Broad-faced sac spider, Trachelas tranquilus, hanging out in our compost.

Off Brook Rd. I’ve been there scores of times, in every possible conditions. I always try to see something new each time. I hope you see something new in these photos too.

A big part of what I was looking at in these photos was the standing waves in the stream, the shape of the water.

Bugs

iNaturalist says:

• Suborder Nematocera
• Infraorder Culicomorpha
• Superfamily Chironomoidea
• Family Chironomidae
• Subfamily Orthocladiinae
• Tribe Orthocladiini
• Genus Cricotopus

broad nosed weevil

A great time with Arunah Hill (https://arunahhill.org/). Some absolutely amazing starwatching on the 17 inch Dobsonian telescope. The highlight was a astonishingly clear view of the Veil Nebula using the nebula filter, plus great views of the Andromeda Galaxy, M33, M101, and many many more.

Next morning, lots of dew, as is expected after a nice clear night, and bright sun. Here are some of the highlights. I cranked open the aperture quite a bit because the camera dynamic range can’t really catch the sparkle, unless you translate brightness into size with bokeh. Rather like photos of neon lights.

This turned out to be a beetle larva in the ground beetles, Carabidae, perhaps genus Scarites (“big headed ground beetles”). But my initial thoughts were that it was a pupa of the dobsonfly, fishfly, alderfly, snakefly cohort. Fascinating creature, always moving, and an unexpected blessing to see on our driveway!

https://www.inaturalist.org/calendar/gaurav1729/2026/8/15

Hymenoptera

I think this is the great black wasp, Sphex ichneumoneous

Halictinae, perhaps Lasioglossum

I think a Hylaeus masked bee

And another one. This one was crawling into one nock in the rock after another, clearly looking for something. I believe she was looking for a nesting hole. Here’s what Wikipedia says:

Nesting Biology

Hylaeus nests in premade holes and prefers to nest in wood, but will nest in dead stems, rocks, and earthworm burrows.

When a suitable premade hole is found, it is then divided by transverse partitions of clear cellophane-like material. The inner most cell is the one farthest from the nest entrance, and is characterised by a round distal end in order to fit the hole. Cell volumes are more or less constant. Lateral burrows are not constructed in this genus, but cells are placed end to end in the main nest.^[24]

Hylaeus lines their nest with a waterproof and contaminant proof clear cellophane substance that does not melt or dissolve with strong chemicals. They also secrete a substance that protects the nest from fungi and bacteria. This substance is secreted from the mandibles.^[25]

A Crabronid:

Lepidoptera

A skipper butterfly, probably silver-spotted skipper, ,Epargyreus clarus

Hemiptera

Some kind of Miridae?

Diptera

A Tachinid, I think

Spiders

Agelenopsis

no bugs

Observations with better identifications here: https://www.inaturalist.org/calendar/gaurav1729/2026/8/11

Lepidoptera

Not sure, some kind of leaf roller?

According to iNat, Halysidota cf tesserallis

• Family Tortricidae 
• Subfamily Tortricinae 
• Tribe Sparganothini
• Genus Cenopis
• Cenopis reticulatana 

Cenopis reticulatana Reticulated Fruitworm Moth

Diptera

Tachinidae?

Cecidomyiidae, gall and forest midges

Hymenoptera

Is this Ichneumonid in Pimplinae?

Tenthrenidae, a sawfly:

Ancistrocerus potter wasp

Perhaps Cryptinae?

Maybe this is similar

Myrmica, furrowed ant

I don’t know this one, need to investigate

Hemiptera

Acanthocephala cf terminalis in Coreidae, leaf footed bugs

Lygaeus seed bug

iNaturalist says:

Order Hemiptera 
Suborder Auchenorrhyncha 
Infraorder Cicadomorpha 
Superfamily Membracoidea 
Family Cicadellidae 
Subfamily Cicadellinae 
Tribe Cicadellini
Genus Draeculacephala

Aphorophora, I think, in Family Aphrophoridae, True Spittlebugs

Spiders

Crab spider with orchid spider prey, I think

Mangora

Opiliones

No bugs

Some kind of fungus, let’s stick with Agaricomycetes

Hymenoptera

Philanthus, probably P. gibbosus

Modest masked bee, Hylaeus modestus

Megachile leafcutter bee

And another

Which Ichneumonid?

