Found some cute inverts at work today

[Paradoxica]

I'm not really into spiders but this little guy was just adorable...

 

[Paradoxica]

Our milkweed plants have attracted a ton of these cats as well.

 

[Extrememantid]

That's really cool!

 

[aNisip]

I just had to plant a new milkweed garden for all the monarchs and queens that tend to cover my one large milkweed... hopefully this helps out the species....nice to see other members into butterflies (and the spider looks like p audax, but not too sure)

 

[psyconiko]

First picture shows a male Phidippus johnsoni.Nice Jumper!

 

[JTHMfreak]

Nice, I find a lot of mantises at my apt, we also have a ton of spiders, which is I think why I find so many mantises. The spiders eat the majority of the food so the mantises have to venture further to find food, right?

 

[hibiscusmile]

nice photos, I spread the seeds into the air here and am finding the milkweed growing in between the other weeds!

 

[aNisip]

Most of the milkweed seen is southern milkweed down here, if any of you have the northern milkweed seeds, I'd love to grow some (bigger leaf for cats and more food than the southern sp...)

 

[kunturman]

Phidippus tyrrellii.

 

[Paradoxica]

Here's a couple more:

Unknown caterpillar

And a "Pincher Bug" guarding it's eggs.

 

[mantiseater]

Have you ever found a mantis at work?

 

[Paradoxica]

Have you ever found a mantis at work?

Once a few years ago I found a really old Religiosa female. I heard some children asking what the bug was and a parent saying "It's a really big grasshopper" and had a feeling it was a mantis so i went to check it out. She laid an ooth and died a few days later

 

[DinehCaveman]

I've found a stagmo cali nymph(actually it found me) it crawled across my screen, looked awesome backlit by hd monitor. And an adult Iris oratoria male. I released the cali and the Iris caught the black liquid death about 2.5 weeks later.

 

[Paradoxica]

Just found this guy dead. What is it?

 

[Aryia]

Looks like some sort of grasshopper? *sorry if you were looking for a species name*

>.< and no matter how hard I try.. spiders still give me the creeps. It's weird cause mantis nymphs are actually not that far off from looking like a spider.

 

[Sticky]

I think its a katydid. Looks like the ones here in Maine. I find them at lights when I'm mothing.

 

[Ranitomeya]

That is indeed a katydid. It looks like a male of the genus Scudderia, possibly the species furcata or mexicana.

 

[Paradoxica]

Thanks guys, I've never actually seen a katydid in person until today. I didn't even know we had them in CA.

 

[Ranitomeya]

In my experience, they're quite common in most areas that get at least moderately warm. If you're capable of hearing the frequency of their stridulation, it's pretty easy to find where they are.