August 23, 2006, Sedgwick County, Sim Park, Wichita

A Web Page by Roy Beckemeyer

Background: Dainty mushrooms were growing in the grass in the alley after moist weather this week.

Right: A tiny moth that glowed a metallic coppery orange in the morning sun (Lepidoptera).  Thanks to Bob Patterson of the Moth Photographers Group for helping with the identification of this lovely little creature. It appears to be Embola ionis, a Helionidae moth (formerly in the genus Heliodines prior to the revision by Hsu & Powell ("Phylogenetic relationships within Heliodinidae and systematics of moths formerly assigned to Heliodines Stainton (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutoidea)", Univ. of Calif. Press, 2004).

Left: A Long-legged fly (Diptera: Dolichopolidae).

Right: A female Dun Skipper (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Euphyes vestris).

Left: A monarch in the grass (Lepidoptera: Danaiidae: Danaus plexippus).

Right: A green lacewing in the dew (Neuroptera; Chrysopidae: Chrysopa species).

Left: A female field cricket (note the ovipositer) (Orthoptera; Gryllidae: Gryllus species).

Right: There were at least a dozen of these wasps flying around just inches above the grass on the edge of the golf course.  They would land momentarily on this street light post, then fly off again.  There are lots of cicadas around now, so I would expect these guys to be keeping busy (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae: Sphecius speciosus).