Argiope aurantia

Argiopes are also called "garden spiders" and sometimes "writing" spider for the zigzag web. It is the only spider that makes a zigzag line or a cross of zigzag white web material in its web.
I found this one building his web on an azalea. The body was about 3/8" long from head to tail.

A small insect provides a meal.

Raindrops on a Vinca

Eastern Pondhawk Dragonfly

Dragonflies are some of the most primitive insects,

first appearing in fossil record 300 million years ago.

First bloom

The first Shasta Daisy bloom is almost open.

Blue Dasher Dragonfly

The blue dasher is one of the more common dragonflies.

Leaf Beetle

This little guy was less than 3/8 inches long and was identified as a Colaspis leaf beetle by the folks at bugguide.net.

Two-lined Spittlebug

Under the shade umbrella of a coneflower

Large Milkweed Bug

Milkweed bugs have few predators because they concentrate in their bodies bad tasting compounds found in the sap of milkweed plants. The bugs use "apostematic coloration" to advertise their bad taste.

Aposematic Coloration - In biology, the technical name for warning coloration markings that make a dangerous, poisonous, or foul-tasting animal particularly conspicuous and recognizable to a predator.

Dew Drops

Dew drops on the tiny needles of a bald cypress in the early morning.

Fragile Symbols of our Complex Natural World

With their acute sensitivity to pesticides and toxins, their presence, diversity and relative abundance indicate the overall well-being of our ecosystems.

Their message is simple: A healthy community usually has a large number and wide array of butterfly species; a contaminated or altered community doesn't.

"We must remember, that for all the enjoyment we get from these beautiful creatures, we give them little. And, ultimately, we hold their future in our hands..." The same holds true for all creatures -- large and small -- with which we share the planet's air, water, and land."

Robert Michael Pyle

Nature Writer