Every time my research group goes out to Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve, we run into many different species that we’re not used to seeing in the city. For example, this weekend I spotted this unfamiliar friend sitting on a Yaupon Holly branch near the trail.
This insect is about two inches long and after doing some googling, I identified it as a Leaf-footed bug, or Acanthocephala terminalis. These Leaf-Footed Bugs are native to most of North America and they tend to feed on native vegetation. If you look closely at the top photo, you can see herbivory activity on the leaves of the Holly that this individual is sitting on; perhaps he was there for breakfast.
My iNaturalist observation can be found here.