It's beetle time

 Searching for one thing and finding another.  Every year I visit the Showy Milkweeds, Asclepias speciosa, often, hoping to add to my collection of photos of the Red Milkweed Beetle, I have not found many this season, and during a two hour walk at Oakland Camp yesterday, I didn't find any. However, I did spot this Checkered Clerid Beetle (above) on the milkweed and was about to leave satisfied.

 But I saw lots of butterflies by the edge of Spanish Creek and decided to get a closer look. At creek's edge I found a large cluster of a plant with tiny blue flowers that I've never bothered to key out before. This time I had my field guides ion the truck and a little more patience than usual.  Turns out it's American Brooklime, Veronica americana. It's common all over the USA in wet areas near bodies of water, or slightly immersed at the edge of quiet water. I should have learned this one a long time ago. Very beautiful, but so tiny it's easily overlooked.

The Wild Hyacinth, Dichelostemma multiflorum, is a popular landing spot for many species of insects, especially butterflies. On this particular day, I managed to get a closeup of a Longhorn Beetle. I am not sure which species. There are man in this family, including the aforementioned Red Milkweed Beetle that has appeared in this blog many times.