a little wild   (a small slice of wildlife)

crab spider Thomisidae

Augchlora pura in Halictidae

Net-winged beetle Lycidae

Pisaurina mira

Hands down the best bugwatching area I’ve ever encountered. This may be normal for some people, but it feels incredibly rich for me!

Here are the observations, with updated identifications: https://www.inaturalist.org/calendar/gaurav1729/2025/7/30. You can see how species rich the walk was.

The highlight had to be the three observations of scorpionflies within half an hour of each other. I’ve never even had three scorpionfly observations in a season before.

Hemiptera

We’ll keep this at tribe Scaphoideini and hope that that is safe enough.

True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies (Hemiptera) » True Hoppers (Auchenorrhyncha) » Cicadas, Spittlebugs, Leafhoppers, and Treehoppers (Cicadomorpha) » Leafhoppers and Treehoppers (Membracoidea) » Typical Leafhoppers (Cicadellidae) » Deltocephalinae » Scaphoideini

Acanthocephala

Brown stink bug, Euschistus:

Berytidae, stilt bug

Diptera

iNaturalist says genus Ilisia, but Limoniidae at least seems safe.

iNat says Sargus in Stratiomyidae, but of course going to genus is a bit aggressive.

Flies (Diptera) » Orthorrhapha » Stratiomyomorpha » Soldier flies (Stratiomyidae) » Sarginae » Sargus

I think this is Microdon, in Syrphidae. The question then is, which one?

NOTE: Eumerus was suggested in iNaturalist, in Erastalinae. Microdon has much larger antennae, I’m told.

Dolichopodidae, perhaps Chrysotus:

Hybos reversus, according to iNaturalist:

And another

Picturesque Bombylid:

Another Dolichopodid:

Toxomerus geminatus:

Coleoptera

Eucnemidae, false click beetle.

Hymenoptera

Is this something like Isodonta mexicana (leaf carrying wasp)? I think so, but I personally can’t even rule out Eumeninae (potter wasps).

EDIT: “not vespidae by the wing shape (the majority of vespids will hold their wings out like this at rest but will also fold them lengthwise giving them a characteristic thinner look, for ex: https://bugguide.net/node/view/947720) and the thin thread-like petiole bt thorax and abdomen puts this in sphecidae, isodontia is the only sphecid in the region to hold wings out like this”

These Ichneumonids were all over the place. I also got some mildly unsatisfactory photos of one ovipositing.

“Probably Pimplinae”

And hey, another one:

Ant alate

Camplopegine Ichneumonid, I think:

This could be Spathius. Notice the folding of the ovipositor. There are also stray strands around the ovipositor, and I don’t know what they are.

Odonata

Ischnura, a forktail? Ischnura posita, fragile forktail, was suggested.

Mecoptera

As promised, multiple scorpionflies, all in Panorpa! Here’s the first:

Number two:

Mr. Panorpa number 3:

Spiders

Lovely Leucauge venusta

Tiny spiderling:

No exoskeletons

A nice gall

This link should have observations with updated links: https://www.inaturalist.org/calendar/gaurav1729/2025/7/29

But first a sighting of a Neopamera albocincta (banded-antenna seed bug) from home:

Okay, back to Keuka

Hymenoptera

Lots of Ceratina (small carpenter bees) hanging around the flowers

Not sure what this is, but I think a sweat bee:

Pergid sawfly, Acordulecera specifically

Lepidoptera

Schreckensteinia:

Order Lepidoptera
Superfamily Schreckensteinioidea
Family Schreckensteiniidae
Genus Schreckensteinia

Diptera

Lots of hover flies. This one seems Toxomerus geminatus:

Long legged flies, Dolichopodidae –> Condylostylus. In fact, C. patibulatus was suggested.

Trichoptera

These Mystacides sepulchralis (black dancer caddisfly) were everywhere

Long antennae!

Coleoptera

Tumbling flower beetle, Mordellidae –> Mordella

Spiders

Gorgeous Pisaurina mira, nursery web spider

Hymenoptera

Lasioglossum, sub-genus Dialictus, I think. One of the my favorites, I love the golden color.

If I had to guess, then my guess would be something like Cryptinae. iNaturalist goes further and claims Mesostenus, but that seems very very ambitious and optimistic.

Odonata

One of the dancers?

Argia, one of the dancers?

I thought this was funny, it took off as I was lining up the shot

Hot morning. Lots of bugs, but they were very active and I wasn’t able to take a lot of good photos. Still a wonderful morning walk.

Observations: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?on=2025-07-05&user_id=gaurav1729&verifiable=any

Hymenoptera

Ichneumonidae, maybe Pimplinae? iNaturalist suggests Itoplectis conquisitor, but that’s very optimistic.

Poemeniinae?

