The survey for Large Flying Insects continued last evening with volunteers beating on bushes and trees. The hope was something large would come out! It was a really fun afternoon with the biggest surprise being a large amount of water in a tank. Tanks are man made depressions (from cattle ranching days) created for the purpose of capturing and retaining water. The first thing we noticed was a small flock of Mallard Ducks (are you kidding me?!) and then we saw numerous tracks around the tank, including Bobcat and Deer. Melanie, our survey coordinator, was quick to also notice a tiny Red-spotted Toad. CLICK HERE to read how these miniscule creators survive in our desert!

We didn’t encounter as many large flying insects as hoped but it is late in the season so it was understandable. Butterfly sightings included: American Snout, Marine Blue, Reakert’s Blue, Dainty Sulphur, Orange Sulphur (?) and Painted Lady. Also spotted were numerous unidentified tiny bugs and beetles. The largest sighting was a very large Robber Fly eating a Honey Bee and a very large green grasshopper which was new to the list.

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