Where Is Everybody?

Today was a slow news day in the backyard. I could barely find any bugs. I only took 108 pictures, and a good number of them were of plants. Even when I turned on the porch light in the evening to see if I could get a better look at the front porch spider, and maybe see something today, zilch. I went out to see the spider and there were no other bugs on the porch other than one moth on the ceiling. This is unprecedented. It was a beautiful day. Not hot, not cold, not humid, just lovely. The evening is mild, too, and I can certainly hear a lot of bugs. But everyone has gone into hiding. My current theory is that most of them are pouting because I set up my photography exhibit at the library yesterday, and they are disappointed that their photos are not in it. But this may be me anthropomorphizing a bit too much.

So, I did find a Backyard Bug of the Day:

I didn't get a good picture. It was too active. It did stop for several seconds to look down this hole, but I was not able to get close to it. From my bug book I was able to narrow this down to probably one of two species - Ammophila nigricans, or Common Thread-waisted wasp. The text is a bit confusing, but I think that both species dig burrows to lay eggs in (one egg per burrow), and stock it with a live, paralyzed caterpillar for their young to feed on. So... yeah. That hole could be a burrow with a hapless caterpillar in it being slowly... you know what, let's not go there. I saw this on one of the nature documentaries I watched over the summer (we are still watching these almost every night), and it was... unpleasant to watch. Mostly because larvae are gross, but still.

Zoomed in picture:

What's funny is that my book describes solitary wasps (of which this is one) as "Perhaps our most undervalued insects, many are gentle and colorful, with interesting behaviors to observe." It was fun to watch it flitting around. But knowing what might be going on in that hole... It's hard to call this gentle.

Backyard Bud of the Day:

I can't wait to see what this looks like when it's in bloom. Or what it is.

I thought this was tickweed when it was a bud, but now I don't know...

Random Bugs:

 This is a photobombing ant.

 This ambush bug looks like it is almost through with the transition from nymph to adult.

 A tree cricket actually in a tree!

 Moth in the wild.

 This is not a bug. It is a massive patch of slug slime.

 The life of a cicada is brief after it emerges from the ground. This was next to the tree where I saw the cicada yesterday. It could be the same one.

Assassin.

After the plethora of spiders lately I have only one for Arachnid Appreciation, and you can barely see it - I am posting this because I like the picture of the web:
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