Last weekend, I got to hike around Cooper’s Rock State Forest. It’s a pretty amazing park, with a wide variety of terrain, from sprawling vistas, to rapids, to strange small canyons and fallen rocks. Check out this Flickr set for images taken at the park.
I came across an insect I had not seen before (at least not in this form):
Wheel Bug nymph (Arilus cristatus)
It’s pretty amazing how different the nymph appears from the adult, which is itself a uniquely odd bug. I saw the adult form once, and was quite surprised by what appears to be a cog sticking out of its back. It was also extremely slow-moving. Despite their speed, these bugs are quite the killers, and are also known as assassin bugs.
While not in the park itself, we spotted another beautiful bug:
Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele)
