While hiking in Madera Canyon in Arizona, I came on a flowering shrub, which was apparently very attractive to all sorts of insects. There were three or four species of butterflies, many of these Lycus, a type of Net-winged Beetle, both solo and mating, plus several types of flies and bees. I couldn't find the plant in my field guide, but it was certainly a bug magnet! 9/14/19 Judith Sparhawk
This image shows both the top and underside of this Arizona Sister butterfly. It is very much like the California Sister, which has a completely different range. The AZ species a somewhat larger and brighter than the CA one, with slight differences in the underwing pattern. These were photographed in Miller Canyon in southeast Arizona. They were resting on the ground, likely licking the minerals from the earth, a behavior known as "puddling" although there was no water or mud present on this trail. 9/27/19 Judith Sparhawk
This very green grasshopper was out on my patio, enjoying the different plants. When I watered the plants he would hop out of the way, showing me where he was, pausing long enough for me to photograph him. He started out about half an inch long; by this time he was about three times that size. 8/11/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com