Tribe Ephialtini from Pimplinae, maybe genus Dolichomitus, according to BugGuide.

Gorgeous ant, Camponotus chromaiodes, ferruginous carpenter ant.

Another Pimplinae, perhaps

And another?

Diptera

Tachinidae

Asilidae (robber fly), Laphria canis complex?

Syrphidae, Toxomerus marginatus

Hemiptera

Membracid –> Smiliinae –> Ophiderma pubescens

Coleoptera

I think it’s a ground beetle, Carabidae, but I like the photo.

iNaturalist suggests Tytthonyx
Order Coleoptera
Suborder Polyphaga
Infraorder Elateriformia
Superfamily Elateroidea
Family Cantharidae
Subfamily Silinae
Tribe Tytthonyxini

Deltometopus cf amoenicornis, which is NOT in Elateridae.

Superfamily Elateroidea
Family Eucnemidae
Subfamily Macraulacinae
Tribe Macraulacini

six spotted green tiger beetle, Cicindela sexguttata

Neuroptera

There were plenty of green lacewings, but a lot fewer opportunities to get good photographs of them. Chrysopinae?

Lepidoptera

Perhaps Acleris. There are tons and tons of Acleris, and so tough to pin it down further!

Spiders

Naphrys pulex

Castianeira cf longipalpa or variata, in Corrinidae

Frogs

Pseudacris crucifer, spring peeper?

No bugs

This little bit of red in the rock was interesting to me!

Cladonia lichen

(off Billings)

See: https://www.inaturalist.org/calendar/gaurav1729/2025/6/15 for more up to date identifications

Coleoptera

I have a tough time with beetles that look like this. Maybe Podabrus?

Tachinus fimbriatus, in Staphylinidae

Another rove beetle, “compare with Oxyporus quinquemaculata”

Scirtes cf tibialis, in Scirtidae

Lucidota atra in Lampyridae? EDIT: Plateros in Lycidae suggested instead. Perhaps the distinguishing feature is the absence of a carina (keel) on the pronotum.

Isomira cf sericea, in Tenebrionidae.

Probably Elonus basilis in Aderidae

“I would tentatively place it in Elonus basalis based on coloration, locality, and whitish elytral pubescence.”

Hymenoptera

An Ichneumonid that is so amenable to pose for the camera, deserves a better and closer identification. Note the “horsehead” cell in the wing.

Another Ichneumonid?

Hemiptera

Adorable Fulgorid planthopper nymph

Psocoptera

(Barklouses)

Polypsocus corruptus

Again, Polypsocus cf corruptus

Diptera

These Syrphid flies aka hover flies were all over the place! Temnostoma cf balyras complex, see below

Hover Flies (Syrphidae) » Eristalinae » Milesiini » Temnostomina » Temnostoma » balyras, barberi, obscurum, or trifasciatum (Temnostoma balyras, barberi, obscurum, or trifasciatum)

Such an elegant fly

Spiders

Dimorphic jumping spider, Maevia inclemens, at home

Anyphaenidae:

The Leucauge venusta were everywhere, of course. Always nice to see the hairs on the femur of the fourth leg.

A better view:

This is probably Pityohyphantes in Linyphiidae

Acariformes

Anystis in Anystidae?

Fungus

No bugs

The number of Lady’s Slippers was something I hadn’t seen before, dozens and dozens.

Pollen on the water

Perhaps Acordulecera, Pergid sawfly

Oak leafrolling weevil, Synolabus bipustulatus

Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Series Cucujiformia » Curculionoidea » Leaf Rolling Weevils (Attelabidae) » Leaf-rolling Weevils (Attelabinae) » Synolabus » Oak Leafrolling Weevil (Synolabus bipustulatus)

Sawfly, Tenthredinidae?

ant alate?

mating weevils, Odontopus calceatus

Another sawfly, Tenthredinidae?

What’s with the random head lying around?

Just sharing this because I really like the shade of blue

Zelus luridus assassin bug

Tons of witch hazel galls, made by aphids

First bug walk of the year. My flash is not behaving 😦 so these photos aren’t great.

Coleoptera

Firefly, perhaps winter firefly, Ellychnia corrusca?

Lepidoptera

Perhaps Haploa

Diptera

Crane fly, Tulipidae?

Another crane fly

“Genus Chyliza. Yeah, they look a bit unusual with that kink in the folded wings.” Very unexpected:

Hymenoptera

Nomada, in a brief period of resting before zooming off again.

Halictidae, probably Augochlora pura:

Plecoptera

This isn’t the first time I’ve noticed stoneflies with pollen on them, perhaps pollinators? For the record, there’s at least one paper describing stoneflies playing a role in pollinations: https://esj-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1442-1984.12178

Spiders

Cyclosa conica

Ticks (Ixodidae)

Misc

resin drop, I think: