Smaller Things With Wings 

I recently found a Large Milkweed Bug shedding its skin as it was 

emerging into the final adult stage. It appears to have 12 legs: 

6 orange legs + the 6 black legs of the exoskeleton it is leaving behind! 

More than 1 instar stage are often clustered together in the sun.

It took a bit of research before learning the name of this insect that I found at Henderson Conservation Area:- A Black-sided Pygmy Grasshopper. It can be found in a variety of habitats including wet meadows, sandy soil, coniferous and deciduous forests. It's favourite foods include algae, lichen, mosses and young grasses.

Leaf and Wood Miners create interesting patterns on their host plants. The Larva of a Leaf miner burrows between the layers of the leaf as it feeds, leaving behind a trail. The mature larva will cut a hole in the leaf, drop to the ground and pupate, emerging 2-4 weeks later as a fly.

A Red-phase Screech Owl, well camouflaged in an oak tree!!

Happy Thanksgiving! Photo taken at L.C. Henderson Conservation Area.