previousindexnext    
  ABC > Home > THE FAUNA PROJECT > Survey September 15, 2011


The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Fauna Project

Although the morning began fairly cool, sunny skies quickly warmed things up as four people conducted this week's survey. For the past couple of months, we have seen fewer spiders than usual, no doubt due to the heat and drought. Spiders do not have thick exoskeletons to help them retain moisture and so are likely to suffer during weather such as we've had lately. The well-watered nursery plants, though, provide a friendly habitat for arachnids such as the Bold Jumper shown below.

Select Photos and Complete List of Sightings:


Anolis carolinensis (green anole)
photo by Val Bugh


Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus (redstripe ribbon snake)
photo by Harriett Wolf


Plutella xylostella (diamondback moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Parachma ochracealis (moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Atteva pustulella (ailanthus webworm moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Unknown sp. (crambid larva)
photo by Val Bugh


Thorybes pylades (northern cloudywing)
photo by Val Bugh


Vanessa virginiensis (American lady)
photo by Val Bugh


Phidippus audax (bold jumper)
photo by Val Bugh


Megacerus cubiculus (seed beetle, male & female)
photo by Val Bugh


Pasimachus sp. (ground beetle)
photo by Val Bugh


Halticotoma valida (yucca plant bug)
photo by Val Bugh


Mecidea major (grass stink bug)
photo by Val Bugh


Eupeodes volucris (flower fly)
photo by Val Bugh


Sceliphron caementarium (yellow-and-black mud dauber)
photo by Val Bugh


Sphex habenus (digger wasp, male)
photo by Val Bugh


Sympetrum corruptum (variegated meadowhawk)
photo by Val Bugh


Pachydiplax longipennis (blue dasher)
photo by Val Bugh

  • Birds:
    Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus)
    Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)
    Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis)
    Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
    Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)
    Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)
    Mourning Warbler (Oporornis philadelphia)
    Nashville Warbler (Vermivora ruficapilla)
    Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
    Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
    Philadelphia Vireo (Vireo philadelphicus)
    Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)
    Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
    Western Scrub-jay (Aphelocoma californica)
    White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica)
    Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia)

  • Mammals:
    Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus)

  • Reptiles:
    Redstripe Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus)
    Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis)

  • Misc.:
    Globular Drop (Helicina orbiculata)

  • Insects & Spiders:
    orderfamilygenus/speciescommon name

    lepidoptera  nymphalidae  Danaus gilippus  Queen
        Vanessa cardui  Painted Lady
        Vanessa virginiensis  American Lady
        Agraulis vanillae  Gulf Fritillary (adult & larva)
      pieridae  Phoebis sennae  Cloudless Sulphur
        Eurema lisa  Little Yellow
      lycaenidae  Callophrys gryneus  Juniper Hairstreak
        Strymon melinus  Gray Hairstreak
      hesperiidae  Atalopedes campestris  Sachem
        Lerodea eufala  Eufala Skipper
        Thorybes pylades  Northern Cloudywing
        Pyrgus communis/albescens  Common/White Checkered-Skipper
      noctuidae  Tarache tetragona  Four-spotted Bird Dropping Moth
      geometridae  Lobocleta peralbata  White Wave
        Pimaphera percata  Moth
      sphingidae  Manduca sexta  Carolina Sphinx (larva)
      crambidae  Microtheoris vibicalis  Moth
        Pyrausta inornatalis  Inornate Pyrausta Moth
        Euchromius ocelleus  Grass-veneer Moth
        Unknown sp.  Moth (larva)
      pyralidae  Ephestiodes sp.  Moth
        Parachma ochracealis  Moth
      oecophoridae  Inga cretacea  Chalky Inga
      unknown family  Unknown sp.  Moth
      coleophoridae  Blastobasis sp.  Moth
      heliodinidae  Aetole bella  Moth
      yponomeutidae  Atteva pustulella  Ailanthus Webworm Moth
      plutellidae  Plutella xylostella  Diamondback Moth

    coleoptera  chrysomelidae  Pachybrachis turbidus  Leaf Beetle
        Oulema variabilis  Leaf Beetle
      bruchidae  Algarobius bottimeri  Seed Beetle
        Megacerus cubiculus  Seed Beetle
      cerambycidae  Sphaenothecus bivittata  Long-horned Beetle
      dermestidae  Thaumaglossa americana  Dermestid Beetle
      tenebrionidae  Eleodes goryi  Darkling Beetle
      carabidae  Pasimachus sp.  Ground Beetle

    hemiptera  coreidae  Acanthocephala terminalis  Coreid Bug
        Leptoglossus phyllopus  Eastern Leaf-footed Bug
      berytidae  Jalysus sp.  Stilt Bug
      miridae  Halticotoma valida  Yucca Plant Bug
      tingidae  Corythucha sp.  Lace Bug
      pentatomidae  Mecidea major  Grass Stink Bug

    homoptera  aphididae  Aphis nerii  Oleander Aphid
      coccidae  Unknown sp.  Scale

    hymenoptera  apidae  Apis mellifera  Honey Bee
        Bombus pensylvanicus  American Bumble Bee
        Xylocopa micans  Southern Carpenter Bee
        Xylocopa virginica  Eastern Carpenter Bee
      halictidae  Unknown sp.  Green Sweat Bee
      vespidae  Polistes exclamans  Paper Wasp
        Polistes fuscatus  Paper Wasp
      sphecidae  Sphex pensylvanica  Great Black Wasp
        Sphex habenus  Digger Wasp
        Sphex ichneumoneus  Great Golden Digger Wasp
        Sceliphron caementarium  Yellow-and-black Mud Dauber
        Prionyx sp.  Thread-waisted Wasp
      crabronidae  Bicyrtes sp.  Sand Wasp
      scoliidae  Scolia dubia  Scoliid Wasp
      formicidae  Crematogaster sp.  Acrobat Ant

    diptera  dolichopodidae  Unknown sp.  Long-legged Fly
      syrphidae  Toxomerus marginatus  Flower Fly
        Copestylum marginatum  Flower Fly
        Allograpta obliqua  Flower Fly
        Eupeodes volucris  Flower Fly
      calliphoridae  Cochliomyia macellaria  Secondary Screwworm
      tachinidae  Archytas sp.  Tachinid Fly

    odonata  coenagrionidae  Argia immunda  Kiowa Dancer
        Enallagma civile  Familiar Bluet
      libellulidae  Erythemis simplicicollis  Eastern Pondhawk
        Pachydiplax longipennis  Blue Dasher
        Libellula pulchella  Twelve-spotted Skimmer
        Tramea lacerata  Black Saddlebags
        Sympetrum corruptum  Variegated Meadowhawk
      aeshnidae  Anax junius  Common Green Darner

    orthoptera  acrididae  Lactista aztecus  Aztec Bandwing (nymph)
        Melanoplus plebejus  Plebeian Grasshopper (adult & nymph)
        Melanoplus ponderosus  Ponderous Grasshopper
        Schistocerca americana  American Bird Grasshopper

    araneae  thomisidae  Mecaphesa sp.  Crab Spider
      salticidae  Phidippus audax  Bold Jumper

previousindexnext    
  ABC > Home > THE FAUNA PROJECT > Survey September 15, 2011