Bug's life

A katydid nymph feeds on a Himalayan blackberry in a thicket along the Umpqua River near Elkton in southwestern Oregon. A nymph is the immature form of some invertebrates, particularly insects. They undergo gradual metamorphosis before reaching the adult stage. They are typically wingless.

A dragonfly eats what appears to be a damselfly while clinging to a shrub along the Umpqua River . Dragonflies are fierce predators and feed voraciously on anything they can catch. A study at Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Virginia showed dragonflies catch more than 95 percent of their targeted prey, making them the most successful predators in nature. 

A cinnabar moth caterpillar feeds on a tansy ragwort plant along a country road near Elkton, Oregon. The toxic tansy ragwort is an invasive weed the Pacific Northwest. The cinnabar moth was introduced to Oregon as a biologic control on the plant.

As the sunset colors the sky, a dragonfly alights in a pasture along a country road near Elkton in southwestern Oregon.