Thankful Thursday: Bug Hunts

As thankful as I am for Lucy and Nell, I am also thankful for the ability to do daily bug hunts each season. They have helped me heal from so many losses the past three years. Lucy goes with me every day and happily explores the smells in our woods and fields. In good bug weather, I am processing photos, collecting identifications, posting to iNaturalist, checking in with my friend JF and with my children that also report to iNat about what they have found. Sometimes we are fortunate to find larvae, known and unknown, that we can raise. All these things pull my head out of my grief and into the daily world. Here is a Common Whitetail Dragonfly that landed, and remained, in front of us on August 1. Lucy was easily trained to never disturb an insect being photographed.

Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia) male

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Oscar’s Bugs

Leaping Oscar

Oscar became our best mouser after a summer of bug hunting. His stalking and leaping skills were finely honed. He won't touch ladybugs and continues to enjoy cluster flies. These are three of his favorites from the summer.

Carolina Grasshopper (Dissosteira carolina)

I ended up spending the summer stalking Oscar as he lept after bugs.

Two-Striped Grasshopper (Melanoplus bivittatus)

Skidding to a dusty stop.

Female Shadow Darner (Aeshna umbrosa)

I managed to rescue the dragonfly above and release it outside. But unfortunately, Oscar often brought in other dragonflies. He ate all but the wings. I never saw which species he would catch.

Oscar, 4 months, relaxing after hopper hunting.

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A Drive on Wheeler Mountain Road

Trail sign near Wheeler Pond
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 In June, I took John down Wheeler Mountain Road from Barton to Westmore. There is a lot to see there and there are a lot of trails that begin there. The week following this drive, John began a three week job in Connecticut followed by a week job in New Hampshire, so this was our quiet alone time before he left. He's back now and we are ready to explore the trails that you see on this sign.

The Green Mountain Club access road is blocked.

But nobody is allowed on the road.

A tattered Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly  (Papilio glaucus)

A beaver lodge across Wheeler Pond

An unidentified dragonfly

A solitary loon was on the pond

A green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) was guarding her nest near shore.

Moose Mountain reflected in Wheeler Pond

Wheeler Pond with Moose Mountain

White admiral butterfly  (Limenitis arthemis arthemis)

A hidden,  secretive bog

A water strider in a drying brook (order Hemiptera)

And at the other end of the road: Wheeler Mountain

      Our Wheeler Mountain Road Trip

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Wordless Wednesday: Common Whitetail

Libellula lydia
photograph taken by grandson Wingnut

Technorati Tags: Common Whitetail, Libellula lydia, dragonfly
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