A Pompilidae wasp, Priocnemis perhaps?

Lovely Sphecid wasp, Podium luctuosum?

Diptera

Eristalis cf transversa

Ulidiidae I think

Gorgeous Lepidophora lutea in Bombyliidae

Order Diptera 
Suborder Brachycera 
Infraorder Orthorrhapha 
Superfamily Asiloidea
Family Bombyliidae 
Subfamily Bombyliinae
Tribe Eclimini
Genus Lepidophora
Lepidophora lutea

Hemiptera

Acanthocephalis

Lepidoptera

Webworm moth caterpillar, Hyphantria

Odonata

bluet

Spiders

Agelenopsis

There were tons of these Cesonia ground spiders (Gnaphosidae) around for some reason

Castianeira in Corinnidae

Phidippus, probably P. audax

Life’s not always easy for a toad, but a garter snake has to eat and reproduce too.

I’ve never been here, but this is a really good place to go to! Lots of bugs I don’t really see a ton of in my locality.

Also, in case you’re interested (because I was): it’s a park named after a man name D. W. Field, not a park with a field named “DW”.

Observations here: https://www.inaturalist.org/calendar/gaurav1729/2026/7/26

Hymenoptera

What an absolutely stunning gorgeous beautiful Great Golden Digger Wasp, Sphex ichneumoneous.

Lepidoptera

Monarch, Danaus plexippus

Talking of stunning, this Eremnophila aureonotata, gold-marked thread-waisted wasp, Sphecidae.

And this Ceropales maculata, a kleptoparasitic spider wasp in Pompilidae:

My first sighting of this Aphilanthops in Philanthidae, which is apparently now a family. Aphilanthops captures queen ants, which to me seems a weird kind of speciality.

Apparently this is Philanthus.

And this Philanthus bee-wolf. Confusing iNaturalist puts this in Crabronidae –> Philanthinae. To be investigated further. P. gibbosus, according to people who know.

Velvet ant female in Daymutilla, I think

I think Ectemnius in Crabronidae:

EDIT: Crabro suggested

Apparently Tachytes.

I initially thought this was an ant alate, but the antennae don’t look like that now. Need to dive in a bit.

Hemiptera

Phymata pensylvanica ambush bug, one of many species that have lost the extra ‘n’ in “Pennsylvania”.

One with prey:

Diptera

I had never heard of this Mallota bautius, “bare-eyed mimic fly”, in Syrphidae.

Odonata

Pachydiplax longipennis (blue dasher)

Sympetrum vicinum, autumn meadowhawk, apparently.

Coleoptera

Calopteron in Lycidae

Broad-nosed weevil

Diptera

The oddly named genus Dialysis in Xylophagidae. Note that they were all over the place in yesterday’s moth lighting, too.

Rainiera antennaepes in Micropezidae. Wasp mimic, which is why it usually keeps its front legs ahead of it, to mimic antennae. I guess I photographed it in a moment when it was tired.

Biting midge, Ceratopoginae:

Spiders

Probably Neriene radiata?

Bonus Phidippus audax from home

Other

So many moths, so many. So many that adding all the identifications took too much time, but I will be adding identifications to this post as and when I get time. In any case, you should be able to find the correct identifications here: https://www.inaturalist.org/calendar/gaurav1729/2026/7/25

Hymenoptera

Trichoptera

Ephemeroptera

Neuroptera

Coleoptera

Hymenoptera

Hemiptera

Diptera

Orthoptera