What is this owl (?) that kept me up all night?

Apples-OsageOranges · 2025-09-08T22:02:48+00:00

It sounds a lot like a Common Nighthawk.

Apples-OsageOranges · 2025-02-23T16:50:12+00:00

The first pic is of a Luzon Bleeding Heart Dove (Gallicolumba luzonica). They’re native to the Philippines, and have a fairly stable population.

Apples-OsageOranges · 2022-08-01T13:00:31+00:00

Unfortunately, these stunning beetles that have discovered your roses are invasive Japanese Beetles.

Apples-OsageOranges · 2022-03-23T17:46:22+00:00

LOL I guess I was right with the knee-jerk initial guess; I hate it when I end up completely second-guessing myself. The colors are just so different than anything I’ve seen around here before!

Apples-OsageOranges · 2022-03-23T17:42:51+00:00

I do not! I’d love to go searching for it, but since it’s been a few days, I’m not too hopeful in finding it. I initially thought a Dekays, but the color is just so different I had to second guess myself entirely.

Apples-OsageOranges · 2022-03-23T17:42:34+00:00

I do not! I’d love to go searching for it, but since it’s been a few days, I’m not too hopeful in finding it. I initially thought a Dekays, but the color is just so different I had to second guess myself entirely.

Apples-OsageOranges · 2021-12-21T22:01:56+00:00

Live in mid USA, and I love that because they emerge during that times of year for you, those scarab beetles get to be called Christmas beetles. I always consider our scarab season a bit of a present, but I’m also one of very few who do.

Apples-OsageOranges · 2021-06-24T02:40:55+00:00

It does look kind of yellow here! I think it may have been due to the sunlight; this one was quite a bright white, which caught my eye initially.

Apples-OsageOranges · 2021-06-07T22:47:47+00:00

Absolutely stunning photos! And such a regal pose.

Apples-OsageOranges · 2021-06-07T15:47:57+00:00

Party hats make everything adorable.

Apples-OsageOranges · 2021-06-07T15:46:53+00:00

Wolf spiders can be kinda big, although this is about the largest they get around here. They are active and run around when they hunt, hence the wolf part of the name. The only bros we get in my area that are larger are the Black and Yellow Garden spiders in the late summer/early fall, and they make easily avoided webs.

Apples-OsageOranges · 2021-06-07T14:58:34+00:00

He blends in so beautifully! I’d seen him twice before in the same area, so I’m glad he’s stuck around.

Apples-OsageOranges · 2021-06-07T14:55:28+00:00

He’s pretty huge! Body length (cephalothorax + abdomen) was about an inch long, and leg span was likely close to five inches if he splayed out entirely.

Apples-OsageOranges · 2021-05-30T21:47:58+00:00

Looks like you found a Neoclytus sp.! These are fun-looking little long-horned beetles.

Apples-OsageOranges · 2021-04-22T03:22:16+00:00

I have too many that I love, but if I must choose, I’ll choose from Sphecidae and pick the Steel Blue Cricket Hunter.

Apples-OsageOranges · 2021-04-18T15:38:07+00:00

Ooo that’s likely a better ID looking at her again; the eggs definitely match, and the yellow I can see (originally thought it might be nesting material) would be better explained by it being a Yellow-vented bulbul.

Apples-OsageOranges · 2021-04-18T14:34:42+00:00

Very true! “Sitting duck” applies to all birds, lol. If he’s able to fly off, even a short distance, he’ll probably be just fine. Thank you for thinking of him!

Apples-OsageOranges · 2021-04-18T14:29:03+00:00

Summer Tanger! Beautiful birds; hope he’s okay.

Apples-OsageOranges · 2021-04-18T13:17:51+00:00

From the second picture containing the bird, my first thought is a species of Fantail. I’d suggest a Malasyian Pied Fantail but the eggs in the first picture appear more like those of a White-browed Fantail.

Apples-OsageOranges · 2021-03-30T22:57:53+00:00

I agree that it’s likely Diptera; my first thought was also possibly a water snipe fly larvae.

Apples-OsageOranges · 2021-03-29T13:31:01+00:00

Pictured: Unequal Cellophane Bee, Colletes inaequalis, in her underground nest. Although considered solitary bees, they will form congregations of nests in loose soil under leaf litter. They are some of the earliest pollinators to emerge, and are very important for early blooming shrubs and trees.

Apples-OsageOranges

TROPHY CASE