Camera Critters

I've been seeing a number of critters.  I was able to photograph some for Camera Critters, hosted by Misty Dawn.

Sunday, I saw this squirrel out in the rain.

I also saw this bee on a daisy.

Monday, I chased this rabbit from my herb garden, and it went into my next door neighbor's yard, and decided to keep going, as I was still scolding it.

Tuesday I saw several critters. I saw the lacewing on the rudbeckia, but not the spider until I looked at the photos.  Is that another insect in between them, or a seed or something?  Are they both hunting for the same meal?

I was thinking this was either an American or painted lady, or a red admiral, but I can't get to my book without waking my grandson, and I it didn't look like any of those online.  Do you know what it is?

I'm still seeing robins around.  The one with the damage on its chest still comes close to me at times, and sometimes makes eye contact.  It even swooped close to me one day.  I'm also seeing cardinals, blue jays, grackels, doves, and wrens.

When I went out to get some herbs, I saw this curious insect on a sweet potato vine, and went back in the house for my camera.  After looking around the internet, it seems to be a tortoise beetle of some kind.  Please bear with me in showing several photos of it.  I just think it's a cool looking thing.

I learned a number of things about this beetle just now, and one of them is that they eat bindweed.  Those dark spots on the leaf, I think are some part of its life cycle, but when I went back to check, couldn't find what I'd read about that.

Can you see the dark spot that formed on the back of the beetle?

As I was taking photos, the color changed.  I read that it changes colors when in distress.  It has something to do with liquids in its body.

Look at that!  It's no longer shiny and metallic looking, and is deciding it's had enough, and is about to fly away.  I'll have to see how much damage I can tolerate its babies from doing on the potato vines.

On Friday, I saw this on a coneflower.  It looks like a katydid of some kind.  I frequently see them on my daylilies, and since they only bloom for a day, I leave them alone.  I saw one on the first daylily to bloom in my new curb area the other day, but didn't get a picture.

Click on the Camera Critters icon in the sidebar to see more critter posts.