I believe that she has killed this Goldenrod and changed colour in order to hide herself and her egg sack! This was a healthy plant!
Hieroglyphic Cicada (Neocicada hieroglyphica) flying
United States: Alabama: Tuscaloosa Co.
Tulip Tree Hollow off Echola Rd.; Elrod
15-Jun-2016
J.C. Abbott #2832 & K.K. Abbott
Growing on the underside of dead deciduous branches
Charles's photos/obs: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/236347391
~5 mm in diameter. On waterlogged wood: magnolia or cypress?
rooivlerkspreeu/red-winged starling/onychognathus morio on Klipspringer [Oreotragus oreotragus]
On dried cow manure (dung). Fungus was also dehydrated and sturdy. Private property near coast.
In fire pit area underneath a pallet
Very tiny little white balls. A spikey spore and interesting hyphae in the microphotographes. Thank you, Kimmie Paxton!
Spotted by Charles Paxton, growing next to other unidentified fungi In the fire pit, underneath wet cardboard. This also has yellow rhizomorphs. Smells mushroomy. FB covered in black dots.
Photo 7: x40 appears to be one of the black dots split open with cystidia (?)
Photo 8: x100 zoomed in view of Photo 7
Photo 9: x40 long structure with spores
Photo 10, 11 & 12: x40 long structure and another black dot
Photo 13: cystidia-like hyphae (?)
Photo 14: a clump of something (?)
Photo 15: spores
(all micro photos in KOH)
Needs further clarification...
With the slime mold Metatrichia vesparia
Under Southern red oak
Growing on decaying pine log in mixed forest. @loganwiedenfeld
on decaying log with dung
Swimming underwater in a small pool of water
Breached at least 8 times over the course of a few minutes
Most likely a waif.
in the absence of a trunk or stone to lean on, a capybara may be an option;
I have observed these two individuals do this twice;
see also
https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/nelson_wisnik/21258-the-friendly-capybara
Before presenting to the East Texas Master Naturalists about Teaming with Wildlife, I went and explored along this right of way north of Lindale. Saw some pretty neat plants! :)
Found by Charles Paxton in Lincoln Parish Park, Ruston, LA. Growing on decayed deciduous log near a creek in mixed deciduous/pine forest. Photo 5 showing bacciliform spores in Melzer's; photo 6 & 7 microscopic features including ascus.
Growing in soil under southern red oak on NE side. Stipes buried in leaf litter/straw. They came out of the ground easily, and didn't seem to be attached to the fragmented pieces of what appears to be truffles in the soil below them.
identified by mycologists at the GSMS winter foray
3 very flighty creatures; a bit squawky. they gathered on this tree, squawked a bit, flew to another tree, then away.
Tetracha virginica--a crepuscular/nocturnal tiger beetle. I've found dead specimens a couple of times, but got lucky the other day and found a live one. I was out walking the companion animal and this thing ran across the road, a Bluebird in hot pursuit. The Bluebird pecked at it, I think, then retreated. I grabbed it and got a stinky quinone-stained hand for my troubles. The thing would just not slow down for a photo--chilling just made it stagger in a drunken fashion, and then it raced around in its enclosure without stopping for half an hour. I gave it a fly larva from the compost to eat, but that made it pause briefly for a kill and then groom its mandibles in obvious distaste. Finally, I was about to release it, and jarred the container--it froze for a minute or so. From then on, I could make it freeze for a bit by tapping the container sharply. Unlike Cicindela tiger beetles, it showed no inclination to fly, and one reference I have seen says Tetracha fly infrequently, or are near flightless. Length about 19 mm.
Members of this New World genus were long placed in Megacephala, and that is the listing in the Encyclopedia of Life Database. (They had been described as a New World genus Tetracha in the 19th century, then put into the Old World genus Megacephala, but recently split back out. Three papers--one genus of beetles!)
This is a male--note super-huge jaws, and prominent pads on front tarsi.