Bug Watching

If you ever have an opportunity to sit and watch a six-spotted tiger beetle for a while, pull up a chair. They are extremely amusing. Well, if you like slap-stick comedy, that is. I saw a six-spotted tiger beetle and another bug on a rock today, and the s.s.t.b. ran over to the other bug, and shoved it off the rock. That wasn't what I was expecting. Battle, yes. Playground antics, no. I watched a couple of other s.s.t.b's versus each other and some other bugs (stare-down with a spider) for a while later in the afternoon, and all I can say is, watch them if you get the chance. There are some things I just have no means to share, or ability to properly convey here. Go outside and find some six-spotted tiger beetles. But don't get all up in their faces because a) they will probably just fly away, and you won't see the funny stuff and b) they apparently bite.

I saw a lot more bugs today than I took pictures of, not so much because of lack of cooperation (though there was plenty of that), but because I saw them when we were working on preparing the vegetable garden for planting, and I had traded my camera for my work gloves for a while. Most of the bugs were under bricks, or between bricks, and were not happy to have us disturb them. Many ants bit my husband, to his consternation. "What did I ever do to them?" "Well, you destroyed their home, killed several of their family members..." Under bricks (or rocks) is a good place to find bugs, but they will scurry the moment you do.

Speaking of scurrying, today's Backyard Bug of the Day was, like the six-spotted tiger beetle, also somewhat comical, but in a more exasperating way. It was on a leaf, was aware of my presence, and trying not to have its picture taken. So whenever I would get close, it would switch to the other side of the leaf. I wish you could have seen it. Very funny. And annoying. I did get a bunch of pictures, though, so...

Backyard Bug of the Day:

 It doesn't really come through in any of the pictures, but the back of the bug is black, white, and pink.

 This is the closest it would let me get. Love the hot pink legs.

 This is where it's playing that game of switching to the other side of the leaf.

 It's very nimble. I don't know what kind of bug it is, but I am sure it is a true bug. You can see the proboscis in this picture.

I zoomed in one of the pictures to get a better look. You can kind of see the pink, maybe?
It actually flew away at one point, but I later found it on another plant, and so some of these pictures are from our later meeting.

It's a lot easier to get pictures of bugs before they hatch.:

 Except that you can't see the bugs. I am not even sure if these eggs have hatched. I think they are sawfly eggs. The total domination of my backyard by sawfly larvae will therefore continue.

 This is what they look like from the other side of the leaf.

Bugs were still trying to get up close and personal today:

(I found another tick on me, too, but before it had a chance to bite).

This is the best picture I have ever had of one of these (I think maybe it's a mite?). I find it anatomically confusing.

Speaking of confusing...

Caterpillars have a weird way of doing things.

Backyard Bud of the Day:

Two stages of the same kind of flower, one of those flowers that look like a daisy, but aren't.

My daisies got weed whacked over the weekend. Sigh.

Daily Dandelion begins romantically:

But by the end of the day...

They seem to have quarreled.

I have three spiders for you today, which I will present in the order of increasing scariness.
The first was chosen for its laid-back attitude:
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Very chill. And obviously going for whatever wants to land on that leaf. Interesting that its eyes are facing the leaf - what if something wants to eat IT?

I hope the mailman is not afraid of spiders.

This is the first time I have seen a crab spider that looks like this - this coloring, I mean. It has caught an ant to eat. Yum.