Wild Pink Lady Slipper

Death comes for us all. When death came for this longhorn beetle, other insects were grateful for theresource. A stilt-legged fly (Rainieria antennaepes) approaches, then retreats.Severalscuttle flies(Phoridae) are already feeding on the carcass. Many insects specialize on dead arthropods. But these flies are just grabbing the opportunity. European hornet (Vespa crabo) flying back to nest…

Salt is actually a rare resource in most of nature. Many insects, such as this flower fly, are acquire salt primarily from vertebrate bodies, such as urine, sweat, or tears. Here, this fly is lapping sweat from the arm of an entomologist who appreciates its beauty. Female tiny parasitic wasp (Eupelmidae) with an interesting jumping…

This is a southern devil scorpion. They inhabit the southern Appalachian region and are the only scorpion that lives east of the Mississippi River, except for three species in Florida and surrounding areas. Like most scorpions, they have two eyes in the middle of their ‘head’ area, but also have ‘lateral eyes’. This species has…

Ponerine ants like this live their lives in forest soils and feed on other arthropods. Female tiny parasitic wasp (Eupelmidae) with an interesting jumping mechanism crawling over tree bark-likely Anastatus hunting for stink bug eggs to lay its own eggs into Flies attracted to dead longhorn beetle-stilt-legged fly (Rainieria antennaepes) quickly leaves while several scuttle…

Camel crickets are large, abundant insects common to forests across the US. But they are rarely noticed, partly because they’re nocturnal. Here are two camel crickets that left their underground daylight hiding place to feed on a mushroom at night. Female tiny parasitic wasp (Eupelmidae) with an interesting jumping mechanism crawling over tree bark-likely Anastatus…