Yard Spider of the Week

The other day, while out in the yard, I noticed a strand of spider web drifting by. Knowing that baby spiders use such strands to fly about. So I intercepted it, and dragged it across the deck railing.

And I was rewarded with this critter:

A Magnolia Green Jumper, Lyssomanes viridis. 

It is tiny!

BugGuide notes that the habit range is generally considered to have its northern edge in North Carolina, but that there are "several images from New Jersey, Virginia, and Colorado". And we do have a Magnolia in the yard.

🕷  🕷  🕷  🕷  🕷

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

Thanks to CapeMayWren for help with the ID.

Yard Critter of Last Friday

A Red-tailed Hawk.

I spotted it from my desk as I was getting ready to have lunch. Of course the wrong lens was on the camera, as it was still configured for the eclipse shots earlier that morning.

I then had to find an angle that did not hide the bird behind one of the many branches. The first shot was taken from the dining room, to get a shot before it flew. The rest from the kitchen.

And I was just in time.

As flew it did.

The right place at the right time.

A year round resident in these here parts, this is the hawk most likely to be seen in our area. And often seen while driving, roosting on telephone poles. 

We often see these birds soaring overhead and occasionally, like this bird, in the trees in the yard. Although, again like this bird, they don't stay put for long. Or at least not for long after we notice them.

🦅  🦅  🦅  🦅  🦅

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

Yard Critter from Two Years Ago ...

Back in December 2019 I posted about a wasp that visited our kitchen on Thanksgiving.

I posted several images to BugGuide, in the ID Request section, on November 28, 2019.

And on November 10, 2021 I received an email letting me know that an ID had been made.

 It is an Ichneumon Wasp, specifically Coelichneumon navus.

So know we know. Although, it seems I had already figured it out.

The Warbler Show

A new warbler has visited the Bubbler Bird Bath.

A Blackpoll Warbler.

This bird is just passing through. A long distance migrant, it's on its way to an island in the Caribbean or perhaps northern South America.

Not a bad place to spend the winter. But quite the endurance challenge for a small bird which breeds in northern Canada and Alaska. Hopefully it is finding plenty to fuel up on in the yard.

🐦  🐦  🐦  🐦  🐦

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

The Warbler Show

... and on ...

In addition to the Ovenbird, there were also American Redstart*, Northern Parula, and this bird:

A Black-throated Blue Warbler. 

I find it fascinating that there will be no birds, then a small flock of multiple species, and then no birds again. Periods of frenzied activity followed by quiet.

This bird has visited our yard before, at least six times, including this past April. But it is not a frequent or common visitor. So it is always a pleasure to it them here.

