This is the same grasshopper I photographed earlier this summer. As you can see, it has grown a set of wings (probably preparing for an apocalyptic swarm). At over an inch and a half in length, it's also quite a bit larger.
For a horrifyingly up close and personal view, click here.
The flies above are specimens of the species Xenox tigrinus, or Tiger Bee Fly. I'm not sure exactly why flies from the family Bombyliidae are called "bee flies." It could be because some of their number somewhat resemble bees, but there are other flies that are much better mimics. Perhaps it is because the larvae of most species within the family are predatory on the larvae of bees and wasps. This particular species preys exclusively on the larvae of the Carpenter Bee, which probably explains why so many photos of this species have a backdrop of dry wood.
Meet Graphocephala coccinea, a diminutive boat-shaped leafhopper not much bigger than a grain of rice. But what a sense of style! Very few bugs can pull that color combination off effectively. Sometimes your exoskeleton wears you.
This bon vivant's hobbies include decimating succulent plants and excreting sugar water (aka "honeydew") from his anus.
The Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) can be found all over the Slope right now. My wife spotted one buzzing around in the skylight at The Lighthouse on Fifth Avenue. I saw several hovering over the patio at The Gate early last week. The specimen below was taking a rest on some plants in front of a brownstone on Carroll Street.
Dragonfly larvae are aquatic, and the young of this particular species are fairly tolerant of low dissolved oxygen, pollution and other environmental insults. Perhaps that's why they are the most abundant species in Brooklyn's skies. My guess is that the majority of those we see in the Slope are from Prospect Park and the Botanic Garden.
As the males mature, their abdomens turn completely blue, and their eyes turn from juvenile red/gray to a jade green/blue. I'm not really an odonate expert, but I'd say the specimen below is an almost mature male. (Are males of any species ever truly mature? I'll be he laughs at fart jokes.) Contrast this specimen's abdomen and eye color with a female dasher I posted last week.
I believe the small structures visible under the thorax just ahead of the juncture with the abdomen are mites, based on advice from nannothemis of Urban Dragon Hunters regarding an older photo of the same species.
There were a number of Blue Dashers (Pachydiplax longipennes) hovering in the vicinity of the Brooklyn Blogade picnic this Sunday. This is the best shot I could manage, which is not too bad given I didn't have my "bug lens" with me.
There were also a number of red-clawed crayfish marauding in the creek nearby. I think Flatbush Gardener managed to get a decent shot of one of them, so I'll link to that if he posts it later.
About a year ago, several folks reported seeing jellyfish floating down the Gowanus Canal. Today, when I crossed the Carroll Street bridge, I saw at least a dozen pass underneath me. They appeared alive, but I can't imagine they found the journey to be particularly enjoyable. Of course, I'm not sure the concept "enjoy" applies to Cnidarians.
This fat fellow is a member of the Pyrginae or "spread-winged skippers," a sub-family of the Hesperiidae or "skippers." He was dining on a wild bergamot blossom in Prospect Park. The name "silver-spotted skipper" refers to different species in North America vs. Europe. This is Epargyreus clarus. The European version is Hesperia comma.
Skippers are name for their flying habits, which are considerably more aerobatic than most other butterflies due to their particularly robust wing muscles. Their club shaped antennae and stout bodies give them a somewhat moth-like appearance.
The last two weeks of July are probably the best weeks of the entire year for butterfly viewing in Brooklyn. Both Prospect Park and the Botanic Garden should be filled with a number of species.
Get out there and take your camera!
In addition to the bullfrog, I did manage to take a decent photo of a male Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera). These guys are fairly small for dragonflies (about 1 in.), and extremely wary, so they are difficult to photograph. They are fairly abundant right now in Prospect Park.
Well, one just never knows what one will find lurking in their salad spinner. This little feller is the juvenile form of the cabbage white butterfly that is so common during the spring and summer months.
I found this specimen munching a head of broccoli that I had just rinsed, so I decided to use the term "broccoli worm," which is what my grandmother called them, even though the rest of the free world calls them "cabbage worms." My family had sworn off growing their own cabbage since Uncle Cole forbade the practice back in 1847. We called it Cole's Law.
Anyhoo, I vividly remember my grandmother finding a particularly large specimen while cleaning a big mess of broccoli over the sink when I was around 6 years old. She extended her finger toward my little brother and said "lookie here!" He promptly grabbed it and stuffed it in his mouth.
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