managed to get a closeup.
Also this pair of skippers on cosmos flower-
one orange (very common) and the other dark brown, almost black, with blue edges on the wings-
I knew there are different kinds of skippers- just looked it up- 3,500 species! 22 listed in my state. No idea which one pictured here. Do they interbreed and create hybrids? or am I misinterpreting their behavior.
One seemed to be following the other around, as they flitted to the sunberry and then the cantaloupe, and on. The orange one was always behind the dark one, just to one side, both would quiver their wings and abdomens, then pause as the orange one stepped slightly to the other side, repeat. Some kind of mating ritual? It reminded me of how the fishes will quiver their fins at each other, or the female bird her wings at the male...
A new helper in my garden- the blue-winged wasp, Scolia dubia. I saw them on the blooming joe pye-weed, the wings are so brilliant.
I'm delighted they're here. These wasps eat japanese bettle larvae! (and green june bug larvae too). They burrow under ground to find the grubs. Wow. What a fantastic little predator to have around.
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