These beetles are sometimes kept as pets. The abdomen is long and dark brown, the last two segments being light blue or frosty in appearance. Its body and wings are cream-colored, while the middle body segment (thorax) and the base of its forewings are orange in color. It overwinters as a chrysalis (“cocoon”). Fireflies, also called lightning bugs, produce a chemical reaction inside their bodies that allows their abdomens to light up. The hatchlings are 7-8 inches in total length. All dragonflies are predators, both as adults and in their aquatic larval stage (when they are known as nymphs or naiads). When threatened, these bugs may hold their front legs out straight in front of their head, creating the appearance that the bug is a longer, four-legged insect. Generally, all the katydid eggs on a single leaf (typically many dozens) will have been parasitized by the wasps. The larval wasps will feed on the beetle grub once they hatch, eventually killing the beetle larva. It is sometimes very wary and difficult to approach while hanging, while at other times it seems tame. Adult queens are similar to monarchs, but the upper sides of their wings (not pictured) are more of a chestnut brown color. Ribbon snakes are often confused with other garter snakes. The northern bobwhite is one of the best known and most studied of Texas birds. Other common names for this species are eastern Hercules beetle and elephant beetle. Population threats: Saltmarsh caterpillar larvae frequently fall victim to parasitic flies. Females and immature males are bright yellow-green—yellower on the head and underparts and slightly greener on the back and wings. The name “waxwing” comes from the odd structures on their secondary wing feathers that look like a drop of red “sealing wax.” The role of these wax tips is unclear: males have more wax tips than females and older birds have more than younger birds, which suggests that these structures are a signal to the opposite sex of the individual’s fitness as a prospective mate. This is a relatively large, dark-colored scorpion. The upper forewing of the question mark has extra black dash not present in the smaller, and closely-related, eastern comma. Sometimes common but never abundant, most summer tanagers arrive in Texas as migrants between late March and mid-May. An “exotic” is a medium to large sized non-native mammal or bird that have been introduced onto Texas ranches and properties in either a confined or free-ranging status. It is typically constructed at night or in dim light, and is often taken down by the following morning. The black widow is a medium-sized spider. The reason you often find so many “wormy” or “holey” nuts under trees is because squirrels leave them behind. In Haldeman’s shieldback, the sides of pronotum are rounded, and its posterior edge is somewhat curved. Color changes are not simply a matter of matching background, but also entail body temperature, stress and activity level. The use of pesticides upsets the ecological balance of the landscape, and the wheel bugs disappear. On rare occasions, they also feed on leaves of deciduous trees and shrubs, such as alder, apple, cherry, elderberry, pear, poplar, and serviceberry. The worker harvester ant can bite and inflict a sting more painful than most species in its range. Conservation Status: The conservation status of these species has not yet been assessed. The male has a white chin and a white supercilium (a stripe that runs from the base of the bill above the eye to the back of its head). It hangs, rather than perches—and, unlike many other dragonflies, often does so in shady locations. Diet: Adults take nectar from a variety of flowers. As a whole, lichen moths are members of the tiger moth family (which includes the giant leopard moth and milkweed tiger moth, both previously featured on Native Sunday), and are most common in tropical areas of the Americas. Both sexes are reddish to mahogany brown, or blackish, in color with tan walking legs and mouth parts. Its population size is probably relatively stable overall, with local declines associated with habitat loss or climate variation. It is often noted feeding on bees and wasps, but also eats many beetles, cicadas, caterpillars, and grasshoppers. The forewing has a red band across its middle and is also red on the trailing edge of the hindwing. In southern California it is rare. Pesticides introduced to the water kill larvae. 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