Texas bugs

I started taking a botanical drawing class with Lauren Levato (you can still sign up this week) which has me on high alert for all kinds of insects in addition to butterflies.

While I was in Texas, we visited the Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Garden. Open daily from 8 am to 5 pm, the park offers a lovely outdoor mini-adventure. One side shows different types of gardens in a manicured setting. Across Aldine-Westfield, the park extends to a nature preserve with picnic areas and playgrounds.

An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail swooped by us on a regular basis throughout our walk, but it only settled down once at a not-so-photogenic angle.

We eyed a lovely Checkerspot (I think).

I also spotted a hairstreak but the photo didn’t turn out too well. A grasshopper crossed our path.

I’m guessing this is a Pearly-Eye.

The name of this funny creature eludes me.

A Buckeye.

And two small ones getting it on.

Dragonflies also buzzed around.

Just as we exited the preserve, a Squash Bug swooped onto a branch (I called it a “Holy Schnickerdoodle” when I first saw it).

Another type of assassin bug, Zelus longpipes, wandered over my brother’s barbecue in the garden.

The roadside was radiant with Indian Blankets.

Amateur entomology is quite entertaining. I will tell you more about this extension to my lepidoptera interest later on.