I went hiking in a nearby wood hoping to find some mushrooms this weekend. I pretty much struck out on any mushrooms because the conditions are still too dry for them.
Because of this I turned my macro lens to see if I could find any interesting insects. There is a section of trail with a boardwalk with a low wetland where there are plentiful flowers. This is where I had the most luck finding some pollinators and predators.
The very first insect I found was this little Sinea lying in wait on a goldenrod stalk.
It's a type of Assassin bug which are true bugs (Heteroptera).
I tried my best to capture its thorny exoskeleton. I missed the eyes on this shot :/
Nearby I found a Locust Borer Beetle (Megacyllene robiniae) with its colorful design helping it blend into the goldenrod flowers. These are fairly common in my area.
An interesting fly I'm hoping to ID.
Perhaps a Tachinid sp....
Relatedly, I'm hoping to figure out what exactly this hymenopteran is below...
Those were my fascinating insects for my walk this weekend. Thanks for checking out the post :)
