a little wild   (a small slice of wildlife)

Some type of skipper

Perhaps Stictocephala:

Perhaps Dictynid?

Stink bug, Mormidea lugens

Ammophila. Evolution bought the WÄSP kit from Ikea, got drunk, and decided she didn’t need to read the directions.

I don’t really know this wasp. Ichneumonidae?

Unidentified Lepidopteran.

Hymenoptera

This is a bee, Hylaeus, aka the masked bees. The front view is very distinctive.

One of the stars of the show: a cuckoo wasp, Chrysididae. This particular one is in genus Chrysis. I’ve gotten photos of them before, but they were the type you wouldn’t show anyone else, because they would silently pity you.

I haven’t been able to narrow down the identification. The gorgeous combination of iridescent green and iridescent blue over the thorax should stand out, but I haven’t found a match yet.

The reason I was able to get some decent photos this time (ahem, besides my outstanding skill and perseverance) was that it seemed to have found an area to investigate and stayed there for a while. I can only presume that that area was a nest for some other wasp, but it didn’t seem to be so to my own eyes.

The iridescence (?) on the antennae is something that shows up in several of my photos. Not sure whether it’s a reflection of her body or something else.

Further investigation of the purported nest:

Side view

My best guess for this next wasp is Ichneumonidae –> Cryptinae

Lepidoptera

I have no idea what this one is. Which is no surprise because I don’t know my Lepidoptera at all.

EDIT: identified for me as a silver-spotted skipper.

“Epargyreus clarus, the silver-spotted skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae.”

Ephemeroptera

This mayfly was swinging its (his?) cerci all over the place. I presume that it was trying to smell a mate?

Hemiptera

Coreidae (aka leaf-footed bug) nymph

I wish I had taken the time to get a better photo of this bug:

Arachnida

Agelenids always look spectacular in their webs, especially after the rain

I really really tried hard to get a good image of this presumed Acariform. Compare with Erythraeus. Wikipedia: “These are large red mites with two pairs of eyes and long legs (the first and fourth pairs are often longer than the body).”

This spider spent quite a bit of time hauling its prey up. I’m guessing Parasteatoda. It’s weird seeing them actually in nature, outside a house or garage.

It looks like a mite on the left side of the cephalothorax.

Another star of the show! I’ve been trying for so, so, so long to get photographs of a mama Lycosid (wolf spider) with all of her many spiderlings on her back. It was exciting finally getting them!

Pardosa sp., in Lycosidae, aka wolf spiders. The main genus that could be confusing is Arctosa. Two points of difference are the legs spines and the shape of the face: “[Pardosa have a ] narrow cephalic area. Arctosa have a chunky face”

Other

I just liked this very prominent layer in the rock. Not sure what geological transition it corresponds to. Although, could it just be an intrusion joining together two pieces?

Haploa clymene, the Clymene moth, in our backyard. Quite stunning!