Dragoon

Great thought Lauren! I'd be interested to see that; I would expect a better survival rate, even if it was just a small increase!

Thank you!

I want to add something I didn't get around to explaining-- the Plume moth is absolutely remarkable in flight.

They do not have a single wing surface, instead they have many branches that come out, which are covered in distinct fringes. These fringes overlay each other in such a way that when the wing beats downwards, each one moves independently, but as a single lifting surface, much like a normal wing. This means they actually have more control than a typical moth, unlike what would be expected from a moth with such fragile looking wings.

Photographing insects isn't just about talent, most of it is luck! Sadly, bugs will never do anything you want them to do, and I've learned that the hard way the few years I've done life sized work with bugs. I've chased damselflies for hours to get a good picture-- but a lot of times they're so fast and in strange places, it just isn't possible; don't see this as you being bad at it!

Difficult due to the picture, might you have seen if it was a shimmering dark green? That would absolutely confirm it was an Ebony Jewelwing.

This would be a mature female. It's strange, since they change from being vivid orange to this almost-dull blue, which looks nothing like the male.

Beautiful spotting however! Eastern Forktails are my favorite to shoot.

Thank you Yuko! I happened to stumble upon him when testing my new diffuser on a leaf-- he just creeped right into the frame!

Thanks Joshua!

Thanks for the reassurance! I'll go with Jalysus Sp.

Thanks to all three of you for your efforts! I do believe this is a stilt bug, possibly Jalysus Sp.?

Definitely a cicada of some sort, but it's extremely unusual and I can't find reference of such a colorful cicada on the internet. Normally I'm able to get it right off the spot, but this fella seems to be a bit rarer. Hopefully someone else will help you narrow it down!