A team of eight enjoyed cool and sunny conditions for this week's survey. Parasitoids are parasites that kill their host. They are important biological controls of plant eating insects. In the example shown below, the dead caterpillar is packed with a mass of wasp larvae ready to pupate. The mother wasp laid one egg into the host. That egg divided into many identical embryos until the caterpillar was filled with all the tiny wasps it could support. Select Photos and Complete List of Sightings: Lycia ypsilon (woolly gray larva) photo by Val Bugh Litodonta hydromeli (prominent larva) photo by Val Bugh Unknown sp. & Copidosoma sp. (dead caterpillar filled with encyrtid wasp larvae, each of which is only 1 mm long) photo by Val Bugh Papilio cresphontes (giant swallowtail larva eating its old skin) photo by Val Bugh Pontia protodice (checkered white) photo by Val Bugh Vanessa atalanta (red admiral) photo by Val Bugh Danaus plexippus (monarch, very worn after flying from Mexico!) photo by Val Bugh Euptoieta claudia (variegated fritillary) photo by Harriett Wolf Acrolophus mortipennella (tubeworm moth) photo by Val Bugh Anomoea laticlavia (clay-colored leaf beetles mating) photo by Val Bugh Mermiria sp. (slant-faced grasshopper nymph) photo by Val Bugh Microphthalma sp. (tachinid fly) photo by Val Bugh Ocyptamus fascipennis (flower fly) photo by Val Bugh Aquarius remigis (water strider, with prey) photo by Val Bugh Prepops sp. (plant bug) photo by Val Bugh Sphex lucae (digger wasp excavating nest) photo by Val Bugh Unknown sp. (sapygid wasp) photo by Val Bugh Bufo nebulifer (gulf coast toad tadpole) photo by Val Bugh Hemidactylus turcicus (Mediterranean gecko) photo by Val Bugh Chrysemys picta picta, Graptemys versa & Trachemys scripta elegans (eastern painted turtle, Texas map turtle & red-eared slider) photo by Val Bugh Birds: American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus atricristatus) Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) 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) Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) Western Scrub-jay (Aphelocoma californica) White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica) Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) Mammals: Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus) Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) Reptiles & Amphibians: Mediterranean Gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) Snake (Unknown sp.), shed skin Texas Map Turtle (Graptemys versa) Eastern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta picta) Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) Gulf Coast Toad (Bufo nebulifer), tadpoles Misc.: Harvestman (Leiobunum sp.) Insects & Spiders: order family genus/species common name lepidoptera   nymphalidae   Libytheana carinenta   American Snout       Junonia coenia   Common Buckeye (adult & larva)       Polygonia interrogationis   Question Mark       Vanessa atalanta   Red Admiral       Vanessa cardui   Painted Lady       Vanessa virginiensis   American Lady       Euptoieta claudia   Variegated Fritillary (adult & larva)       Danaus plexippus   Monarch       Asterocampa clyton   Tawny Emperor (larva)    pieridae   Eurema nicippe   Sleepy Orange       Phoebis sennae   Cloudless Sulphur       Nathalis iole   Dainty Sulphur       Zerene cesonia   Southern Dogface       Colias eurytheme   Orange Sulphur       Pontia protodice   Checkered White    lycaenidae   Callophrys henrici   Henry's Elfin (larva)       Strymon melinus   Gray Hairstreak (adult & larva)       Satyrium favonius   Oak Hairstreak    papilionidae   Papilio multicaudata   Two-tailed Swallowtail (larva)       Papilio polyxenes   Black Swallowtail (adult & larva)       Papilio cresphontes   Giant Swallowtail (larva)    hesperiidae   Hylephila phyleus   Fiery Skipper       Euphyes vestris   Dun Skipper    noctuidae   Heliothis virescens   Tobacco Budworm (larva)       Ozarba aeria   Moth       Rachiplusia ou   Gray Looper (larva)       Alypia octomaculata   Eight-spotted Forester (adult & larva)       Unknown sp.   Moth (larva)    erebidae   Hypena scabra   Green Cloverworm Moth       Zale lunata   Lunate Zale       Plusiodonta compressipalpis   Moonseed Moth    notodontidae   Litodonta hydromeli   Prominent (larva)    euteliidae   Marathyssa inficita   Dark Marathyssa (larva)    arctiidae   Estigmene acrea   Saltmarsh Caterpillar (larva)    saturniidae   Hyalophora cecropia   Cecropia Moth (larva)       Actias luna   Luna Moth (pupa)    geometridae   Tornos scolopacinaria   Dimorphic Gray       Lycia ypsilon   Halfwing (larva)       Chlorochlamys chloroleucaria   Blackberry Looper (larva)       Nemoria zygotaria   Emerald       Cyclophora nanaria   Dwarf Tawny Wave       Glenoides texanaria   Texas Gray Moth       Iridopsis defectaria   Brown-shaded Gray       Digrammia atrofasciata   Moth       Eupithecia miserulata   Common Eupithecia    crambidae   Udea rubigalis   Celery Leaftier Moth    pyralidae   Homoeosoma electella   Sunflower Moth    tortricidae   Eumarozia malachitana   Sculptured Moth       Endothenia hebesana   Verbena Bud Moth       Bactra verutana   Javelin Moth       Pseudogalleria inimicella   Inimical Borer Moth       Archips georgiana   Leafroller Moth       Archips argyrospila   Fruit Tree Leafroller Moth       Archips semiferana   Oak Leafroller Moth       Unknown sp.   