I see different insects, spiders, and other things in the woods and fields but I never seem to be able to fit them into a post, so I decided to give them their own post. 
I was glad that these Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica) were eating the jewel weed instead of plants in my garden. I like the shiny coppery / bronze finish that these two displayed. They almost look as if they had been plated. 
This millipede was crawling around in the forest litter one day and I wasn’t sure at first what it was because I don’t see many of them. It was quite big, and must have been 3 or 4 inches long. I think it is an American Giant Millipede (Narceus americanus.) It’s hard to see them in the photo but each body segment has a red band along one edge. Millipedes feed on decaying forest litter, much like mushrooms do. They, in turn, are a favorite snack of shrews. 
This little tree frog was hopping around in the forest litter. I was surprised how far he could hop but he sat still long enough for me to get a few pictures. I was also surprised at how small he was-that’s a pine needle he’s balancing on. I went to a “Frogs of New Hampshire” web site by the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game, but they didn’t show anything like this one. Since then a fellow blogger told me that the only frog with suction cup toes in New Hampshire is the gray tree frog (Hyla versicolor.) They aren’t just gray though, because they have the ability to change the color of their skin like a chameleon. I like the camouflage he decided to wear for this picture.
Update: it has been determined that this guy is actually a spring peeper! (Pseudacris crucifer) See the cross on his back? That’s where the “crucifer” comes in.
This pond frog thought he was well hidden, but I watched him jump to this spot so I was able to see him.
This pink / yellow / orange slug seemed drawn to these purple edged turkey tail fungi (Trametes versicolor.) I wonder if what they eat determines their color. 
This large caterpillar had a horn on his tail, and he moved very fast for a caterpillar. I think this might be a waved sphinx moth (Ceratomia undulosa) caterpillar. He looks a little wrinkled but that seems to be normal for these guys.
This big black and yellow Argiope Orb Spider built her web right across the path I was using so I stopped and took some pictures before going around her. Looking for the zig zagged part of the web, usually near the center, is a good way to identify these spiders. I used to watch these spiders for hours when I was a boy. 
I don’t know why this box elder bug (boisea trivittata) was on this goldenrod, but he was in no hurry to leave. Box elder seed pods are this bug’s favorite food, but it will eat many other plants. It is thought that box elder bugs go through a “population explosion” every ten years. If there is a seed bearing female box elder in the vicinity of your home this bug is often found indoors too, like the ladybug. 
This pearly crescent spot butterfly (Phyciodes tharos) landed on some deer tongue grass just in front of me and was kind enough to sit still so I could get some pictures. The “pearly crescent spot” this butterfly is named for is on the underside of the wing.
Update: After responding to a comment on this butterfly I did a little more digging and discovered that this is actually the northern crescent (Phyciodes cocyta), which is closely related to the pearl crescent. The main difference seems to be the amount of white on the wing edges. There is also anothe one called the Tawny crescent (Phyciodes batesii.)
This monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is one of only two or three that I’ve seen this year. I don’t know where they all are, but it isn’t in southwestern New Hampshire. This one stayed on this evening primrose plant for quite a while. 
One morning recently it was actually quite cool-probably 50 degrees-and this eastern red spotted newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) was in a sunny spot on the path, trying to warm up. He didn’t move at all the entire time I was there so I’m assuming that he was really cold. These are also called red efts. Seeing him led me to discover that a newt is just a small salamander and that a siren is an aquatic salamander with no hind legs. It’s amazing what a walk in the woods can teach you! 
Sometimes you don’t have to see the critter to know it was there.
Nature is not a place to visit. It is home ~ Gary Snyder
Thanks for stopping in.
I enjoyed seeing this collection of the small ones! The newt is a pretty little fellow, and that’s a gorgeous spider! The box elder bug is very familiar. We have hundreds of the,, probably because we have a huge box elder tree that shades our house.
Glad you liked seeing these Montucky. We used to have a big box elder in the yard when I was a kid too-they’re a great tree for shade, but not much else. Ours was a male tree so it didn’t attract the box elder bugs as much.
Wonderful diversity of critters, and colorful ones at that. I have never seen that butterfly–I wonder if it is only in the eastern US.
According to Wikipedia it is found throughout the U.S. It is also called”‘Pearl” crescent spot, not “Pearly” as I said in this post. I’ve seen this butterfly more than any other this summer. Here is a link to the info. on Wikipedia if you’re interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Crescent
Yes, “it is home,” and oh, to be there all the damn time! Thank you for the introductions to all of your little friends, Allen….
You’re welcome Scott. Yes-if only I could be out there and still earn a living.
Here’s a good place to look for reptiles & amphibians in NH:
http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlife/Nongame/reptiles_amphibians.htm
That’s the site I mentioned in the post. I didn’t see this frog in my post on that site-did I miss him? I’ll take another look. i was looking more for suction cup toes than anything else.
Uh oh – I have mislead you. Your first frog is a spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) rather than a grey tree frog. You can tell by the X on his back. I never realized they had suction toes too. I should really double-check before I spew nonsense!
The second frog is a female bullfrog. They are easily confused with green frogs, but can be distinguished by the ridge that stars behind the eye. On a bullfrog, that wraps around the tympanum (eardrum behind the eye). On a green frog it goes all the way down the back. In the males of either species, the tympanum is larger than the eye. I can’t exactly see the tympanum in this shot, but that means it must be smaller than the eye – making her a female.
Don’t worry about it-frogs usually end up in my too hard basket anyhow. I thought I’d give it a shot this time even though I had no identity for them. Obviously, I’ve never met a spring peeper either. I’ll update the post asap. You have obviously spent some time studying frogs-thanks for the info!
Frogs are a lot easier than plants – there are only ten species in NH. I’ve seen seven.
I’d guess that I had seen at least that many too. We used to catch huge bullfrogs in the ashuelot river that looked like they could have swallowed a baseball, but I don’t see them anymore. I went back to the forestry service site and discovered that I just didn’t scroll down enough to see a peeper that looked like mine.