There was quite a bit of bug drama in the backyard today, but it was not the bugs that were the best find today. It was something that has been extremely rare not only this summer, but last summer as well.
It was a toad.
Backyard Amphibian of the Day:
I almost stepped on it when I went to get the mail. I was shocked to see it - I haven't seen a toad in months, not since the spring. I am sure the dry weather has something to do with it, but as I said, toads have been scarce since last year, when I think I saw two all year. So I was happy to see this tiny toad, and glad I didn't step on it.
Acorn for scale (it's a little on the big side for an acorn, but you get the idea).
Backyard Bug of the Day:
A hopper
Backyard Bug Drama Part 1:
This was was caught in a spider web, and struggled there for quite a long time - it was there the whole time I was doing my bug walk, which was at least an hour. Later on in the afternoon I went to look if it was still there, and it was dead. But here it is alive. You may wonder why I didn't help it out. I have a couple of reasons (and worrying that it would sting me was a minor one); it is not for me to decide the outcome of the struggles that go on in nature, and if the spider had already injected venom into it, my freeing it would not save the wasp's life, it would only deprive the spider of a meal. So, I let nature take its course.
Backyard Bug Drama Part 2:
Once again there were a lot of bees in the yard, going for the goldenrod, and they were much feistier than yesterday, which meant I just couldn't get pictures of them. Except for these two, who were mating. The female was able to fly with the male attached, but I think he slowed her down. I also think she was trying to ditch him.
But there was another bee whom I think wanted to take the male's place. Eventually the female ditched them both.
In general the bees were aggressive today - not toward me, but toward each other. Several times I saw bees go after other bees of different species, like they were trying to chase them off the flowers. There were collisions. It was interesting to watch, so many bees buzzing around the flowers. Just not photographable. So I just stood and watched.
Random Bugs:
I love the blue eyes on these moths. And that they like to so casually pretend they are bits of dried leaves or grass. They will often land right in front of me, like I am not going to notice because they look like bits of backyard debris.
Milkweed leaf bug
Aphids - milkweed aphids to be specific. The larger one is in the process of excreting a drop of honeydew. I read today that these are Parthenogenic, which means that they are all female, and reproduce by making clones of themselves - and they don't lay eggs, they give birth to nymphs. That's pretty unusual for bugs. I think they should be called minion bugs. This tiny grouping of three is nothing to what I usually see, which is huge groups of them clustered on milkweed plants.
Hey, this caterpillar moved! Same leaf, facing the other direction.
And as soon as it detected my presence it went into this imposing posture again. I love when tiny insects try to intimidate me. It's so cute.
Later I came by and it was eating.
More caterpillars...
And another one - a really tiny looper caterpillar
Arachnid Appreciation:
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Here's the spider that caught the wasp. It's tiny compared to the wasp.
Not as tiny as this spider, though, which will have to grow a bit to be considered itsy bitsy, even.
Funnel web spider living behind the rain gauge.
Jumping spider blending in with a rock
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