And my day was already going well. Earlier in the day, I'd found a poem written some years ago and forgotten inside a book. While hiking, I'd found some interesting hover flies, some showy butterflies, several handsome Autumn Meadowhawks, and a Lance-tipped Darner.
Things got even better when I reached a sunlit, sandy spot along the river. A variety of plants grew along this open stretch of river bank and a wide margin of mud followed the river, but there were also several areas of clear sand and one of those was fully in the sun. I settled in and watched the Bronzed Tiger Beetles, at least fifty raced here and there across the sand. There were other insects here as well. A small spider wasp. Many tiny Oxybelus wasps, hunters of tiny flies. Several larger sand wasps.
Then I noticed what looked to be a small beetle digging in the sand. About half the size of the tiger beetles, or smaller. I pointed the camera at it and took a few photos. Looking at the magnified images, I saw that it was a Pygmy Mole Cricket. A second one showed up not long afterwards. I'd never encountered these fantastic creatures before.
Hover Fly
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
name
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
Sand Wasp
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
Square-headed Wasp
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
Pygmy Grasshopper
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
Pygmy Mole Cricket
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
Pygmy Mole Cricket
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
Bronze Tiger Beetle
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
Spider Wasp
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
Marsh Ground Beetle
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
Boneset
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
White-faced Meadowhawk
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
Autumn Meadowhawk, male
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
American Carrion Beetle
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
Lance-tipped Darner, male
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
Eastern Comma
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
Hover Fly
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
Bald-faced Hornet
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
Common Green Darner
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
Sachem, female
on Rough Goldenrod
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
Black-footed Globetail
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
Thick-legged Hoverfly
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
Devil's Beggarticks
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
Painted Lady
on Nodding Bur-marigold
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
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