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I went back to check on the killdeer nest yesterday. Oh no! There's only one egg! I wonder what happened to the other one. Wait, what's that?  Oh, there you are.   And here are some real deer, also right by the office. I don't think they have much to fear from the birds, but they seem to be running from something.  As for craneflies, they're just trying to get on with life, like everyone else. 
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| # ? Apr 7, 2012 23:23 |
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| # ? May 24, 2013 13:01 |
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5TonsOfFlax posted: Little cotton balls with toothpick legs! Did mom try to fake you out with a broken wing display again?
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| # ? Apr 8, 2012 01:02 |
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My roommate and I went to a streambed-type area at in the Montague Wildlife Management Area in western Massachusetts last week. There was a slow-moving stream so we looked for salamanders and found... this little guy! We also found this... thing. It was doing this weird undulating movement. Came from under a rock.  Shot of the undulating movement:  Also found this spiky grub thing under another rock:  He was upset with us:  The color in this is a bit off, in real life this bug was a very bright blue:  And finally, some pretty flowers:  So, does anyone have any idea what any of these might be? I'm especially interested in the grubs.
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| # ? Apr 8, 2012 02:14 |
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Lady Charlemagne posted:Also found this spiky grub thing under another rock: Disclaimer: not an entomologist. Insects are one of my weakest areas in zoology. That being said, this guy is quite possibly a larval Dobsonfly (a critter this thread was just discussing a little further upstream). The larvae are popularly known as helgramites/hellgrammites, and they are ugly, spiky stream-dwelling things just like what you posted.
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| # ? Apr 8, 2012 02:49 |
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Oh my goodness, that killdeer chick is the cutest thing!  Anyway, I'm having to go through a ton of material about children's animal stories for my independent study, but I've gotten sick of sitting and reading for hours and days upon end and decided to go outside and take some photos of real animals.  This guy is pretty chill: for the past few days, every time I've walked over to the little sapling he lives in, he's been sitting there patiently in the corner of his web. I'm guessing that those reddish lumps at the front of the body are the pedipalps? (And that, given their size, this spider is male?) I'm not sure what species he is; I've never seen one like this before.  At first, I thought this might be a bumblebee worker out early. But if she were a bumblebee, wouldn't her abdomen be fuzzier? In any case, I'm not sure what kind of bee this is.  I'm assuming that this is a syrphid fly/ hover fly of some kind.  I spent a long time kneeling in the weeds trying to get photos of these funny-looking bee mimics; they're pretty quick and won't let you get too close, so only about three of the twenty or so photos I took weren't blurry messes. (Also I am bad with cameras). Searching on Bugguide.net, it seems that these are bee flies in genus Bombylius, probably Bombylius major. Their round, fluffy bodies and beak-like proboscises are pretty adorable and/or hilarious, but it turns out that they parasitize bees by laying their eggs in solitary bee nests.  This one kept hovering over the ground and was probably scoping out place to lay her eggs.  I know it's nature, but parasitism still tends to gross me out. Still not as bad as what some wasps do, though.
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| # ? Apr 8, 2012 03:02 |
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Lady Charlemagne posted:We also found this... thing. It was doing this weird undulating movement. Came from under a rock. Looks like a cranefly larva to me, though it's kinda hard to be sure with that picture. quote:Also found this spiky grub thing under another rock: I'll agree that it's probably a hellgrammite. MrGreenShirt fucked around with this message at Apr 8, 2012 around 03:08 |
| # ? Apr 8, 2012 03:05 |
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The not-bumblebee is a carpenter bee. The bald abdomen is a giveaway.
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| # ? Apr 8, 2012 03:41 |
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ZarathustraFollower posted:The not-bumblebee is a carpenter bee. The bald abdomen is a giveaway.  It's also lacking the bumble bee's smooth gams
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| # ? Apr 8, 2012 03:53 |
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Lady Charlemagne posted:My roommate and I went to a streambed-type area at in the Montague Wildlife Management Area in western Massachusetts last week. There was a slow-moving stream so we looked for salamanders and found... this little guy! That's a larval Eurycea bislineata, a northern two-lined salamander. I'm surprised you didn't find more or any adults, or dusky salamanders; typically where you find one, you'll find more. If you spend an hour or so flipping rocks just in the water, or just outside, you could probably turn up a few adults. Though every stream is different. I went out Tuesday with a friend to my mountain site, and while we turned up tons of duskies (Desmogs), we didn't find a single Eurycea in the streams, though we did found two three-lineds in a different type of stream nearby. I haven't seen any Eurycea in that stream previously, at least not that I remember.
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| # ? Apr 8, 2012 04:08 |
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ZarathustraFollower posted:The not-bumblebee is a carpenter bee. The bald abdomen is a giveaway. Thanks! This one was smaller and less orange than the carpenter bees I'm used to, so I was thrown off a bit.
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| # ? Apr 8, 2012 04:24 |
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Walked out of my door this morning to see a Robin building a nest where the gutter meets the wall of my building. It's pretty close to my door, but because I'm on the 2nd floor, I probably wouldn't be able to see into it if the birdies were able to complete it and lay eggs. My little porch doesn't go all the way to the end of the building. Short of climbing a tree, I'm not really sure what I'm going to do about it but hopefully I'll find a way to get some good shots in the near future.
