Well, this first one is actually from Devil’s Rock, but I didn’t want to make a new post just for one photo:
Tipulidae: perhaps a Limoniid crane fly?
Fireworks:
A Limoniid crane fly? (EDIT: identified as Limonia annulata.)
Mangora maculata in Araneidae. This has only one photo from Massachusetts in bugguide.net, and none in iNaturalist.
Leafhopper, Jikradia olitoria. A female, males are more uniformly green.
Lauxaniidae?
Uloborus glomosus, I have a soft spot for these spiders:
Pine needles
Linyphia triangularis? But it could also be Frontinella or Neriene. Linyphiidae, at any rate.
This could be Haplandrus fulvipes. Except that it was pointed out to me that Xylopinus also has a red-legged race (see this and this). So, well, $@&!! that ID. Note the large numbers of mites on the poor thing.
The Isle of Skye, folks. Somewhere I’d always read about, never thought I’d actually go!
Fossils we found at the Flodigarry fossil walk:
The fairy pools walk on the Isle of Skye:
Armadale, while waiting for the ferry to Mallaig:
Cairngorms National Park, no longer on the Isle of Skye:
Speyside Dolphin Center.
Like I’m going to go that far and not take photos of insects. A syrphid fly:
Ain’t no love like outlaw love! Two robber flies (Asilidae) making baby robber flies. Perhaps Efferia estuans (EDIT: better identification given was Neoitamus flavofemoratus. Notice the bicolored legs.)? I’ve nicknamed them Bonnie and Clyde.
Dun skipper female.
Terrible photo, but I think it’s a velvet ant, so I’m enthusiastic:
Slaty skimmer
No surprise: shooting dragonflies aflight is hard.
Lacewing larva:
I got my act together and collected some of my favorite insect and spider photos from 2015 onwards into one page: https://alittlewild.blog/best-insect-photos/insects-and-spiders-2015-17/ .
This blog has grown, and isn’t that easy to go through any more. So I’ve collected my personal favorites into one place (well, several places, but the principle is the same). They’re linked from here. Hope you enjoy them!
To be clear, these are mostly “landscape” photos, except that “landscape” incorporates “macro”, too — but there is a minimum of insects and spiders in these photos, by choice. I’ll try to collect those separately.
Female stag beetle:
A rather unusually colored assassin bug, Zelus luridus, was suggested. I’m not sure how to distinguish this from the lupine bugs, such as https://bugguide.net/node/view/2721/bgimage — presumably, it’s the shape of the head, and the mouthparts?
Bufo americanus, American toad.
These moths were everywhere. Angle moth was suggested.
Stiletto fly? I’m a little stumped. (EDIT: suggested that snipe fly was more likely).
Tiny beetle. Mordellidae, tumbling flower beetle.
Cixiid planthopper, I think. As a starting point for identification, you can look at Cixius?
Pisaurina mira, Fishing spider:
Closeup of Queen Anne’s Lace:
Some new ways of looking at Queen Anne’s Lace:
A very short walk, so just a few quick snaps. The Vernal Pool loop, and the highlight was certainly the frogs who were exuberantly crying out for love at every vernal pool on the trail.
Woodlouse, Armadillidium vulgare:
What I love about insects and spiders, they’re happy to visit you at your home. This gorgeous lady came by today, even though it’s snowy outside. Platycryptus undatus is the name, by the way.
Which crop works best? I can’t quite resolve it.
a little wild 