Here’s a scary sight for your Halloween. A Florida predatory stink bug (Euthyrhynchus floridanus) feeding on a European hornet (Vespa crabro). The stink bug harpoons its prey with its beak. The prey is immobilized as the stink bug injects it with digestive enzymes. The stink bug then sucks up the digested insides of its helpless… Continue reading Happy Halloween!
Category: Animals
Honey Bees on Camellia Flowers in December
These sunny, seventy degree December days are bringing out the honey bees! My fall-blooming camellia is one of the few flowering plants in the area during this time of year. It was nice to see the bees enjoying it.
Hooded Mergansers
Have you seen the hooded merganser ducks that overwinter in North Carolina? Sometimes you can see them in the retention ponds. They seem to be very shy, though. As soon as they notice a person, they tend to go to the far side of the pond, if not fly away. The male’s head is black… Continue reading Hooded Mergansers
Joro Spider
We saw our first Joro spider (Trichonephila clavata) this weekend! The large web was what caught our attention. We didn’t realize what spider we were looking at until after doing some research at home. This yellow and gray spider is native to Asia. It was introduced to Georgia in 2014 and has been making its… Continue reading Joro Spider
Killdeer Crossing
I was watching a pair of killdeer in the retention pond at the corner of Town Hall Drive and Harris Mill Road. At some point, one bird flew away while the other stayed in the pond. I finished taking my pictures of the bird in the pond, and started to walk to the other side… Continue reading Killdeer Crossing
Luna Moths
Be on the lookout for beautiful Luna moths in late May and early June. Luna moths spend just one week as an adult butterfly. They typically fly at night. I’ve had luck seeing them in the morning on cloudy days. Luna moths have three broods in North Carolina, each 8-10 weeks apart. They can be… Continue reading Luna Moths
Marbled Orb-Weaver
Here is a male marbled orb-weaver (Araneus marmoreus var. marmoreus) to get you in the Halloween spirit.
Migration of the Monarch Butterfly
Every fall, monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) fly all the way to Mexico to spend the winter. As the temperatures warm in the spring, the monarchs travel north again. I had heard this story many times, but I never really looked into the details. Monarch butterflies typically only live for a month. They eat, they mate,… Continue reading Migration of the Monarch Butterfly
National Bird Day
January 5, 2025 is National Bird Day. Take some time today to notice the birds outside. What are they doing? Are they looking for food? Are they singing? How many different kinds of birds do you see or hear? How many can you identify?
Nice Catch!
I always enjoy watching the Great Blue Herons in the retention ponds. They are such beautiful birds! Yesterday, I stopped to watch a heron standing along the edge of one of the ponds. It was still for quite a while, and then it jumped! I thought it was about to fly away, but it stuck… Continue reading Nice Catch!