Spotted a Six-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sexguttata) eating an ant in my garden. These metallic green beetles are efficient predators—larvae wait in burrows to ambush prey, while adults chase down insects on the move. Harmless to humans, and great for natural pest control.

#Entomology #InsectID #NativeInsects #Cicindela #TigerBeetle #FieldBiology

Beaked Twig Gall Wasps (Burnettweldia plumbella) form galls on several California oaks—including blue, leather, Muller’s, and scrub oaks. Adult wasps are tiny, just 3 to 4 mm long!

#GallWasp #nativeinsects #wildlife #nature #california

Saw a katydid when I was picking black caps this morning.

#katydid #insects #ScudderiaFurcata #grasshopper #NativeInsects

Since the bald-faced hornets were getting a bad rap due to an encounter with a popular Mastodon person yesterday I thought I'd share my encounter with this one this morning before picking berries.

I slung my picking basket over a ring fixture on a post and noticed the wasp gathering wood pulp between the straps and not even flinching. I guess I'm in their good guy database. ;)

#wasp #BaldFacedHornet #DolichovespulaMaculata #insects #yellowjacket #NativeInsects #NativePollinators #pollinators

Look at this charming, weird weevil, a Western Rose Curcilio (Merhynchites wickhami) on a native Wood's Rose. Seen this morning at Cranberry Flats (south of Saskatoon).

#weevil #insects #nativeinsects #woodside #yxe

This large milkweed bug sitting on a milkweed pod is a true bug. Because it's native, the plant tolerates its predation. You can tell it's the "large" version of the bug because of the band across its middle.

#milkweed #MilkweedBug #NativePlants #NativeInsects #insects #nature #OnTheMountain #BadNaturalist

Papilio multicaudata, two-tailed swallowtail butterfly. I haven't seen an Oregon swallowtail for sure this year and this one looked different.

#butterfly #insects #NativeInsects #TwoTailedSwallowtail #Swallowtail #pollinators #butterflies #MastodonOnly