🐦  🐦  🐦  🐦  🐦

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

~~~~~~~~~~

* Restarts are this year's Prothonotaries, multiple birds visiting everyday.

That Looks Unpleasant

I was walking about the yard as I am want to do, when I spotted a bug with a very orange head.

So I took a picture. As I am also want to do.

But when I looked at the picture I saw that the insect, a Cranefly, did not have an orange head.

Rather, the orange bits are mites. 

Ouch.

The cranefly is Tipula ultima, the mites are Mites sp. 

And both were cool to see (and were in the New Meadow Garden).

🦟  🦟  🦟  🦟  🦟

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

🐞 🐜 🪰 🪲 🪳 🦟 🦗 🕷 🦂

Thanks to John Maxwell, Stephen Mason, and Jon Gelhous for helping with and ID'ing the Cranefly.

Yard Critters of the Week

A Yard Critter twofer! 

Although sadly one est morte (that's French for "is dead"; all that studying in high school finally paid off!).

A Northern Short-tailed Shrew and a beetle, the Roundneck Sexton Beetle, Nicrophorus orbicollis.

This is the Shrew (duh!). Patty spotted it a couple of mornings ago at the end of our driveway. Other than the blood about the mouth there are no obvious injuries. 

As with most of the shrews we've seen in the yard, they are dead, And curiously, untouched by other non-insect critters. (There was a live one.) This one has been at the end of the driveway for several days now. But while larger carnivores have ignored it, the insects have not.

Why are they uneaten? Well in the case of this critter one of its defenses is to emit a foul oder when attacked. Stinky! And it seems this critter is venomous. And uses echolocation to find its prey (its small beady not much use underground, where it spends most of its time).

Pretty cool critter, huh?

Now I suppose that stinky odor attracts insects.

Including this Burying Beetle. Today was trash day, and as I was taking this weeks rubbish to the curb (full disclosure, we have no curbs on our road) I noticed the shrew was moving. 

AARRGGHH! A ZOMBIE SHREW!

But it was just this beetle pushing it around. As the name suggests, Burying Beetles tend to dead critters, and help keep the world from being piled high with dead bodies. Once a male beetle finds a dead critter, it emits its own fragrance, attractive to the lady beetles. 

My insect guides state that this is a rather common beetle, and given its distinct coloration, and the dead critters we've had in the yard, I'm surprised I've not seen it before.

But I've seen it now. And it, and the shrew, are the latest additions to the yard critters.

🪲  🐀  🪲  🐀  🪲

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

Caterpillars

While out and about in the yard back in July, I noticed a wild violet covered in caterpillars.

There were more under the leaves.

These are Variegated Fritillary, Euptoieta claudia.

This plant was growing in our parking area. And while there were plenty of caterpillars on this day, I had not noticed them prior. And these are noticeable critters. And when I went out the next day with a 'real' camera, they were nowhere to be found.

🐛  🐛  🦋  🐛  🐛

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

🐛  🐛  🦋  🐛  🐛

You can blame my friend Ann-Marie for all these caterpillar posts, as it was she who prompted me to look for them. 

The Warbler Show

Ask night a cold front came through and the forecast was for a day of rain and a bit of migration.

Still waiting on the rain ...

But as to the birds we had a nice little turnout, starting with this bird:

A Canada Warbler, which stayed high up in the trees.

A somewhat rare visitor, we've had it five other times since we moved here in 2014.

This is the first time I've managed to get any pictures.

These birds breed in Canada. They are among the last birds to arrive on the breeding grounds and among the first to leave, explaining why most of our yard sightings have been in August, as it is on its way to South America.

Cool to have it visit, and to finally get some pictures!

🐦  🐦  🐦  🐦  🐦

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

The Warbler Show

Today was a good day for binge watching ...

An American Yellowstart (a female American Redstart).

This critter breeds in New Jersey, but I don't know that it breeds in our woods. It likes large areas of contiguous forest, and our woods may not be quite large enough, broken up by farms and such. But they likely breed in the not to distant state forests.

A common visitor to our yard, included on forty-five eBird lists over the years we've been here.

That's the mister hose that she is perched on.

There were at least three in the yard this day. I saw two females and one male at the same time (the male was camera shy). Along with the other warblers. In a small mixed flock with Tufted Titmouse and Carolina Chickadee.

Bye-bye!

🐦  🐦  🐦  🐦  🐦

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

Yard Critter

Saturday we went Blueberry Picking at our friend's Roni and Paul's farm, with a bunch of other friends, after which we returned to our place for food and drinks and murder on the deck.

We were trying to solve a murder, a fictitious murder, for which we get a box a month for six months with clues and such. So far we are dong pretty good. One more box to go on this one.

And while out on the deck I looked down and saw this:

A rather colorful beetle.

