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My Favorite Wildlife Pictures: Click on images to see full-size image.
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| Robber Fly and hornet: note the hornet's stinger. Duke Forest, Gate 12, Durham, NC, 8/23/06 | Burdock Beetle (Leptinotarsa juncta, subfamily Chrysomelinae). I found this beetle munching on a leaf of one of my least favorite weeds (Horse Nettle). Durham, 9/27/05. Thanks to Eric Eaton for ID. | Walnut Sphinx Moth (Amorpha juglandis), Durham, NC, 8/30/07. Photo taken at night. | Rhopalid bug, Durham, NC, 8/24/07. A tiny bug, about 5 mm long. Note the little hairs on the wings. | Young Carolina Wren, Durham, 5/20/06. To order products bearing this photo, visit our store. |
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| Male Northern Cardinal, Durham, NC, 12/31/06. | Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe), Durham, 9/8/06 | Male House Sparrow, San Francisco, CA, 8/6/07 | Female Purple Martin, Durham, 7/5/05 | Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk, Durham, 7/6/07. Order products with this picture on them at our online store. | Willet, Carolina Beach, NC, 9/18/07 |
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| Asian Oak Weevils (Cyrtepistomus castaneus), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 8/31/07 | Dogbane Beetle (Chrysochus auratus, subfamily Eumolpinae), Durham, 7/12/05. It was about ½ inch long. These beetles only eat milkweed and dogbane, so they are not pests. Thanks to Betty Anderson for the ID. | This illustrates some interesting similarities. A Spotted Cucumber Beetle (Diabrotica undecimpunctata, subfamily Galerucinae), at right, shared flower nectar with a (mainly carnivorous) ladybug beetle (Coleomegilla maculata) on 7/2/05. | Casebearer beetle larva, Jordan Lake Gameland, Chatham County, NC, 6/19/07. You can see the little legs on the bottom. | Flower Longhorn Beetle (Strangalia sexnotata, subfamily Lepturinae), Durham, NC, 9/8/06 |
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| Scarab beetle, Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 6/15/07. It is hard to classify because of its unusual appearance, but I suspect that it is a very worn Euphoria inda. | Whitish tiger beetle (Cicindela gratiosa), Carolina Beach State Park, New Hanover County, NC, 6/23/06. ID thanks to Patrick Coin of Durham, NC. | Six-spotted Green Tiger Beetle, Durham, 3/31/07 | Male Springtime Darner (Basiaeschna janata), Duke Forest, Orange County, NC, 4/7/06 | Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus), juvenile, Carolina Beach, NC, 8/8/02. Cormorants don't have the oils necessary to keep their feathers waterproof, so they let them dry in this fashion. Until you understand this, though, this process can be an alarming sight! |
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| Web-spinning Sawfly. According to John S. Ascher, it is an Onycholyda amplecta. Family ID and common name: thanks to Eric Eaton. | Ichneumonid Wasp, Durham, NC 9/16/06. Taken at night. | Chinese Mantis, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 9/21/06. A good view of the mantid chewing parts surrounded by the four maxillary palps. | Praying Mantis. The two bottom upward-pointing maxillary palps are clearly visible; one top palp points around the side. Durham, NC, 10/7/07 | Male Oriental Cockroach (Blatta orientalis), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 6/10/06, eating (very poisonous) Amanita mushroom. |
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| An unusually large mosquito (about 15 mm long not including legs) | Female Horse Fly (genus Tabanus, family Tabanidae), near Jordan Lake, Chatham County, NC. This large fly was buzzing very loudly and hovered in the air long enough to be photographed on 9/11/05, probably hoping to bite me. | Robber fly, Durham, NC, 6/17/07 | Most likely a Drone fly (Eristalis tenax, Eristalinae subfamily), Carolina Beach State Park, New Hanover County, NC, 10/11/06. This was a relatively large fly that flew wildly about, somewhat like a Yellow Jacket. | Tachinid Fly (Pararchytas decisus, subfamily Tachininae), White Rock Mountain, Macon County, NC, 8/9/05. This fly was the size of a bumblebee; in fact, I first thought it was one. This fly was on the move and probably looking for prey, although predators supplement their diet with nectar sometimes. |
