A Bit of This and That!

As a follow-up to my recent dragonfly post, I found an exuviae (shed skin) of a dragonfly nymph hanging from a bush adjacent to the small pond in Canatara this week. (Perhaps its the exuviae of the nymph I photographed at the pond surface last week.) Adult dragonflies will emerge from the final moult with wings developed. Once the wings dry, they are ready for flight.

While waiting for moths to visit the hanging sheet, a tour of the backyard, flashlight in hand, led me to a Common Candy-stripe spider hiding under a leaf.

Crab Spider on a prickly Teasel Stem

Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars!! We live at the extreme north end of the range for this species. They aren't necessarily expected in our area but I'll be now watching for the adults in flight! Dutchman's Pipe is the food plant for the larva.

Young Praying Mantis. It was almost 2 inches long. I usually don't notice them until they are fully grown, closer to the fall.

Primrose Moth sleeping inside the flowerhead of an Evening Primrose bloom.

"Lifeguard Mom" supervising her 3 Mallard ducklings. She was likely watching for the resident Snapping Turtle and other predators of her young.

Giant Swallowtail on Swamp Milkweed