A Red-legged Burprestis Beetle, Buprestis rufipes.

These beetles lay their eggs under the back or dead trees, and the larva are borers. These beetles are not rare, but are rarely seen. Odd for such a striking critter.

A cool visitor, and one I'm glad joined our gathering.

🪲  🪲  🪲  🪲  🪲

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

Yard Beetle of the Week

The Horned Passalus, Odontotaenius disjunctus. 

AKA the Patent Leather Beetle, as it is black and shiny.

Bigatfy this image to see the horn. 

Relatively large and fearsome looking, they are apparently docile when handled. I do not have direct experience.

These critters feed on decaying wood. Of which there is no shortage around here. I'm surprised I don't see them more often.

🪲  🪲  🪲  🪲  🪲

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

Yard Butterfly of the Week

Eastern-tailed Blue, a common visitor to garden flowers. And in this case, a garden hose.

It is a small critter.

And as with any insect, I'm surprised it remained still enough for me to approach and get a close up image.

It is the 'tail' which is diagnostic, that little bit sticking out at the bottom of the wing.

The caterpillars of this species feed on legumes including vetches and clover. And clover we have, if rabbits don't eat it all.

🦋  🦋  🦋  🦋  🦋

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

Yard Bug of the Week

Phantom Crane Fly,  Bittacomorpha clavipes.

Quite striking with its black and white legs. 

Their legs are hollow, and widen at the foot end, insect bellbottoms. And this allows them to drift on the breeze, seeming to randomly fly amongst the vegetation, their black and white legs making them difficult to see as they drift between light and shadow. For both predators and photographers. I was lucky to find this one on a window screen one cool morning. 

🪰  🪰  🪰  🪰  🪰

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

Yard Critter of the Week

Eastern Worm Snake, Carphophis amoenus amoenus.

A tiny snake.

That's it in my work gloved hand. 

I had my work gloves on because I was, wait for it, out working. Staking the bottom of the new section of deer fence. I moved a dead log, and something squirmed. A giant worm? No a Worm Snake! The first I've ever seen.

Here it is "hiding" under some debris. 

I put it in a small holding tank to get a good look at it. Note the pink worm-like underside.

I took my pictures, went inside and showed it to Patty, and then returned it back to where I found it and let it go.

It might be obvious, but these critters spend most of their time burrowed in the leaf litter, under rotting logs, or in the dirt. Most of their time is spent underground and out of view. Like worms in more way than one. And those earthworms are their primary prey.

🐍  🐍  🐍  🐍  🐍

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

Yard Pest of the Week

The Field Guide To Insects And Spiders Of North America, by Arthur V. Evans, calls this critter, "the most important termite pests in eastern North America".

The Eastern Subterranean Termite, Reticulitermes flavipes.

I found these swarming along the back border of our property. I was not happy.

I did what I could to eliminate the threat. Hopefully the Ovenbirds and other warblers will do their part as well.

🪰  🪰  🪰  🪰  🪰

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

Curve-toothed Geometer

Nope, not a curiously dentured mathematician. Rather a moth.

The Curve-toothed Geometer, Eutrapela clemataria, which doesn't have teeth nor know any geometry.

I've noted before that moth ID cam be difficult. Patty and I both figured it was some type of Geometer, but looking through our field guides I was not able to come to a definitive ID.

Below are two scans from the current best available Moth field guides, the Peterson Guides. The upper image is from the Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America, and the lower from the Field Guide to Moths of Southeastern North America, both by David Beadle and Seabrooke Leckie.

Note the different field marks, noted by the little arrows, in the two guides for this moth. 

These are the experts and these are the best field guides. And they can't decide what are the key identification points. So what chance does a novice like me have? 

Fortunately, I have friends that are way better at moth identification than me. So thanks to Ann-Marie Woods for ID help on this critter.

🦋  🦋  🦋  🦋  🦋

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

Yard Critter of the Week

Muscovy Ducks.

Our same neighbor that has Horses also has these Ducks. And Chickens too (although I'm not sure where that Rooster came from).

And occasionally, when the side woods is flooded, those ducks pay our yard a visit. As they did this morning.

A side woods that was once a blueberry farm. You can get a sense of how long ago by the size of the trees now growing there.

These ducks can often be found sitting on the side of the road, next to the drainage ditch spanning our, and our neighbor's, properties.

Wild birds reach the the northern limit of their range at the Texas - Mexico border, a range which extends south into Argentina and Uruguay. Established feral populations exist in Florida (which Patty and I have seen). And domestic birds like these can be found on farms throughout the US.

🦆  🦆  🦆  🦆  🦆

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.