Home       Habitats          Why this website?       Latest Photos      Acknowledgements     Contact Us

Field and Swamp: Animals and Their Habitats

Click on arrows to show pull-down menus:

        

Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC

Johnston Mill Nature Preserve is a Triangle Land Conservancy land composed of land around New Hope Creek.   It is relatively near the Korstian Division of Duke Forest, which shows similar wildlife patterns.

New Hope Creek, 11/12/08 Puttyroot (Aplectrum hyemale), an orchid, 2/21/09.   The rather large leaf appears in fall and winter, even as far north as Wisconsin, according to the University of Wisconsin at Madison Botany Department.    ID thanks to Will Cook. Toothwort leaf, 2/21/09 Fern frond, 3/31/07 Sugar Hackberry (close-up of bark)

5/15/10

Northern Pearly Eye fresh from cocoon Golden-backed Snipe Fly Male Spicebush Swallowtail Ashy Clubtail Hackberry Emperor


 
Bumble Flower Beetle (Euphoria inda) Millipede (Sigmoria aberrans) Lichen Moth (Lycomorpha pholus) Flower fly (Blera genus)  

4/18/10

     
Ashy Clubtail  Common Goldstar (Hypoxis hirsutis).  Not really so common: this remote spot in Johnston Mill NP is the only place I've seen them.  Seven-spotted ladybug beetle  Dung beetle, note clay on margins Bashful Trillium  Yellow Buckeye flowers


       
Tachinid fly  Large Beefly (Bombilius major) Female Eastern Fence Lizard Jack-in-the-pulpit  

       
Heartleaf Foamflower Eastern Bluestar Ground Ivy Ichneumon wasp  Common Vetch

 
Rue Anemone Male Eastern Tailed Blue Flower fly (Toxomerus genus) Orchard Spider Jack-in-the-pulpits: five spathes
           

3/20/10

 
Spicebush flowers Miner bee, digging a hole in the ground for its nest. Toothwort Bloodroot flower  


     
Trout Lilies, a few of hundreds currently blooming Trout Lily flower      

12/27/09

 
All Crane Fly Orchid leaves except the leaf in the middle in the last frame        

7/3/09

 
Common Wood Nymph Mydas Fly, about an inch long Spined Orb Weaver Adult Spined Assassin Bug  

 

Passion Vine with opening flower.  One of a few remaining after a large field was mowed. Spider, Mangora genus Katydid nymph Mating flower longhorn beetles It's hard to tell what kind of planthopper nymph this was, but certainly is fancy!

6/23/09

Common Stonefly (perhaps Agnetina flavescens, Perlidae family).  (One antennae was truncated.)  Stoneflies need very clean water to survive, which speaks well for this stretch of New Hope Creek! Tumbling flower beetle (Mordellistena genus), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 6/24/09 Flower longhorn beetle Clay-colored Leaf Beetle Spider, maybe Dolomedes genus

 

 
Passion Flowers (Passiflora incarnata), in the process of unfolding Fruit fly (Tephritidae family) Damsel bug (Lasiomerus annulatus, Nabidae family) Queen Anne's Lace flowers, up close, with billbug.  The pink one is immature.  

 

   
Tall Thimbleweed (Anemone virginiana) flower Tall Thimbleweed leaf Carolina Wild Petunia    

5/30/09

   
Indian Pipes Shield-backed katydid nymph Question Mark    

3/31/09

 
Flower flies (Toxomerus genus), which alternately flew and landed.  The bottom two are apparently mating in this photo. Female Falcate Orangetip Green Six-spotted Tiger Beetle Large Bee Fly Juvenal's Duskywing.  Photo by Karl D. Gottschalk  

2/7/09

     
Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus). This was the first time I saw a chipmunk in NC outside Macon County, in the mountainous far southwestern part of the state. American Bird Grasshopper      

12/27/08

       
Eastern Subterranean Termite worker        

11/7/08

 
Cloudless Sulphur.  See other Whites and Yellows.  See the Butterfly Index. Common Buckeye Common Buckeye, ventral view.  Northern Cricket Frog  

11/5/08

   
Crab spider, about 2 mm long Snail, mostly outside shell.  See other mollusks. Solitary bee    

 

     
Leopard Slug Male ichneumonid wasp      

4/10/08

   
This Ashy Clubtail, which has a deformed hind wing, closed its wings like a butterfly (on right).         

 

   

3/14/08

   
Worker termite Soldier termite      

 

Plasterer Bees (Colletes thoracicus), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 3/14/08. 

 

 

11/27/07

Spirobolid Millipede Bess Beetle Possibly a fishing spider

11/3/07

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

9/27/07

Scorpion fly Female Fiery Skipper, unusually dark, though more wing pattern variation occurs in the fall. Three views of a female Marbled Orb Weaver.  Note that in the third picture the spider is peeking around its leg to see the photographer.    

8/31/07

Asiatic Oak Weevils in courtship mode, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, 8/31/07.  See more beetles.      

