Country: USA
State/District: VA
County: Fairfax
Date (D-M-Y): 1 - 5 - 2010

Photographer: E. M. Barrows

Identifier: E. M. Barrows
Collector: not applicable
Location: Georgetown University
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Keywords: WBFC
Additional Information:

Arthropod Watching at DMWP
7 September 2003
11:30 a.m. through 6 p.m.

It was a perfect sunny, cool day, with a gentle breeze off the Potomac River.   I looked at arthropods along Haul Road and the Bike Trail, looking primarily at ones on flowers off and on (while doing other work at the Preserve).

Bees

Large sweat bees (Lasioglossum*) foraged at flowers of Bearfoot* and Wingstem*.   Coal-black leaf cutter bees foraged on Mistflower and Wingstem.   I saw several females and a male.   Bumble bee workers foraged on Wingstem, and a new queen Bombus affinis* sunned on a leaf.

Beetle

A Pennsylvania Soldier Beetle ate Wingstem pollen.

Butterflies

There were scores of new Least Skippers*, more that I have seen at DMWP in all of my 40 or so past trips to DMWP combined.   They flew low in the vegetation and sunned on leaves, some sipping nectar from the purple flowers of the alien Beefsteak Plant.   I also saw a few azures*, Sachems*, and Silver-spotted Skippers*, and a single Monarch* and Spicebush Swallowtail*.   A large larvae of a Spicebush Swallowtail* was on a leaf in the low forest.   A male Gray Hairstreak* sunned on foliage.   Although adult Tiger Swallowtail*s are still common in my yard in Maryland, I saw none of these butterflies at DMWP today.

Daddylonglegs*

A few daddies walked on plants

Flattid Planthoppers

Light green flattids* were common on Bearfoot stems.

Flies

A few flower flies visited flowers including one Sphaerophoria contigua* on Clematis terniflora*.   A small dead Virginia O’Possum* lay along the side of Haul Road, perhaps a victim of a bicycle.   Bot Flies* visited the mammal, and their maggots may soon start its all important decomposition.

Wasps

Digger wasps and yellowjacket* workers sipped nectar from One-Seeded Bur Cucumber* which was lush and in full bloom.   Its leaves wilted slightly in the full sun.   This vine formed a large patch by Haul Road and climbed over a large portion of an alien Porcelainberry* mat.   In 2002, the upland area along Haul Road was very dry, and I saw no Bur Cucumber plants there.

To see many other organisms that I saw at DMWP on 7 September 2003, please use the keyword DMWP030907.

* = an organism with one or more images on this Website.   Many of the images are from DMWP.

E. M. B. (2003)

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Please, click on images to enlarge them.



Figure 1. A daddylonglegs on a leaf of Bearfoot.

Figure 2. A Pennsylvania Soldier Beetle on flowers of Wingstem.

Figure 3. The same Beetle.

Figure 4. The same Beetle.

Figure 5. A young Virginia O’Possum with bot flies that are starting to recycle the mammal.



Figure 6. The same Virginia O’Possum.

Figure 7. A flower fly on Asiatic Clematis.

Figure 8. The same fly.

Figure 9. A Lasioglossum sweat bee on flowers of Bearfoot.

Figure 10. A Lasioglossum sweat bee on flowers of Wingstem.



Figure 11. The same bee.

Figure 12. A Least Skipper Butterfly sunning on a leaf of One-seeded Bur Cucumber.

Figure 13. A Gray Hairstreak Butterfly sunning on a leaf of Bearfoot.

Figure 14. A new male Monarch Butterfly taking nectar from flowers of Wingstem.

Figure 15. The same butterfly.