An entire ecosystem depends on the bark of this one tree in Mount Lebanon: moss, lichens, a bug, and tiny mushrooms. How tiny are they? Below is a left index finger for scale.
These beautifully marked insects seem to be what entomologists call “true bugs,” and they bear a strong resemblance to milkweed bugs. But they are not identical, and Father Pitt would very much appreciate hearing from someone who can tell him exactly what these are. There were quite a few of them on a well-chewed hickory sapling in the Mount Lebanon woods.
Father Pitt is not an entomologist. He believes this damselfly to be a female Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata): note the spot on the upper end of the wing. But any entomologist or informed damselfly fan is invited to correct his identification—and to answer a question: do the red eyes indicate a young specimen?
