Insects and Invertebrates
Black Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio polyxenes) female on wildflowers, Texas
Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) resting on fragrant water lily, Caddo Lake, Texas
Bordered Patches (Chlosyne lacinia) can be found nectaring on Indian Blanket at Falcon State Park butterfly garden.
Eighty-eight Butterfly (Diaethria anna) on moist sand near the Rio Frio, El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Tamalulipas, Mexicio
Ceraunus Blue butterfly at NABA Park, Mission, Texas
Checkered Setwing (Dythemis fugax) male, central Texas
Checkered Setwing Dragonfly (Dythemis fugax) sunning, Texas Hill Country, fall
Cicada (Cicada order) just after shedding old exoskeleton, s. Texas
Common Buckeye
Common Mestra butterfly feeding at mist flower; garden, Falcon State Park, Texas.
Crawfish with pinchers up, texas
Crimson Patch (Chlosyne janais) is easy to spot at the North American Butterfly Association butterfly garden south of Mission, Texas.
Crimson Patch butterflies aren't easy to find north of the border, but the Falcon State Park and North American Butterfly Association butterfly gardens are likely habitats for this black beauty.
Dragonfly
Dragonfly at Gwin Ranch
Eastern Amberwing dragonfly (Perethemis terneria) perched, s. Texas, autumn
Silver Emperor (Doxocopa laure) male on lantana flowers, s. Texas, November, NABA butterfly park,
Fatal Metalmark (Calephelis nemesis) in wooded arroyo (Ramadero), Starr County, late spring,
Fly on daisy, Mission, Texas
Fly on daisy, October, s. Texas
Gray Hairstreak
Great Purple Hairstreak
Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) on lantana flowers, s. Texas
Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) on Turk's Cap flower, s. Texas, October
Halloween Pennant, dragonfly (Celithemis eponina), mating pair, June
Honey Bee on sunflower, s. Texas, spring
Horse Lubber Grasshopper, Big Bend National Park, Texas, autumn
Ismenius Longwing (butterfly) in the El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Julia Heliconian (Dryas julia) has one of the largest wingspreads of any Texas butterfly. Mist flowers and dozens of other flowering plants species attract a array of butterflies at the Old Hidalgo Pumphouse.
Long-tailed Skipper
Longhorn Beetles, adults breeding on prickly pear cactus, south Texas, September
Lyside Sulphur
Malachite on lady's finger
Dawn Gordon with a Malachite on her finger at the Old Hidalgo Pumphouse. She was part of a Mission Butterfly Festival Tour group butterfly tour.
The Mission Buttefly Festival tours are always instructive and fun. Participants see unusual butterflies like this huge Malachite at the Old Hidalgo Pumphouse butterfly garden.
Malachite (Siproeta stelenes) on mist flower, Falcon Lake State Park, Texas on the Rio Grande
Montezuma Morpho (butterfly) is among the largest and most colorful butterflies found in the El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Mournful Duskywing (Erynnis tristis) on mistflower, s. Texas
Needham's Skimmer (Libellula needhami) dragonfly, male perched on cattail in marsh, south Texas, September
Paper Wasp take off from pond, s. Texas
Pipevine Swallowtail on Mexican Flame flowers, South Padre Island, Texas
Pipevine Swallowtail on Turk's Cap, south Texas
Queen (Danaus gilippus) nectoring on sunflower, October, s. Texas
Queen (Danaus gilippus) on Turk's Cap flower, s. Texas
Queen at sunrise, south Texas
Queen butterfly nectaring on Mexican Flame flowers.
Queen feeding at skeleton weed flower, south Texas
Queen roosting on Turk's Cap before sunrise, s. Texas butterfly garden
Queen roosting on Turk's Cap before sunrise, s. Texas butterfly garden
Queen sunning on a cattail leaf
A solitary Queen (Danaus gilippus) feeding at yellow composite flowers, North American Butterfly Association butterfly gardens near Mission, Texas.
Queen (Danaus gilippus) nectoring on Skeletonweed Daisy flowers, s. Texas, October
Red Cracker butterfly (Hamadryas amphinome) on dung, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Red-bordered Pixie butterfly on leaf, s. Texas
Red-bordered Pixie on _____ flower at Quinta Mazatlan WBC, McAllen, Texas
Red-bordered Pixie butterfly (Melanis pixie) sunning on Turk's Cap leaf, McAllen, Hidalgo County, Texas, July
Silver Emperor, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Southern Dogface (butterfly), south Texas, autumn, nectoring
Southern Dogface butterfly feeding at mist flower; s. Texas
spider on web at full moon, Santa Clara Ranch in south Texas brush, USA, autumn
Black Swallowtail (Papilie polyxenes) female nectoring on flower, autum, central Texas
Tailed Orange on mist flower; garden, s. Texas
Tarantula, s. Texas, hanging from limb as it prepared to drop into thick cover
Telea Hairstreak (Chlorostrymon telea) on mist flower, Falcon State Park, Texas
Theona Checkerspot on mist flower
Theona Checkerspot (butterflies) nectoring on Cowpen Daisy flowers, south Texas, autumn
true Bug (order Hemiptera) sunning on daisy, October, s. Texas
Turk's-Cap White-Skipper (Heliopetes macaira) sunning on Turk's Cap plant, s. Texas
Two-barred Flasher on white brush blooms at Falcon State Park butterfly garden
White Peacock (Anartia jatrophae) on mist flower, s. Texas, November
white-lined sphinx moth at thistle flower
White-peacock butterfly
Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa), male, June, Oklahoma
Zebra Heliconian (Heliconius charithonia) hovering by Passion Vine, s. Texas; November, photographed in flight
A Zebra Heliconian (Heliconius charithonia) nectaring on the blooms of a lantana at the North American Butterfly Association butterfly garden south of Mission. Its 4"+ wingspan makes it among the largest of south Texas butterflies.
Zebra Heliconian nectaring (feeding on the nectar of) on lantana flowers at the NABA butterfly garden. On the wing, this large butterfly's slow, eratic flight gives the appearance of a "butterfly on a string".