Viny plant clinging onto fencing
Red coloration on limbs and face. High domed carapace. Turtle was well camouflaged against leaves of the trail path near the fence around the BFL. It was solitary and making its way northward on the trail and quickly tucked itself into its shell when approached.
Several of these were hovering very steadily over the trail through a swamp on a cool spring morning at Howell Woods, Johnston County, NC (USA). They made no effort to perch and bite when I approached, so I thought they were males. Eyes looked wrong for those, but perhaps it was just the angle of the photo. An expert on BugGuide confirmed that this was a male. Looks to be:
Hybomitra lasiophthalma (male, ~14 mm)
bugguide.net/node/view/17585
Also posted at:
bugguide.net/node/view/2234636
Edit. Tough group, but it seems to key to this species using:
Goodwin and Drees. 1996.The horse and deer flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) of Texas. Southwestern Entomological Society, 1996
key to males, p. 79
Link available at:
https://bugguide.net/node/view/632941