Asian Lady Beetle – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data From there, it quickly expanded to the Midwest over the next 5 to 7 years The eyes staring back at you in this photo come from an Asian lady beetle. This species of ladybug was introduced artificially to the United States to control aphids and scale. […]
Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee – iNaturalist This is the second largest family of bees This photo is evidence of why everyone should have a native wildflower garden at home. On the day I took this photo, there were dozens of different species, including: butterflies, moths, beetles, and bees. My wife and I planted this wildflower […]
Maroon-legged lion fly – iNaturalist Robber flies tend to have a dense mustache on their face This large fly is known as the maroon-legged lion fly. It can be found throughout the United States of America and in southern Ontario of Canada. Its dispersion within the United States is east of the Rocky Mountains to […]
Eastern Lubber Grasshopper – iNaturalist These young nymphs will go through ~5 instars/molts Wild Boyz Photography featured the adult eastern lubber grasshopper back in 2021. The adult eastern lubber grasshoppers are yellow and they have wings Eastern Lubber This is a photograph of a nymph stage eastern lubber grasshopper, which does not have wings. They are all […]
Tiger Wolf Spider These are hardy spiders This is a tiger wolf spider! I spotted him on a poison sumac plant on Macinac Island. Macinac Island is a small island in northern Lake Heron. It is located near where the upper peninsula meets the rest of Michigan. These cryptic spiders can be found across the Eastern United States, Canada, […]
Furrow Orb Weaver – iNaturalist The newly spun webs are sticky and help catch prey better This stealthy spider is called a furrow orb weaver. I was hiking on Macinac Island in Michigan when I came across this spider resting in the curl of a leaf. If you look closely, you will see the network of webs […]
Asian Lady Beetle – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data From there, it quickly expanded to the Midwest over the next 5 to 7 years The eyes staring back at you in this photo come from an Asian lady beetle. This species of ladybug was introduced artificially to the United States to control aphids and scale. […]
Yellow Tang – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern This yellow tang was one of many yellow tang that I saw during our four hours of snorkeling This photo was taken during a snorkeling trip with my wife in Kealakekua Bay on the big island of Hawai’i. This area is a marine life conservation district, which […]
Spotted Orbweaver – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data Their abdomen is brown and hairy, and their legs have an alternating pattern of light and dark brown bands Could you imagine having eight eyes? This photo is of a spotted orbweaver, which like many spiders has eight eyes. This species of spider is primarily nocturnal and […]
Queen Conch – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data Queen conch move very slowly This is the flagship creature of the Florida Keys, otherwise known as the “Conch Republic”. Conch are a popular food. Unfortunately, years of overharvesting has led to a crash in their population. These days, the Conch Republic must import their conch. Spotted Eagle Ray This […]