 

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.  When disturbed, they waved their abdomens, with this white material stuck to them, up and down. Female Zabulon Skipper at Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC on 8/31/07 Black-form female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC on 8/31/07.  See the Butterfly Index. Tussock moth caterpillar, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC on 8/31/07 Jumping spider, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC on 8/31/07

Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC   6/16/07

Shining leaf chafer, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 6/16/07 Firefly beetle (possibly Lucidota atra), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 6/16/07 Click beetle (Dalopius genus), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 6/16/07 Green Bottle Fly, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 6/16/07 Lauxaniid fly, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 6/16/07

 

Velvet mite, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 6/16/07 Ichneumonid wasp, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 6/16/07 Mystery spider, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 6/16/07
5/31/07
Comb-footed spider (Theridion pictipes), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 5/31/07.   ID thanks to John and Jane Balaban. Northern Pearly Eye, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 5/31/07.  See other nymphs and satyrs or go to the Butterfly Index. Even more Leaffooted Bug nymphs!  Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 5/31/07.  See more True Bugs. Tumbling Flower Beetle, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 5/31/07 Xylophagid Fly, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 5/31/07

 

Ebony Jewelwing, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 5/31/07

5/11/07

Great Spangled Fritillary, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 5/11/07 Ashy Clubtail, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 5/11/07 Possibly a Deer Fly, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 5/11/07 Rove Beetle, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 5/11/07 Leaf beetle  (Paria quadrinotata, Eumolpinae subfamily), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 5/11/07. 

 

Syrphid Fly (Temnostoma balyras), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 5/11/07

12/24/06

Pileated Woodpecker, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 12/24/06

11/10/06

Jumping spider, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 11/10/06 Stink bug (Menecletes insertus), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 11/10/06

9/30/06

Black-tailed Red Sheetweaver, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 9/30/06.  This picture was taken on a cool morning when the dew was still on this spider's web. Carolina Mantis, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC,  9/30/06

9/9/06

Spined Orb Weaver (Micrathena gracilis), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 9/9/06 Mangora genus orb weaver, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 9/9/06 Neoscona genus spider, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 9/9/06 Margined Leatherwing Beetle and Flower Longhorn Beetle, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 9/9/06.  Mating thread-waisted wasps (Eremnophila aureonotata), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 9/9/06.  They're a common species, but have no common name.  Very strange!

 

Maybe a kind of lynx spider, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 9/9/06

8/18/06

Arrow-shaped Micrathena (Micrathena sagittata), Johnston Mill, Orange County, NC, 8/18/06 Cricket, Johnston Mill, Orange County, NC, 8/18/06 Spider (Mangora genus?), Johnston Mill, Orange County, NC, 8/18/06 Filmy Dome Spider, Johnston Mill, Orange County, NC, 8/18/06

7/15/06

Horse Fly (Tabanus genus), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 7/15/06.  This fly was missing most of its left wing and was buzzing around aimlessly on the ground at the time. Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 7/15/06 This large wolf spider was carrying a bunch of spiderlings on her abdomen at Johnston Mill, Orange County, NC, 7/15/06. Flower Longhorn Beetle (Typocerus velutinus, subfamily Lepturinae), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 7/15/06 Flower Longhorn Beetle (Typocerus velutinus, subfamily Lepturinae), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 7/15/06

 

Tulip Tree Beauty, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 7/15/06.  Camouflage was not so perfect here. Leafhopper exuviae.  Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, 7/15/06 American House Spider (Achaearanea tepidariorum) attacking a Marbled Orb Weaver, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, 7/15/06

7/1/06

Crane Fly, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC Virginia Hover Fly (Milesia virginiensis),  Johnston Mill, Orange County, NC, 7/1/06.   Note the flat abdomen, a characteristic peculiar to syrphid flies. Brachonid wasp (Atanycolus genus), Johnston Mill, Orange County, NC, 7/1/06 Funnel web spider,  Johnston Mill, Orange County, NC, 7/1/06

 

Orchard spider, Johnston Mill, Orange County, NC, 7/1/06 Lightning bug beetle,  Johnston Mill, Orange County, NC, 7/1/06 Stilt-legged fly, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 7/1/06 Ladybug beetle larva

6/10/06

Ichneumonid wasp.  See more members of the Hymenoptera order. Oriental Cockroach eating (very poisonous) Amanita mushroom. Wheel Bug Nymph. 

 

Hackberry Emperor.  See more Emperors and some Snouts. Maybe a hornet.  Very large, over an inch long. Green Stink Bug Lauxaniid flies: mating pair and a possible interloper.  See more flies.

5/20/06

Mystery moth: The head is on the left and has two long, thin antennae.  It was about 4 mm long.  See more moths. Another mystery critter trying to puzzle me!  See more mystery critters. Beetle. Great Spangled Fritillary.  See other Heliconians. Another Great Spangled Fritillary

 

Silvery Checkerspot.  See more checkerspots.

4/13/06

Harvester (Feniseca tarquinius), Johnston Mill, Orange County, NC, 4/13/06 A view of another Harvester in which backlighting shows the pattern on the dorsal side of the wings.

 

Snapping Turtle, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 4/13/06.

8/25/05

Gray Hairstreak, Johnston's Mill, Orange County, NC, 8/25/05.
© 2006-2009 Dorothy E. Pugh