Moth       Dichomeris inversella   Moth coleoptera   chrysomelidae   Asphaera lustrans   Flea Beetle    coccinellidae   Cycloneda sanguinea   Red Lady Beetle    carabidae   Plochionus timidus   Ground Beetle    tenebrionidae   Eleodes goryi   Darkling Beetle    cerambycidae   Sphaenothecus bivittata   Longhorn Beetle    scarabaeidae   Cotinis nitida   Green June Beetle hemiptera   coreidae   Leptoglossus sp.   Leaf-footed Bug (nymph)       Mozena lunata   Mesquite Bug (nymph)       Acanthocephala terminalis   Coreid Bug       Chelinidea vittiger   Opuntia Bug (nymph)    lygaeidae   Oncopeltus fasciatus   Large Milkweed Bug    largidae   Largus sp.   Largus Bug (adult & nymph)    pentatomidae   Euschistus servus   Brown Stink Bug       Banasa euchlora   Stink Bug       Oebalus pugnax   Rice Stink Bug homoptera   cicadellidae   Homalodisca vitripennis   Glassy-winged Sharpshooter       Texananus excultus   Leafhopper    flatidae   Ormenis sp.   Planthopper    dactylopiidae   Dactylopius sp.   Cochineal Insect    coccidae   Pulvinaria sp.   Scale    cicadidae   Tibicen texanus   Cicada hymenoptera   apidae   Apis mellifera   Honey Bee       Bombus pensylvanicus   American Bumble Bee       Xylocopa parkinsoniae   Large Carpenter Bee    halictidae   Lasioglossum sp.   Sweat Bee       Agapostemon sp.   Green Sweat Bee       Unknown sp.   Green Sweat Bee    megachilidae   Dianthidium sp.   Resin Bee    vespidae   Polistes exclamans   Paper Wasp       Polistes carolina   Red Wasp       Polistes bellicosus   Paper Wasp    sphecidae   Sphex ichneumoneus   Great Golden Digger Wasp       Sceliphron caementarium   Black-and-yellow Mud Dauber    pteromalidae   Unknown sp.   Pteromalid Wasp diptera   syrphidae   Ocyptamus fascipennis   Flower Fly       Copestylum mexicanum   Black Flower Fly    stratiomyidae   Hoplitimyia mutabilis   Soldier Fly    asilidae   Efferia sp.   Robber Fly       Mallophora leschenaulti   Robber Fly    tachinidae   Ormia sp.   Tachinid Fly       Microphthalma sp.   Tachinid Fly    dolichopodidae   Condylostylus sp.   Long-legged Fly    culicidae   Aedes albopictus   Asian Tiger Mosquito odonata   coenagrionidae   Ischnura ramburii   Rambur's Forktail       Ischnura posita   Fragile Forktail       Argia immunda   Kiowa Dancer       Argia translata   Dusky Dancer    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   Chortophaga viridifasciata   Northern Green-striped Grasshopper       Orphulella pelidna   Spotted-wing Grasshopper       Mermiria bivittata   Two-striped Mermiria       Schistocerca nitens   Gray Bird Grasshopper       Schistocerca lineata   Spotted Bird Grasshopper    tettigoniidae   Scudderia furcata   Fork-tailed Bush Katydid (nymph)    gryllidae   Oecanthus sp.   Tree Cricket (nymph)       Unknown sp.   Ground Cricket (nymph) mantodea   mantidae   Stagmomantis carolina   Carolina Mantis (nymph) embioptera   oligotomidae   Oligotoma sp.   Webspinner araneae   araneidae   Argiope aurantia   Black and Yellow Garden Spider       Argiope trifasciata   Banded Garden Spider    theridiidae   Argyrodes elevatus   Silver Dewdrop Spider    thomisidae   Mecaphesa sp.   Crab Spider    salticidae   Anasaitis canosa   Jumping Spider