"We need the tonic of wildness...At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature."
― Henry David Thoreau
What a jungle! I love it.
Despite the oppressive heat, Sue and I visited a few natural areas on Sunday to search for some target species. First up, Sue hadn't yet seen the Yellow-crowned Night Heron at Middleton Hills Pond, so we quickly located it within minutes using our birding habitat 'sleuthing' skills.
The second species I aimed to find was the Gnat Ogre, a member of the Holcocephala genus.
Easy! It didn't take long to find them in the exact same spot as years past.
Using a monopod with my macro rig is essential to get these close-up images.
It's a robber fly, but super small. These compact hunters usually perch high on vegetation, scanning for small flying insects to ambush mid-air. Despite their size—often just a few millimeters long—they're relentless, grabbing prey with spiny legs and injecting enzymes to liquefy it from the inside out. A fascinating example of efficient, aerial predation on a micro scale.
Nearby, there were also some hopper insects. That's Northern Flatid Planthopper (Flatormenis proxima) and Citrus Flatid Planthopper (Metcalfa pruinosa) below.
Up next, Juniper Hairstreaks (Callophrys gryneus) near Black Earth! I haven't seen this species since 2018.
At the Arena Boat Landing sandbars there were Hairy-necked, Sandy Stream, and Bronzed Tiger Beetles.
Out of curiosity, we wanted to see how hot it was at Spring Green Preserve.
The Poppy Mallow were open ...
And I scored a good photo of a Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia). We didn't stay long, as it was hotter than we both anticipated and we didn't have much water left. All in all, a great day of being out in Nature despite the sweltering weather!
Hmm ... do you think I look like a Boy Scout?
Most images © 2025 Mike McDowell