Wildlife Theater What's This

I don't know what these are. Maybe you do. (You can click on the pictures for larger images.) Here are the facts: The ruler is showing centimeters. The eggs were layed in July in zone 7 on trumpet honeysuckle. I believe they hatched two weeks later, give or take. The structure to the left of the eggs is really interesting. Is it there to protect the eggs? (the branch dead-ends to the right, so anything crawling would have to go through it) After they hatched they were all gone in a few days, so I don't know what they looked like after they matured. If you think you know what these are, send me an email at manager@wildlifetheater.com. I'll post the results.

unknown eggs 3

unknown eggs 2

unknown eggs 1

unknown hatched 5

unknown hatched 3

unknown hatched 2

Thanks to the excellent website www.BugGuide.net and its knowledgable community, these were identified as Owlfly eggs and nymphs. The unusual structure to the left of the eggs is called repagula -- they're infertile/abortive eggs on short stems that are supposed to keep ants from getting to the fertile eggs. Neither the larvae nor the adults are harmful to plants; they are predators of other insects.

owlfly wide

owlfly medium

owlfly closeup

I saw my first adult Owlfly last week. It looks like a cross between a dragonfly and a moth. The wings are a little hard to see in the photos because they're clear like a dragonfly's. The eye in the close-up on the right is like nothing I've seen. I didn't use a flash, so the "starburst" in its eye is from the sun. It looks like a Star of David inside a circle.