Mastodawn

https://www.inaturalist.org/places/texas#taxon=47792

@MixBluets I coaxed iNat into giving me a list of all dragonflies in TX (at least those that have been reported). You may also find that useful. Also I think you are correct on the dragonflies.

Also I looked a similar list of Emperor butterflies in Texas and I think it's an Empress Leilia, Asterocampa leilia, not a Hackberry Emperor because of the more muted colors. They look very similar though and I think it's either one or the other.

https://www.inaturalist.org/places/texas#taxon=58588

Texas, US

Learn about the species that live inTexas, US!

iNaturalist

@MixBluets I'm also not an expert though. I just like to look at bugs and birds and animals in general.

@BenjaminBugl You have a lot of experience and knowledge I lack. It's generous to share that, and I'm grateful for the help!

And yeah, I have been enjoying the diversity of nature around me here so much, I just want to understand it all better while I admire & try to document it.

I'm a bit sad I didn't think to get a decent camera until late summer. I missed out on photographing so many wildflowers & funky beetles.

@BenjaminBugl Oh, thank you for that--super helpful! I have several dragonflies I haven't even managed to get a bad photograph of yet.

And holy cow, those butterflies are nearly identical to my eye! Wow. I gain more and more respect every day for every human throughout history who has ever tried to document and identify arthropods. 😅

https://lepiforum.org/wiki/taxonomy/Papilionoidea/Lycaenidae/Polyommatinae/Polyommatini?view=101&regions=at

@MixBluets Oh yes! Butterflies especially. Two weeks ago I spent a good hour or two looking at this site (it's in german but the pictures make my point anyway).

Best thing: I didn't even find the right one... But looking at butterflies and trying to identify them is really the best kind of frustrating because of all the pretty pictures.

Tribus Polyommatini (Bläulinge im engeren Sinn) - LepiWiki

@BenjaminBugl Oh my gosh! That is a lot of options to go through! But indeed a good frustration to have.

iNaturalist is, I'm finding, a bit overwhelming, but so much more helpful than the less granular "15 common X in Texas" online guides. I think I will need to be content in many cases to narrow my ID's down to genus.

@MixBluets Yeah iNat is bit of mixed bag. One has to find a way to use it that's not frustrating (or only in the good way ;). I tend to search for the place first in the search box and click on About on the entry. That brings me to the view I sent you. 1/2

@MixBluets Then, if it's not a species i'm interested in, in a separate tab (i don't know a better way) I search for the taxon (so e.g. dragonflies) then I look at the URL and copy the 5 digit code of the taxon and add
#taxon=xxxxx to the URL of the place where xxxx is the code of the taxon. Yes, this is involved, but it gets me the result I want :D

@MixBluets Oh I just saw, that the code doesn't have to be 5 digits. can be more or less it seems. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

@BenjaminBugl I think, after comparing photos side by side, it is the Emperor, there's just enough of a different shape and some different markings near the Leila's shoulder. But then, I'm half cross eyed now, so, I'll try to get more photos if only to see if I may have both here!

@MixBluets xD yeah. That's normal. You're playing this on hard mode though. Dragonflies and butterflies are really tough.

@MixBluets After reading this article I think you are correct. Yours has this little smiley face they are writing about.
https://latinoheritageintern.org/the-empress-leilia-and-the-hackberry-emperor/

Latino Heritage Internship Program | The Empress Leilia and the Hackberry Emperor