June 21 – My Nature Journal
June 21, 2026 Nature Journal
Atlantic Bluet Damselfly
Enallagma doubledayi
Today’s nature walk included several of the most common butterflies and dragonflies in my area and a White-tailed Deer. Everywhere I looked, another familiar friend fluttered or zoomed into view, or emerged quietly and elegantly from the forest.
The exception to this parade of familiar wild animals was this Atlantic Bluet Damselfly.
This is the first time I’ve captured one of these damselflies with my camera, which automatically makes today’s nature walk even more of a success than it already was.
Eastern Pondhawk Dragonfly
Erythemis simplicicollis
Slaty Skimmer Dragonfly
Libellula incesta
Common Whitetail Dragonfly
Plathemis lydia
Pearl Crescent Butterfly
Phyciodes tharos
Common Buckeye Butterfly
Junonia coenia
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly
Papilio glaucus
White-tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
Today’s Nature Journal Snapshot
|
Time of Day |
Mid to late morning |
|
Setting |
Small pond, meadow, and oak/hickory/pine forest |
|
Temperature |
86° F / 30° C |
|
Weather |
Sunny |
|
Humidity |
36% |
June 21, 2025 Nature Journal
Variegated Fritillary Butterfly
Euptoieta claudia
Seven-spotted Lady Beetle
Coccinella septempunctata
Like its relative the Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle (Harmonia axyridis), the Seven-spotted Lady Beetle isn’t native to North America. It was introduced deliberately from its native range in Europe, Asia, and North Africa to control aphid infestations for agriculture and horticulture.
These dainty, little beetles have become immortalized in countless works of art and are immediately recognizable to even small American children as “lady bugs”. But their cheerful, gleaming, red-with-black-polka-dot wing covers hide predatory hearts. The Seven-spotted Lady Beetle is death on six legs for aphids; they consume these tiny sap-sucking pests voraciously and have helped save many millions of dollars in harvest since their introduction.
Red Milkweed Beetle
Tetraopes tetrophthalmus
The Red Milkweed Beetle are long-horned beetles in family Cerambycidae that feed on milkweed plants (genus Asclepias) during all stages of their lives. As such, they compete with other insects that depend on these plants, especially Monarch Butterfly caterpillars.
And like Monarch Butterfly caterpillars, Red Milkweed Beetles incorporate the toxic chemicals manufactured by the milkweed plants into their own body tissues, thus becoming distasteful to many predators.
And just like many toxic wild animals, Red Milkweed Beetles advertise their toxicity through their bright red and black colors—a classic color combination that warns predators away from a distance.
Carolina Locust Grasshopper
Dissosteira carolina
Carolina Locust Grasshoppers are extremely easy to ignore—until they jump.
At rest, these grasshoppers are inconspicuous, camouflaged by their drab tan and beige coloring. But when they jump, they unfurl their hind wings in a startling display. Carolina Locust grasshoppers are “band-winged grasshoppers” (subfamily Oedipodinae), which refers to the fact that each of their black hind wings sports a wide white posterior band.
Grasshopper Nymphs
Order Orthoptera
Common Whitetail Dragonfly
Plathemis lydia
Today’s Nature Journal Snapshot
|
Time of Day |
Mid to late morning |
|
Setting |
Meadow and small pond |
|
Temperature |
88° F / 31° C |
|
Weather |
Sunny |
|
Humidity |
50% |
June 21, 2022 Nature Journal
Daddy Long Legs
Order Opiliones
Today I spotted more Daddy Long Legs arachnids in one spot than I’ve ever seen in my life.
The first one I saw was poised on a large leaf; its long, thread-like legs spanned the entire leaf and its pencil eraser-sized body hung suspended in the middle. But as I peered closer, I saw another Daddy Long Legs on an adjacent leaf, then another, then another, then another two sharing the same leaf. It was amazing.
I’m not sure what caused this group of Daddy Long Legs to come together in such high numbers but I’ve never seen the like before—spindly leg arachnids scattered across nearly every leaf I could see of this one tree.
Talk about some heebie-jeebies.
Today’s Nature Journal Snapshot
|
Time of Day |
Early morning |
|
Setting |
Oak, hickory, pine forest with stream |
|
Temperature |
68° F / 20° C |
|
Weather |
Mostly cloudy |
|
Humidity |
74% |
