Some new and interesting critters!....

My friend, Fran, told me about a gravel road where she sees butterflies among the rocks. So of course I immediately headed to check it out! What a bonanza.....but not the very best shots. This was a totally new critter for me! A butterfly with a "snout"! I thought it was a trick of the shadow in the photo at first. I looked them up in that little butterfly book I have and it calls it a "Tropical Snout" but Google says an "American Snout".....I won't argue with either. What a strange critter! Not very big and flitted around constantly making photos difficult. If I had realized how strange it was, I would have tried harder for a better shot. Will have to go back here!
Another photo of it. Have any of you seen these before???

This gravel road runs between tall trees and the shadows were difficult. Even with lightening the photos up on the computer, they are still dark. A Tiger Swallowtail.

Very pretty, but kept moving constantly.

Is this the Spicebush Swallowtail again? I wasn't sure since the photo isn't the best. (NOTE: Eve says it is a Red Spotted Purple Admiral...a new one for me.)

It flew up to this leaf giving me the side view.

This one would not open up to show off and I was shooting from the car window. It took off before I could get out and try harder. However.....

....while trying to find it, I saw this Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly! Cool! I've never seen one of these before. What a startling green body and those wonderful black wings!

This very large grasshopper had perfect camouflage! Even his eye is "rock" colored.

Another wildflower I don't know. Very pretty!

I liked this Queen Anne's lace "ball" almost as much as the beautiful flowers themselves.

This area is near the Slough where we saw all the geese migrating last fall, so we drove by that area, too. At one of the overlook platforms there was a dead tree sticking up that seemed to be a favorite for dragonflies and other critters.

This little cricket was first under.....

....and then on top! I love his long antenae :-)

There were a couple of dragonflies on the same branch. I thought this was a different angle than what I usually shoot. Actually, he wouldn't turn around and the light was such that I wasn't even sure which dragonfly it is....one of the blue ones, I think (either Blue Dasher or Eastern Pondhawk)

Again....just an odd angle :-)

Now I will be checking gravel roads for more of those odd snout butterflies and others. Will go back to this place next week sometime.