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| # ? Apr 8, 2012 05:31 |
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Lady Charlemagne posted:We also found this... thing. It was doing this weird undulating movement. Came from under a rock. The thing in the first pic is some kind of dipteran (flies, midges, craneflies, mosquitoes etc) larva. The blue bug looks like a tiger beetle. Did it run around a lot and was terribly fast?
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| # ? Apr 8, 2012 06:44 |
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axolotl farmer posted:The thing in the first pic is some kind of dipteran (flies, midges, craneflies, mosquitoes etc) larva. It's definitively a tiger beetle. I'd bet a 6 spotted (Cicindela sexguttata)at that.
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| # ? Apr 8, 2012 11:27 |
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Gulf coast, Louisiana, relocated a lost lil' turtle into a more aqueous, vegetal habitat. Silly turtle, you can't live on a road.  You shur do have purdy eyes.
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| # ? Apr 8, 2012 17:21 |
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This little guy seemed pretty pleased with himself as I was measuring him.
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| # ? Apr 8, 2012 19:03 |
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It would appear that somehow I have come into the possession of what I think might be honeybees.  We have this old stump on our porch that we use as a chopping block for smaller bits of wood, for our fireplace... and today I was out there talking with my mom while she was visiting when we noticed a whole lot of bees just meandering around. It turns out they seem to have made their home in our chopping block!   It was really difficult to get shots of the workers, because they were in and out so quickly. There's splatters of yellow pollen all over the log and our porch around the log, though - that by itself is probably a good indication they're honeybees and not OhGodWe'reGoingToDie bees right? Also, what would be the best course of action with these guys? It'd be kind-of neat to keep them around, but it's also kind-of inconvenient as the chopping block is currently right in the middle of our porch and I'd hate to accidentally knock into it and then have a whole swarm of super angry bees after me.
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| # ? Apr 8, 2012 19:13 |
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5TonsOfFlax posted:And here are some real deer, also right by the office. I don't think they have much to fear from the birds, but they seem to be running from something. I know what they are running from... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmpONxJ7JSw
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| # ? Apr 8, 2012 19:22 |
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That drat Satyr posted:
Find a local beekeeper's organization and give them a call. If they really are honeybees, they'll probably come pick them up for you.
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| # ? Apr 8, 2012 20:26 |
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I am ridiculously jealous of some of the shots i've seen here  I found this little guy today while doing the Easter thing with my family. My best guess, from what little bit of poking around I did, is Western Fence Lizard. He was a skittish little sucker, didn't hang around for very long.     Also managed to catch a butterfly perched on a leaf   I love Arkansas during warm weather days, all sorts of fun things start coming out.
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| # ? Apr 8, 2012 21:30 |
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T1g4h posted:
Little guy is trying to get swole.
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| # ? Apr 8, 2012 21:54 |
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What a cute bright blue belly! I miss having lizards everywhere. On campus here in north Louisiana I barely come across any, while back in Tampa there's always a bunch of them chilling on our trees and on our porch even though we live in a pretty urban environment, on the corner of a major road.
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| # ? Apr 8, 2012 21:54 |
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axolotl farmer posted:The wingless genus Chionea is usually placed in the family Limoniidae. But sometimes Limoniidae is treated like a subfamily Limoniinae within the cranefly family Tipulidae. I honestly want to go to a taxonomy convention just to see if any fistfights break out.
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| # ? Apr 8, 2012 22:44 |
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Snails always seem really exotic to me, even though they're everywhere--for whatever reason they weren't all over the place where I grew up. So I was pretty pleased to have a visit from the Easter Snail. Or to visit myself upon the Easter Snail, whatever. Damp lettuce was an adequate offering:  But it really wanted to chew on the rim of its shell. Any snail savants out there? Was it cleaning itself? Recycling whatever nutrients go into its sealing slime? It's been very dry here, so this guy-gal was probably sealed up for quite a while.  Then we chilled.   I did my best to put it and its lettuce back close to where it had been chilling, and I draped a dead leaf over it for a little hiding spot.
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| # ? Apr 8, 2012 22:47 |
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A baby rattler I found today on a wilderness trail near Mt. Baldy:
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| # ? Apr 9, 2012 01:04 |
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T1g4h posted:I found this little guy today while doing the Easter thing with my family. My best guess, from what little bit of poking around I did, is Western Fence Lizard. He was a skittish little sucker, didn't hang around for very long. I went out today, it was still a bit too cool for much to be active, but plenty of babies under logs.    My first and largest find of the day, a mid-sized Gilbert's Skink   A baby Western Skink. The awesome blue tail will turn brown and boring when it grows up.  A genuine Western Fence Lizard   2 lizards 1 log, a juvenile Western Fence Lizard and Southern Alligator Lizard. When the Alligator Lizard grows up it'll eat little Fence Lizards like that, so they've kind of got a The Fox and The Hound thing going on.   And some bonus amphibians, a pair of juvenile Bullfrogs and an adult Pacific Treefrog.
