75 is a dragon fly or skimmer of some sort. Image isn't the best.

86 What, no hint about the color of the upper side of the beetle, or what kind of plant it's on? A 'guess' would be the Dogbane leaf beetle, but without more information, just a guess.

87 No clue

88 is a Grape Leaf Skeletonizer moth. The adult visits all kinds of flowers for nectar, but lays her eggs on grapes.

98 appears to be an Anise Swallowtail butterfly

Thanks for the info. I chased that #86 beetle around that stem for about five minutes. Everytime I moved the camera to see his topside, he moved to show me his underside. Here's a side view that shows more of the plant, if that helps . . .

Here is a link that might be useful:

Did you look up the Dogbane leaf beetle to see if it's a match?

Yes, I did, both in my NWF Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of NA and at Google Images. It looks like it could be. But since I don't have a picture of its back, and I can't tell if the plant is Dogbane, I can't be certain. So I labeled it with a question mark at . . .

Here is a link that might be useful: http://mazurk.net/nature/pages/086.htm

Sorry, forgot to get back to you.....the plant could very well be one of the milkweeds (dogbane family), and that particular beetle is a common pest of milkweed.

It would be helpful to note the location of the insect, animal, or plant in question when trying to find an ID. I mean both the general location, such as the state, country, etc., as well as a specific (micro) location (woodland, garden, creek bed, etc.)

What kinda field guides are you carrying with you while taking photographs? Everyone seems to have their favorites. If you're just learning about insects, you might take a look at the Audubon Society Field Guide to NA Insects and Spiders. Once you really get into photography, you'll probably become a field guide addict, lol!

As far as insect PESTS go, it's very helpful to be able to recognize the plant that the insect is damaging. Many pest insects (but certainly not all) are pretty species specific as to what they will feed on.

My motivations are primarily exploratory and photographic. I like wandering through nature looking for new subjects. I find macro photography to be particularly interesting because it causes me to see things that I'd otherwise never notice. It's only recently that I've begun to think in terms of trying to identifying them. I now have a variety of field guides, on a variety of topics, one of which is the 'National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America'. I'm using these in combination with internet resources. I may one day add 'Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity: With a Photographic Guide to Insects of Eastern North America' by Stephen A. Marshall.