Field and Swamp: Animals and Their Habitats

November 2007

Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC 11/27/07


Spirobolid Millipede	Bess Beetle	Possibly a Dark Fishing Spider

NC Botanical Garden, Orange County, NC 11/21/07

Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC 11/21/07


Yucca Plant Bug (Halticotoma valida), on agave plant at NC Botanical Garden, 11/21/07	Bowl and Doily Spider, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, 11/21/07

Durham, NC 11/20/07


Wheel Bug	Red-spotted Ant Mimic	Leafhopper (Jikradia olitoria, subfamily Coelidiinae)

Durham, NC 11/18/07


Boxelder Bug	Yup, this is what a Marbled Salamander really looks like when you run across one outside: all covered with slivers of rotting log, dirt, maybe some sticks and pine needles.	Flower fly (Helophilus fasciatus)

Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC 11/14/07


Stink Bug (Brochymena genus; arborea is the most common species)	Multi-colored Asian Ladybug Beetle with prey	This might be a House Spider, but ID is uncertain.	Differential Grasshopper	Spider egg sac, appears to be that of a member of the Argiope genus.

Southern Village path, Orange County, NC 11/13/07


Flower fly (Toxomerus genus)	Multi-colored Asian Ladybug Beetle. The spots take awhile to come out on a recent metamorph.	These winged Yellow Ants came up out of the ground, crawled up plants in this meadow and flew into the air.	Although Yellow Ant workers are yellowish, the prospective queens are chestnut brown.

Durham, NC 11/9/07 (local swamp/marsh)


Millipede, Polydesmida order. At first glance, it looks like a centipede, though.	Stink bug nymph, about 2 mm long.	Marsh fly

North River Park, Greenville, Pitt County, NC 11/8/07

There were at least six Variegated Fritillaries in the southernmost power line cut, just north of the Tar River.


Aphids	Variegated Fritillary	Variegated Fritillary, photo by Karl D. Gottschalk

Goose Creek State Park, Beaufort County, NC 11/7/07


March fly, Goose Creek State Park, Beaufort County, NC, 11/7/07	Seed bug (Largus genus).	Possibly a flower fly (family Syrphidae). The abdomen seems to be long and skinny.	Celery Webworm Moth	Oil Beetle (Meloe genus, Meloidae family, Tenebrionoidea superfamily)


Hornet	Downy Woodpecker	Yellow-rumped Warbler

Small park just south of the Tar River, Greenville, Pitt County, NC 11/05/07


Orange Sulphur

Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC 11/3/07


Crane fly (subfamily Tipulinae)	Centipede	Beetle grub (probably a scarab beetle)

Durham, NC 11/1/07


Ground spider (Gnaphosidae family), possibly Micaria genus	Wheel Bug with Bumblebee prey. Note the bug's long red beak.	Question Mark. Note the purple borders on the wings, a characteristic only seen in the cooler months.	Female Checkered skipper