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| # ? Apr 9, 2012 02:14 |
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Knormal posted:If you're in Arkansas you're way too far east for a Western Fence Lizard, they don't make it across Utah. I'd guess Eastern Fence Lizard, but I don't know the Eastern species very well. Definately some kind of Sceloporus though. Yep, Eastern fence lizard. When I was in Arkansas, we saw a ton of them. I'd really like to go herping in Arkansas again; there's a lot of cool animals in that state, but I'm going to have to settle with going to Florida sometime soon instead. Which is always a blast; I think I might try some new places this time, so I'm getting pretty excited. Pacific Tree Frog! When I was six or eight or something, that used to be my favorite frog, because I saw one in a magazine. Whenever I played Monopoly, it was always Pacific Tree Frog Avenue, because that square was green. I was a stupid kid. Also, awesome rattlesnake! I've been out so many times for rattlers, but I've yet to find one. Maybe this Florida trip will turn that around.
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| # ? Apr 9, 2012 02:29 |
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Haha, well, thanks for helping me identify it guys! I don't know a whole lot about most lizards. Snakes, those I can usually identify pretty well, raising boas and pythons as a kid / teenager helps alot with that in terms of interest
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| # ? Apr 9, 2012 05:30 |
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Italian wall lizard. FHSU campus, Hays KS Great Plains toad, McPherson KS  toadfeet  His(?) throat sac was dark and baggy looking. Maybe distended from calling?  Beautiful olive green carapace!  Pretty sure this is a Red-eared slider. Moundridge, KS EDIT: yeti has corrected me. Apparently this is a Western Painted turtle.  Pretty plastron, too. Note the weird chink out of its shell on the side there. 
Erethizon_dorsatum fucked around with this message at Apr 9, 2012 around 16:40 |
| # ? Apr 9, 2012 05:32 |
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Erethizon_dorsatum posted:
A lot of turtle tracking programs will notch the shells like that. such and such a plate notched means X location, or Y year or whatever. That looks like a tag rather than an accident.
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| # ? Apr 9, 2012 05:56 |
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You're right; typically they use certain areas to represent a number. You should contact the local herpetologist at the closest university or whatever; they might be able to pass on the photo to whoever did the study. Recaptures can be important, though it'd be a lot better if it were weighed and processed. I've seen them drill holes in box turtle shells. Neat idea, but there's no way I could ever do that; I'd be too terrified of slipping or whatever.
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| # ? Apr 9, 2012 06:04 |
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Hmmm. The closest school that would have a herp program is Wichita State I'd bet. That's about 50 miles from where I found the turtle. Is it still possible it's one of their's?
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| # ? Apr 9, 2012 06:31 |
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I only have one animal to show today and it is pretty common but I feel I have to share it because I just love them so drat much. Ibises in Southbank, Queensland. 
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| # ? Apr 9, 2012 07:51 |
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Erethizon_dorsatum posted:Beautiful olive green carapace! I think you've got a western painted turtle there.
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| # ? Apr 9, 2012 11:36 |
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the yeti posted:I think you've got a western painted turtle there. Could be! What did I miss that IDs it?
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| # ? Apr 9, 2012 12:56 |
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Erethizon_dorsatum posted:Could be! What did I miss that IDs it? All the red color, particularly on the plastron (underside) is one giveaway. Yours is pretty worn but it's still there. The carapace (upper shell) shape also differs, with sliders tending towards a peak or ridge over the spine, while painteds (and your guy, seemingly) have a smooth uniform colored bowl shape. How the shell looks will vary with the age and wearing of the turtle, though, so I think the red coloring is the real telltale.
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| # ? Apr 9, 2012 13:29 |
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the yeti posted:All the red color, particularly on the plastron (underside) is one giveaway. Yours is pretty worn but it's still there. Ok, thanks Is there a way to tell how old it is?
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| # ? Apr 9, 2012 16:38 |
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And of course the day I decide not to bring the camera, I find these little guys: If anyone was wondering what kinds of pictures those $15 prepaid phones from Walmart take, there you go. Sigh. the kawaiiest fucked around with this message at Apr 11, 2012 around 22:23 |
| # ? Apr 9, 2012 21:41 |
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the kawaiiest posted:And of course the day I decide not to bring my camera, I find these little guys: Anoles of some kind. When I was in Florida I would catch the little buggers hanging out on the walls and doors pretty m uch everywhere. I can't give you an exact species, but the shape of the nose and coloration is a dead giveaway.
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| # ? Apr 9, 2012 21:49 |
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7thBatallion posted:Anoles of some kind. When I was in Florida I would catch the little buggers hanging out on the walls and doors pretty m uch everywhere. I can't give you an exact species, but the shape of the nose and coloration is a dead giveaway.
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| # ? Apr 9, 2012 21:52 |
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| # ? May 24, 2013 13:01 |
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Lady Charlemagne posted:And finally, some pretty flowers:
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| # ? Apr 9, 2012 22:36 |
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