Favoritos de cindydarnell

Eastern Hercules Beetle - Dynastes tityus (male, 40-50 mm, up to 60 mm with horns)
Found at a lighted wall in the morning. I had found them dead a few times at this site, but this one was uninjured.
Comedy. When I tried to manipulate it for photography on the wall, it backed onto my hand and would not let go. I had to drive home (a couple of miles) with it attached to the back of my hand. It rasped my hand with its mouthparts, but did not draw blood. Later I was able to coax it onto a stick and release my hand. A polarizing filter was used here to reduce reflections.
The fourth image shows it responding to an object placed up against its head--the object is clamped and then tossed to the rear. I tried this first with a pencil and the beetle tossed that quite a ways.
Also uploaded at:
bugguide.net/node/view/4461
References

• BugGuide bugguide.net/node/view/2877

I was quite surprised to flush a Woodcock from the drainage ditch behind my house this morning (5 August 2009, this observation is pulled from old Flickr photos). It flew up into a woodland clearing and remained in the open for a while, preening. I was able to get close enough to get a recognizable photo--just for fun.
Some years ago, I heard one calling during the late winter breeding period from the small woodlot behind my house, so perhaps this is a resident bird, though it could be an early migrant. (They breed in this area, but are probably more abundant in winter, with an influx of migrants from the North.)

Update: saw the same bird (presumably) in my yard on 10 August, so it seems to be hanging around. (Perhaps an early migrant or disperser from better habitat in the area.)
Location: Durham NC (USA)
Years ago (1990's) I could find these birds displaying at an abandoned farm about two miles distant, but that site has been developed. There are other marshy wetland habitats suitable nearby, but as of early 2023 this is the only sighting I've had from my yard.

Great Purple Hairstreak - Atlides halesus
bugguide.net/node/view/2844
Location: Durham NC (USA)
I encountered this fresh butterfly on a cool evening thanks to my dog, who found it on the road under a street light and tried to eat it. After losing it once, I returned a couple of hours later and was able to photograph it. The hostplant is mistletoe, which is uncommon in this neighborhood, but I have found the butterfly a few times over the last several years. Happy Wing Wednesday!
Edit. Added some studio shots taken later to highlight possible aposematic and mimetic markings.

Interesting beetle on the sand near a lake in the NC Sandhills, Richmond County. They appeared to be:
Oblique-lined Tiger Beetle - Cicindela (Tribonia) tranquebarica (11-15 mm)
Subspecies Cicindela tranquebarica tranquebarica, I guess?
References:

• bugguide.net/node/view/16679 (species)
• bugguide.net/node/view/739019 (ssp. tranquebarica)
• Pearson et al. A Field Guide To The Tiger Beetles Of The United States And Canada (Oxford University Press, 2006), pp. 106-108, plate 12(1)
• Evans, Beetles of Eastern North America (Princeton Univ. Press, 2004), p. 70
• Choate, Tiger Beetles of Florida (University Press of Florida), pp. 81, 125

I found this interesting lady beetle on a vine in a woodland near Bynum, Chatham County, North Carolina (USA), on 30 August 2020. I captured it for some studio photos, along with some foliage from the plant it was on. It proceeded to chew holes in the leaf, confusing me to no end--I was sure it was a leaf beetle. Aha! It is a member of subfamily Epilachninae--Plant-eating Lady Beetles. Note the defensive reflex bleeding common among lady beetles visible in a couple of frames.
Squash Lady Beetle - Epilachna borealis (9 mm)
bugguide.net/node/view/61612