Something You Don't See Very often InThe Wild

[Len B]

This is what I saw when I opened the front door this morning. These are young adults about 3/4 full adult size.The males head is not completly bright orange yet.(teenagers)

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Get a room!
That is unusual to see.

 

[wellington]

Wow, I'm surprised they are right out in the open. Pretty cool.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Interesting! We have a few of these scurrying all about now too. Yesterday, i found a smallish Spotted Salamander on the outside steps down to our basement. It was very very dry, not moving. I gently moved it to our fountain where it sprang to live once it hit the warm water.

Good spot!

 

[Len B]

Last Thursday this spider caught her first dragonfly as I was watching her I noticed a much smaller male hanging not far from her Today he is making his move on her This is something I've never seen before and it is fascinating to watch his dancing around all over her. But it's 98 degrees here at the Beach and to hot for me to stay out in the sun and watch till the end.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

And the end of this fun game of courtship often times ends with the female spider eating the little male. At least he “had” a short-term girlfriend. LOL

 

[Len B]

She laid an egg this morning, so I guess the male made contact. i wasn't expecting an egg so soon after mating, but her body was so much smaller this morning I searched for an egg case and found it near the base of a cholla. also spotted another male close by. This web has been there for a while but never seen a spider in it so I wasn't sure what type of spider made it.

 

[Len B]

Here is another one that you hear during summer but seldom get a close look at. He was hanging on the hand rail out side the front door this morning.

 

[vladimir]

I actually found Vladimir walking around his yard with something sticking out of his beak the other day. I thought it was a leaf or a branch at first, then I discovered it was a cicada that was in the process of coming out of its shell. He dropped it when I reached for it, and it didn't appear to be harmed at all. I put him outside of the yard and he flew away later that day.

 

[Len B]

I actually found Vladimir walking around his yard with something sticking out of his beak the other day. I thought it was a leaf or a branch at first, then I discovered it was a cicada that was in the process of coming out of its shell. He dropped it when I reached for it, and it didn't appear to be harmed at all. I put him outside of the yard and he flew away later that day.

View attachment 277275

We haven't had many cicadas this year,just the annual ones. But when a brood emerges the box turtles search them out as they come up in the early morning and late evening.