Leafroller Moth (exuviae)       Platynota rostrana   Omnivorous Platynota Moth    oecophoridae   Inga obscuromaculella   Moth    elachistidae   Ethmia sp.   Ethmia Moth (larva)    gelechiidae   Isophrictis similiella   Moth       Neodactylota liguritrix   Moth    xyloryctidae   Scythris fuscicomella   Moth    acrolophidae   Acrolophus mortipennella   Tubeworm Moth coleoptera   coccinellidae   Coccinella septempunctata   Seven-spotted Lady Beetle       Harmonia axyridis   Multi-colored Asian Lady Beetle (pupa)       Hippodamia convergens   Convergent Lady Beetle       Cycloneda munda   Lady Beetle    chrysomelidae   Diabrotica undecimpunctata   Spotted Cucumber Beetle       Anomoea laticlavia   Clay-colored Leaf Beetle       Phyllobrotica limbata   Leaf Beetle       Ophraella communa   Leaf Beetle       Systena hudsonias   Flea Beetle       Gratiana pallidula   Eggplant Tortoise Beetle    buprestidae   Acmaeodera ornatoides   Metallic Woodborer    meloidae   Nemognatha lurida   Blister Beetle    mordellidae   Mordellistena cervicalis   Tumbling Flower Beetle hemiptera   coreidae   Leptoglossus phyllopus   Eastern Leaf-footed Bug    lygaeidae   Lygaeus kalmii   Small Milkweed Bug       Oncopeltus fasciatus   Large Milkweed Bug    reduviidae   Zelus renardii   Assassin Bug       Apiomerus spissipes   Bee Assassin    gerridae   Aquarius remigis   Water Strider    miridae   Prepops sp.   Plant Bug       Lopidea major   Plant Bug       Hesperolabops gelastops   Cactus Plant Bug (adult & nymph)       Halticotoma valida   Yucca Plant Bug (adult & nymph)       Unknown sp.   Plant Bug homoptera   cicadellidae   Cuerna costalis   Leafhopper (nymph)    cercopidae   Unknown sp.   Spittlebug (nymph)    membracidae   Smilia camelus   Treehopper       Cyrtolobus arcuatus   Treehopper hymenoptera   apidae   Apis mellifera   Honey Bee       Centris atripes   Digger Bee       Xylocopa parkinsoniae   Large Carpenter Bee       Xylocopa virginica   Eastern Carpenter Bee    megachilidae   Osmia sp.   Mason Bee       Coelioxys sp.   Parasitic Leaf-cutter Bee    vespidae   Polistes exclamans   Paper Wasp       Polistes carolina   Red Wasp       Polistes bellicosus   Paper Wasp    sphecidae   Sphex lucae   Digger Wasp       Sceliphron caementarium   Yellow-and-black Mud Dauber    sapygidae   Unknown sp.   Sapygid Wasp    encyrtidae   Copidosoma sp.   Encyrtid Wasp (larva) diptera   syrphidae   Toxomerus marginatus   Flower Fly       Allograpta obliqua   Flower Fly       Copestylum mexicanum   Black Flower Fly       Ocyptamus fascipennis   Flower Fly    tachinidae   Unknown sp.   Tachinid Fly       Microphthalma sp.   Tachinid Fly    bombyliidae   Hemipenthes scylla   Bee Fly       Poecilanthrax lucifer   Bee Fly    sarcophagidae   Unknown sp.   Flesh Fly    dolichopodidae   Condylostylus sp.   Long-legged Fly odonata   coenagrionidae   Argia munda   Kiowa Dancer       Unknown sp.   Damselfly (exuviae)    libellulidae   Pachydiplax longipennis   Blue Dasher       Libellula croceipennis   Neon Skimmer       Orthemis ferruginea   Roseate Skimmer orthoptera   acrididae   Melanoplus differentialis   Differential Grasshopper (nymph)       Melanoplus plebejus   Plebeian Grasshopper (nymph)       Unknown sp.   Spur-throated Grasshopper (nymph)       Chortophaga viridifasciata   Northern Green-striped Grasshopper       Mermiria sp.   Slant-faced Grasshopper (nymph)       Eritettix abortivus   Texas Short-winged Slant-faced Grasshopper    tettigoniidae   Dichopetala catinata   Spoon-tailed Short-winged Katydid (nymph)       Scudderia furcata   Fork-tailed Bush Katydid (nymph)       Amblycorypha huasteca   Texas False Katydid (nymph) neuroptera   chrysopidae   Chrysoperla sp.   Green Lacewing (larva) raphidioptera   raphidiidae   Agulla bicolor   Snakefly araneae   tetragnathidae   Tetragnatha laboriosa   Silver Longjawed Orbweaver    araneidae   Mangora gibberosa   Orbweaver    lycosidae   Hogna sp.   Wolf Spider    oxyopidae   Oxyopes salticus   Striped Lynx    thomisidae   Xysticus sp.   Crab Spider       Mecaphesa sp.   Crab Spider    philodromidae   Philodromus sp.   Running Crab Spider    salticidae   Anasaitis canosa   Jumping Spider