“This is R. tringarius, a European species very common in the northeast, but also now on the West Coast. This species has a yellowish-brown frons (seen in females only) and humerus; diamonds on the first few abdominal segments; yellowish stigmata in the wings; and yellowish fore tibiae. Females are often more lightly marked, and more golden, than males.
If you don’t already know of it, there’s also a table of information on Rhagio in the Fly Guides under the Orthorrhapha column in the ‘Species Guides’ section. The Fly Guides are great for a lot of detailed info, and they’re meant for identifying from photos. https://sites.google.com/view/flyguide/species-guides“
Similar in form to Aphrophora alni (Fallén, 1805), but the forewings are more uniformly colored. Introduced from the Palearctic, mostly restricted to New England; recently reported from Quebec. It is a specialist on willows.”
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.
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:
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
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
Amphigonalia cf gothica, looking like a Maori warrior. It was flinging honeydew, I wish I had taken better photos of the process.
the honeydew
There was a puddle, not even a pond, and a lone Notonecta (milky backswimmer). From my vantage point, the backswimmer was swimming in the reflection of an electrical powerline tower, and that made for some very nice patterns in the water.
Hemileuca caterpillars, not that far from where I first encountered them many years ago
Coleoptera
Dermestidae beetle, maybe Cryptorhopalum
I think Pachybrachis is a reasonable fit (in Chrysomelidae). The best fit that’s been found in New England is Pachybrachis femoratus or “Black Pachys” which doesn’t seem to be an actual taxon.
An egg case being laid. A warty leaf beetle, Fulcadini, perhaps Neochlamisus cf eubati. Compare with the photo here: https://bugguide.net/node/view/2294569
And I think this is also Pachybrachis, but maybe a different species. But I don’t see a great match among the Massachusetts records.
Cryptocephalus cf basilis, or C. quadruplex maybe, in Chrysomelidae, mating:
Elateridae, click beetles. Anything further is a guess, but maybe Limonius cf quercinus, the Oak click beetle.
Rhagonycha, but maybe Podabrus?
Synolabus bipustulatus
Hymenoptera
Maybe Andrena mining bee:
Andrena, apparently:
Ceratina, I think. (EDIT: perhaps sub-genus Zadontomerus)
Osmia, pretty hairy as expected. “Only two submarginal cells, for one thing.”
Lovely Ichneumonid, Anamalon genus.
Lovely Dasymutilla ursus in Mutellidae, aka velvet ant.
Orthoptera
A very photogenic grasshopper. Is that a parasite/parasitoid on its face?
Melanoplus
Diptera
My first Bombyllius major (bee flies), somehow. And I caught it flying too, a terrible photo, but flying nonetheless (upper right).
These are brood parasites, and are famous for dive bombing their eggs into other insects’ nests, literally on the fly (was the pun intended? I’ll never say).
A slightly better photo at rest:
Toxomerus in Syrphidae:
iNat says Muscoidea:
Odonata
Common whitetail, Plathemis lydia.
Spiders
Phidippus, perhaps P. clarus
Maybe Phidippus too
Habronattus, Habronattus viridipes complex.
If you want to be really really optimistic, you could go to Habronattus calcaratus maddisoni, https://bugguide.net/node/view/51312, but I think that is much too fine to be a real identification.
No bugs
iNat says Silene (catchflies)
I said no bugs, but these are bug nests of some type:
a little wild 