October 20, 2018
A Thistledown Velvet Ant. "Kaufman's Field Guide to Insects of North America" states
they look like a creosote seed being moved by the wind. And they sure do!
I think this is the first one I've ever seen. Like other Velvet Ants, they
are really parasitic wasps (females are wingless) and can deliver
extremely painful stings.
Hippomelas sphenicus, a species of Buprestid (Metallic Woodboring Beetles).
Yesterday I saw several of these large beetles in mesquites.
Hippomelas sphenicus, mated pair on mesquite.
This spider was on the side of the Scamp one night. BugGuide.net ID's it
as a Giant Crab Spider, often called a Huntsman.
Back to Winter in Arizona 2018-19 or www.wildphotosphotography.com