Summer insects - Part 4

Suddenly September!

Although the bulk of summer has come and gone, we still have many summer insects in the city. Below are some recent favorites. 

Trigger warning: there are some (non-insect) spider photos at the end of the post.

Cute little Skipper in Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn:

This is a Common Meadow Katydid nymph on Governors Island. It's extremely tiny - barely the size of my pinky nail. As they were jumping around in the grass, they looked like fleas.

Check out the enormously long antennae on this one. The insect was so small, I didn't see the antennae until I enlarged my photo.

Pretty emerald-colored Sweat Bee:

This Long-Legged Fly is another tiny creature, but is really beautiful when viewed close up.

Green Bottle Fly:

Common Buckeye butterfly:

A pair of Eastern Pondhawks mating. The male is the blue one up top, and the female is bright green and has her abdomen curled under the male. They will then take off from this perch and the male will dip the female into the water so she can lay her eggs.

These dragonflies were laying eggs in one of the water features at Green-Wood Cemetery. As they did this, turtles who were lurking below the water's surface would snatch them. This kept happening, but I wasn't able to get a photo as the turtles were so quick...and terrifying!

Female Pondhawk:

This is a Marl Pennant Skimmer and was not seen in NYC, but further south when I took a trip. They generally do not venture north of Virginia in the East.

 

Spiders below...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wait all year to find these little guys, and this year, I found more than I ever have before, which I hope is a good sign. These are Bold Jumpers, and they are also only about the size of my pinky nail.

They noticed me right away and would skitter away if I moved too much, so I stood back about four feet and had to use my telephoto lens to get these pics. A macro lens would reveal more of their beautiful details, like the iridescent greenish-blue mouth parts.

It's hard to see in this photo, but the spider has several eyes and it looks like they circle back around the head.

This informative video has some really nice footage of a jumper, and is a good starting point for getting to know these cool little creatures.

Update #2 on the hawk fledgling taken to rehab

After being taken to the Wild Bird Fund on August 14, we've been told the Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledgling is doing better, and has been transferred to The Raptor Trust in New Jersey. The goal is to release the hawk back into the park once it has regained its health.

Fledgling in Tompkins Square on July 29, 2024.

 The Raptor Trust has rehabilitated many city hawks and other birds. You can learn more about the organization here. Please consider making a donation, or check out their selection of merch.

When we know more about a possible release date for the hawk, we'll update here.

Previously.

Summer insects - Part 3

I've made a concerted effort this summer to document insects around the city. It's been a fun and rewarding activity, and below are a few recent highlights photographed at Governors Island and Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.

Ailanthus Webworm Moth:

Some type of Skipper:

Snowy Urola Moth:

Sweat Bee:

Asian Lady Beetles:

Milkweed Assassin Bug:

Monarch:

Locust Borer Beetle:

Great Golden Digger Wasp:

European Paper Wasp:

Two-Spotted Longhorn Bee:

Gold-Marked Thread-Waisted Wasp:

Bumblebee:

Thick-Headed Fly:

Steel-Blue Cricket Hunter taking a seed pod to its burrow:

Previously:  

Summer insects - Part 1 

Summer insects - Part 2

Summer insects - Part 2

Continuing with summer insect sightings, below are some more pretty little things I've seen recently.

Halloween Pennant dragonfly:

Blue Dasher dragonfly (male):

The back of a female Blue Dasher resting in the sun:

June Beetles in Tompkins Square Park:

Japanese Beetle (invasive species):

American Lady butterfly:

Northeastern Plumetop robber fly:

Cicada Killer wasp:

Eastern Amberwing dragonfly:

Long-Legged Fly:

Flesh Fly:

Previously:  Part 1