SNP Insects
Cricket (Gryllidae) eating fungus
Crickets are charming little fellas and are one of the first insects you'll see in spring and one of the last in the fall. Tread carefully!
Bee resting on milkweed flower
Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) is a milkweed and is famously associated with monarch butterflies. Their caterpillars feed on the leaves and absorb the toxin within them. The adult butterfly inherits the toxin which acts to protect it from predators. But plenty of other insects collect or eat Asclepias pollen and this little bee is one of them.
This katydid nymph has wing buds but does not yet have wings. She does have extremely long antennae!
This is not a predatory event or even a traffic jam -- just an odd juxtaposition that I noticed.
Millipede assassin bug (ectrichodiinae). These bugs apparently specialize in millipede predation. I've never caught one in the act but they certainly move around the forest at night.
This beetle was bumbling about on the forest floor and I grabbed a portrait. He has a slight iridescent green or blue tint which only shows up in strong sunlight or under the flash I used to photograph him.
Tarpela micans is an example of why macro photography is so much fun. These beetles move quickly and their iridescence is not easily observed until you can study a photograph.
Click beetles get their name from the distinctive clicking sound they make when alarmed.
Arrenodes minutus. Commonly known as the "coke bottle weevil." I found this lovely character on the end of a red oak that the park service had cut down (it was likely a hazard). Then I noticed two more. The following year I went back to the log and found them on it again. I seldom see them.
We humans tend to fear wasps but they are really not aggressive. To take a photo like this I move quietly within inches of the insect. But I have never once been stung by a wasp or bee while photographing.
This nymph was probably 4-5mm long -- so quite small.
This magnificent beetle is in the family Carabidae, which has well over 30,000 species worldwide. He is one of several fast-moving carabids found in the SNP throughout the summer. This beetle is not that common, but well worth watching if you find one out in the open.
Fungus beetle and millepede eating shelf fungus
I think this shelf fungus was growing on a rotting hemlock stump.
This katydid has grown too large for her old skin and is molting. She will hang for a couple of hours before her color changes from cream to green. She may nibble on her molt. She is soft, unable to fly since her wings are not yet fully inflated, and vulnerable to predation at this point. The process is known as Ecdysis.
What looks like discarded clothing next to the caterpillar is his freshly molted and discarded skin (called an exuvia). You can see where his little feet went! Caterpillars molt several times as they grow and both their color and form can change as they do so.
Pelidnota punctata is the proper name for this charming beetle.
This male stag beetle (Ceruchus piceus) has a lovely pattern of indentations on his head. The heavy mandibles indicate that he is a male.
Calligraphy beetle (Chrysomelidae)
These beetles are around 6 or 7mm long and I find them on beech, birch, and witch hazel. They tend to let go of the leaf at the slightest disturbance so they have to be approached carefully! They are related to ladybugs but less common.
Beetle family Staphylinidae. Usually I find these guys on animal waste where they hunt for small arthropods. They are very skittish, avoid light, and fold their wings origami-style in order to fit them under their undersized wing covers.
Membracidae. Tiny and cute!
Pentatomoidea is the family but I've no idea of the species. There's nothing like an insect stare-down!
Elsewhere in this gallery there is a shot of the beautiful black, red and white nymphs of the oak hopper -- this is the adult. I angled this shot to show the peculiar and beautifully pattern horn that is found on some oak hoppers. Many have a rounded head and lack the horn.
Sweat bee (Halictidae family suspected)
These are small and lively bees that feed on flowers such as aster and goldenrod. They are solitary. Halictidae family suspected, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Cerambycidae, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. Pinch or enlarge to see the cool compound eyes and powerful mandibles.
Not a caterpillar, but the larva of a sawfly -- a harmless, wasp-like insect.
Moth inflating wings after emerging from pupa
This lovely moth has crawled out of the ground or leaf litter where she pupated and is now inflating her wings. This is a risky period and typically moths and butterflies will hide as they pump up their wings. The process is "eclosion".
Bark Lice nymphs (harmless) also known as "tree cattle"
Bark louse is a horrible name for a lovely insect. These are not lice and they are certainly not harmful to humans. The adult form of these nymphs will have wings. Consider yourself lucky to find a little herd!
Darkling beetles are in the beetle family known as Tenebrionidae. They are found all around the world and can be stunningly beautiful. This one is rather plain but has a lovely texture. He was snacking on some fungus.
A truly glorious beetle! He is the type of beetle known as a borer which is pretty self explanatory. Think wood. Properly, he is Buprestis rufipes and very beautiful if you are lucky enough to come across one.
Cerambycidae. This longhorn beetle's antennae are his trademark and his eyes usually wrap around them at the base. This is a particularly tubby specimen.
Robber fly (asilidae) with prey
Robber flies (asilidae) are extraordinarily effective predators. They grab smaller insects in flight and then remove the juices through their tubular mouthparts. Like other flies, they have only two wings.
A lovely little hopper who blends in very nicely with leaves. She even has a vein-like pattern on her buffalo-hump.
These nymphs are about 4-5mm long and clustered on an oak twig. They are surprisingly difficult to spot given their bright colors.