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| Marsh fly, Durham, NC, 7/13/07 | Green Bottle Fly, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 6/16/07 | Acanalonid Planthopper (Acanalonia conica), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC 7/22/07 | Acanalonid planthopper nymph, Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 7/15/07. This little insect was about 1 mm long. | Oak Treehopper (Platycotis vittata) nymph, Duke Forest, Korstian Division, Orange County, NC, 5/3/06. This is the only one of its species and probably its genus I've ever seen. Nevertheless, Stephen Cresswell, who identified it, apparently sees them all the time! Order a product with this photo at our online store. |
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| Treehopper (Campylenchia latipes). Two carpenter ants came by, crawling over this treehopper while I was trying to get the photo. They apparently decided there wasn't a problem. | Leafhopper (Macrosteles quadrilineatus, subfamily Deltocephalinae) nymph and adult, Durham, NC, 8/15/07. These were two of hundreds of such leafhopper in what used to be a swamp in my neighborhood before a currently long drought. The leaf they were on belonged to one of many succulent plants with yellow flowers. | Leafhopper (Texananus genus, Iowanus subgenus, species either longipennis or majestus, Durham, NC, 9/13/07. Genus and subgenus ID thanks to Andy Hamilton. | Glassy-winged Sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis, subfamily Cicadellinae), West Point on the Eno, Durham, NC, 7/3/07. ID thanks to Andy Hamilton. | Ghost Crab, Ocracoke, 5/11/06 |
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| Sunbittern (Eurypyga helias), NC Zoo, Asheboro, Randolph County, NC, 11/13/05. This is the only species in its family, Eurypygidae. This species is found in tropical South America. Like this photo? See dozens of products with this photo on them at the Field and Swamp Sunbittern Shop. | Kookaburra, Australian exhibit, NC Zoo, Asheboro, Randolph County, NC, 11/13/05 | Rough (Tree?)Stink Bug (Brochymena genus; arborea [Say, 1825] is apparently the most common species), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 11/14/07. | Small Milkweed Bug (Lygaeus kalmii [Stal, 1874]), Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 3/2/08. | Wheel Bug, Durham, NC, 11/1/07 with Bumblebee prey. Note the bug's long red beak. |
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| Halloween Pennant, Durham, 7/13/06 | Woolly Alder Aphids (Prociphilus tessellatus) gathered in huge numbers on a tree branch at Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC on 8/31/07. | Female Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor), Durham, 8/4/04. Seen mostly in the NC mountains, much less commonly in the Piedmont. | Fishfly (family Corydalidae), Durham, NC, 6/8/07 | Yucca Plant Bug (Halticotoma valida), on agave plant at NC Botanical Garden, 11/21/07 |
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| Male Brackish-water Fiddler Crab, Ocracoke, 5/11/06. I strongly suspect that this crab figured he'd scared me away when I left. | Mating Fragile Forktails (Ischnura posita), Durham, 7/27/06 | Southern Leopard Frog , near Albemarle Sound, Tyrrell County, NC, 9/24/04. What a great surprise to find this rather large frog sitting under a tree right next to a seawall! | Hackberry Emperor. This butterfly landed on my arm and was apparently taking in my perspiration. We never see any hackberry trees there, so maybe sweaty people are the main attraction! |
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| Green Frog, Durham, 9/12/05. I spotted this frog in a nearly dried up creek bed in my neighborhood. | Same frog: in this picture, a little closer, the back looks greenish. | Adult Redbelly Water Snake, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 4/18/05. |
© Copyright 2005-2008 Dorothy E. Pugh. All pictures copyrighted. All rights reserved.