Monday, November 24, 2014

Wet Bugs

I'm choosing to focus on the positive, so... YAY! I found a new bug to be Backyard Bug of the Day!

Backyard Bug of the Day:
 I can't find this exact species in any of my books, but it appears to be some kind of lacewing. I have featured lacewings before, but I have never seen one with this coloring.




Check out this amazing disco-ball eye! Obviously this is zoomed in like crazy - I didn't get that close with my lens!

The not-positive aspect of backyard bugging today was that it was in the 60s today, and I was looking forward to this wonderful, warm day for about a week, and it rained all day. I was able to go out to look for bugs when it slowed down to a drizzle, by covering my camera with a plastic bag, but I had a hard time finding any bugs. There should have been so many more bugs - there were even more yesterday, when it was ten degrees cooler. But the bugs don't like to be out in the rain (and I don't like to look for bugs in the rain either). So, even though I spent a long time outside looking, I didn't find as many bugs as I had hoped. I shouldn't be complaining, given that it's the last week of November, and I did not expect to be finding bugs at all now, but come on! It was in the 60s today! I wanted to find a lot of bugs! And we're supposed to get 8"-10" of snow on Wednesday/Thursday! This was probably my last chance!

Phoo.

Here's what I found:
Yes, I posted this one yesterday. But it's different today. How is it different?

The zoomed in shot will show you - it's got rain on it.

 This is a very similar bug, but with different markings, and it holds its wings a different way, so I think it's a different species.

 It didn't want to stand still to have its picture taken.


I found one on a tree, too. A wet tree.

 I found these two on the lawn chair, but I wanted to get them closer together, and ended up with them both on this leaf. And they didn't want to sit next to each other.

 One of them somehow got knocked on its back.

 It's missing a leg, too.

 Coming over to help?

 Nope. (Note that walking bug also has rain on it).

 Finally I helped the bug flip over, since it didn't seem able to do it on its own.


 Tiny hopper. The theme of today is, everything is wet.

 Some springtails on a tree.


 This is one of those things that I really want to know what it is, but I also really don't want to know what it is.

Cocoon. It looks like it's open on the end.

Arachnid Appreciation:
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 A really beautiful, little spider.

 With rain on it.



Mite

When I spotted this mite on the lawn chair I didn't know it was a mite. I only knew it was a tiny, white speck that moved really fast. Because it was so fast, and never stopped, I couldn't get even remotely close to it. It wasn't until I put it on the computer and zoomed in a LOT that I could see for sure that there were eight legs, and figured out it was a mite.


Here's the zoomed in look.

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