retirednaturalist's Favorites

Minute, 3 mm long, found under bark of a fallen tree with dermestid beetles.

Winged male 22 mm long, soldier 10 mm long, worker 8 mm long.

Adult form, Female, sitting in nest. Male was flying nearby.

Small, sand dwelling Gastropod, Approximately 4 mm long, found in superficial layer of beach sand, Carolinian fauna Provence

Found in woods. Fruit is approximately 3 cm diameter.

Winged male. 4 mm body length. Found swarming with many others on a wet tree trunk after snow melt, ambient temp was approximately 60°F.

Animal track. Rabbit footprints in snow, showing front and hind feet length and stride length.

Animal track. Foot prints and hole dug by White-tailed Deer searching for grubs , low vegetation.

The largest sycamore leaf I’ve ever found, retrieved from the edge of a water creek. Leaf measures 28 cm top to bottom and 44 cm side-to-side.

Fresh water diatom. Approximately 50 um length.

Minute size, 2 mm body length, female workers, reproductive male winged form, developing eggs, found under bark of rotting, fallen tree.

Approximately 30 mm long.

Approximately 40-50 mm long.

Nymphs in various stages huddled on a dry milkweed flower pod.

Small 4 mm body length, 4 mm euthanized wingspan.

14 mm body length, 38 mm wingspan.

12 mm body length, 16 mm wingspan.

Large, 18 mm body length, 38 mm wingspan, flying with bees and wasps on a tall flowery bush.

Small, approximately 10 mm long, 8 mm wingspan, flies along edge of trail

Observed in a man made pond, roughly 20 inches long excluding the tail.

Small, 8 mm body length, 4 mm resting wingspan. Found on leaf in dense woods.

Nymph. 20 mm body length, 4 mm body width. Found in a meadow.

18 mm body length, 40 mm spread wingspan.

22 mm body length, 40 mm wingspan.

14 mm body length, 12 mm wingspan.

18 mm body length, 20 mm wingspan.

8 mm body length, 6 mm wingspan.

Found resting quietly during morning hours on tulip tree bark showing protective color mimicry.

Minute size, 6 mm body length, 1 mm width.

38 mm body length, 14 mm width.

Was quite orange colored when first caught, now slightly discolored from euthanasia. 14 mm body length 4 mm width.

28 mm body length, 14 mm resting wingspan. Second photo shows closeup of epsilon markings.

8 mm body length, 2 mm width.

10 mm body length, 3 mm width.

28 mm body length, 24 mm resting wingspan.

Larva stage. Small, approximately 10 mm long, and soft, resembles bird dropping, with white saddle near middle.

Two swallowtails , both female, yellow form and black morph, having a drink of nectar on a hot sunny day.

Approximately 27 mm long, congregated, resting on over and undersurface of a milkweed plant leaf.

Larva form of moth. 38 mm long. Seven diagonal lateral lines, red tail. Found on tomato plant in garden.

Minute size beetle, 7 mm body length, 3 mm body width. Heavily infested with mites, especially on ventral side as shown in last 3 photos. Found in woods

Found in woods. 10 mm body length, 18 mm wingspan.

Minute, 6 mm body length, 3 mm body width.

22 mm body length, 35 mm wingspan

16 mm body length, 32 mm wingspan.

40 mm body length, 74 mm wingspan. Elusive and hard to catch, while hunted learned to land on tall grass at lake periphery ready to escape.

Large wasp, 30 mm body length, 40 mm wingspan.

Large wasp, 28 mm body length, 34 mm wingspan, found hunting along periphery of a lake. This specimen has a red abdomen, different from the wasp I posted on 07/15/23 which has a black abdomen.

Microlepidoptera, 8 mm body length, 1 mm width. Seen resting on leaf with wings spread.

Minute 6 mm body length, 4 mm wingspan , found on low shrub at the edge of a lake.

12 mm body length, 25 mm wingspan. Found in a fallow meadow off a city street

Larva of Lady Beetle and eggs on tree bark.