"Large, robust insects, they usually perch on the ground or on tree limbs and trunks, where their cryptic, leaflike underwings make them very difficult to detect ... The goatweed leafwing ranges through the south-central and southeastern U.S. and parts of Mexico, wandering northward ... In the South, it occurs throughout much of the year, hibernating in winter as an adult."

The Goatweed Leafwing seems most commonly to sit as pictured above, but when it does reveal its dorsal side, its appearance is surprising.

Taken with a Nikon D90 using a Nikon 300mm f/4.5 lens.

September 25, 2010.