This is one of the exotic skippers from extreme south TX. The metallic coloration really shines in the bright sunshine.

Great info. I had never heard of Prionoxystus macmurtrei until now.

The underside of P. palamedes is quite nice also.

Looks like some type of robber fly.

LED lights are practically useless for insect collecting compared to MV. I used to regularly collect at gas stations and other MV-lighted buildings, but when they switched to LED the number of bugs dropped dramatically. LED will attract a few bugs, but not enough to justify the cost of driving aroun...

I agree with Dave. My son lives in CO and I've been hoping to catch some of these. No luck yet. I seem to always visit at the wrong time.

Thanks everybody for the info.

Very nice. I was admiring some of those in a friend's collection just yesterday.

Now that Bioquip is closed, I don't know where to get plastazote pinning bottoms for Cornell drawers. I prefer to order from a U.S. supplier. Any suggestions?

It's a moth. Don't know the species.

This was published in late May of this year. It seems to be targeted at kids. I hope it gets them interested in bugs as an alternative to video games.

Mantis couple

One of the best-looking Limenitis!

Spectacular species! Thanks for sharing.

Here is the right-side-up version of the upside-down picture:

EdTomologist, you mentioned stuffing the abdomen. How do you do that without damaging the specimen? What do you stuff it with? Can it be done on specimens smaller than birdwings?

A. midea numbers have been down here in E. TX for the past few years, but it is still fairly common. It's usually the first butterfly I notice every Spring, probably because it flies slowly and is easy to spot. We have had some unusually cold winters recently.

Wow, great species! I have never collected or even seen a live one.