Aside from the aphids, I spotted a number of other creatures in the Arboretum last week. An American bullfrog was spread out lazily in the marsh waters.
I found a two-striped planthopper (Acanalonia bivittata) resting on a leaf. This planthopper gets its name from the two reddish-brown stripes that run along the upper edges of its wings. It also has red eyes and leaf-like raised veins on its wings.
A red-tailed hawk soared overhead.
Meadowhawk dragonflies abounded. I believe the one below is a male white-faced meadowhawk (Sympetrum obtrusum).
This other one is a female meadowhawk. It may also be a white-faced meadowhawk, but it’s not easy to distinguish meadowhawk females.
I found a few purple-stem beggarticks (Bidens connata) plants flowering in the meadow. This wildflower has toothed, opposite leaves and yellow flowers surrounded by about five green bracts.
Most of the stems were green but a few showed the purple color that gives this plant its name.
The beggarticks flowers were visited by a few pollinators, including a couple of hoverflies, one in the genus Toxomerus. and the other in the tribe Syrphini.
A number of sweat bees also visited the beggarticks flowers. These bees were a striking metallic green, and may belong to the genus Agapostemon.
Over on Meadow Road, the Chinese sumac trees (Rhus chinensis), accession 475-80*C, were in full bloom.
