The August edition of Challenge for Charity has come to a close and we have a winner! Joy Kidd of The Little House in the Not-So-Big Woods nailed every answer and scored the Bonus question as well. Joy has chosen Bat Conservation International as her charity, and the $15 donation in her name is on its way. Congrats, Joy!

Now, for the answers:

Picture 1 | Fort Worth, TX | Wood Duck (female)

Picture 1 Question: What kind of duck is this?

Picture 1 Answer: This is a lovely female Wood Duck (Aix sponsa). Though I was on the boardwalk of the Fort Worth Nature Center when I spotted her, she was right to be rattled by my presence. She was calling rather frantically, and I soon understood that her calls were to gather her ducklings and send them to “safer” waters. I’m always glad to see wildlife exhibiting a healthy fear of humans, rather than approaching boldly, wanting food. Good mamma duck!

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Picture 2 | Plano, TX | Green June Beetle

Picture 2 Question: Name this insect!

Picture 2 Answer: This metallic green beetle is a Green June Beetle, (Cotinis nitida). Unlike the more typical and certainly more numerous June Bugs (Phyllophaga sp.), these beetles are much less apt to fly into your house, or hair, for that matter.

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Picture 3 | Plano, TX | laying eggs

Picture 3 Question: What is this dragonfly doing?

Picture 3 Answer: This dragonfly (a Green Darner, I believe), is laying eggs. At this point, she has lowered herself dangerously deep into the algae-topped pond in order to lay her eggs. I worried that she would become entangled in the water/scum and meet her doom. Turns out she must have known what she was doing, because she eventually flew away.

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Bonus | Plano, TX | waxing gibbous

Bonus Question: What phase of the moon is shown in this photo?

Bonus Question Answer: This was a fun one. Just “google” “phases of the moon” and look at the images. You’ll get tons of  cool illustrations and any level of education you want. I took this photo with my 300mm lens and am still giddy about the detail it captured.

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The next Challenge for Charity will be posted around September 3. Thanks to everyone for participating, and for caring about nature!