Strange Winter

There's a funny thing happening this winter. It's been really, really nice out lately, and some people around here seem to be feeling a little bit disgruntled about it. I am not sure if disgruntled is exactly the right word, but there seems to be an element of dissatisfaction around the fact that the weather lately has been so nice. I am not sure why, maybe because we are being robbed of the pleasure of complaining about the weather. And it really is a pleasure. We may not like being cold, but we do like complaining about it. Okay, maybe that's not true, but I think it is kind of unsettling for the weather to be so completely off from what is normal; we didn't have a crazily cold stretch, and we're feeling weird about it. And we're both afraid to say we like this, and afraid to say we don't, because whatever we say, it will bring Murphy's Law down on us with a vengeance, and we will be buried in snow. "You want snow?" Judge Murphy will bellow. "I'll give you snow!" and down will come the gavel with snowfall up to our knees. Or, "You like all this warm, snowless weather? Well, how do you like this?" and down will come the gavel with snowfall up to our knees. We know too much about what COULD happen to feel complacent about the fact that it was in the 50s for the last weekend of January, and in the 60s for the first day of February. And then there is just the feeling that we're waiting for the other shoe to drop. Sure, maybe we are having warmth and drought now, but that doesn't mean the weather won't change drastically and bury us up to our necks in pretty, delicate snowflakes. That's sort of what happened last year, although it started before this point. And the other worry is that we will have a normal winter, just not at the normal time - a delay in getting started doesn't mean it will be short. It could just mean that spring will be late. So all around, we just don't know what to do with ourselves. Or our snow shovels. And I am afraid to lament the lack of snowshoeing conditions for fear of Ol' Murphy.

 This patch of ice, in the shade of the back porch steps, is the last remnant of the snow from the weekend before this past one. There are still some piles in the cul-de-sac from the plow, but this is the last bit in the backyard. I didn't check, but it was probably gone by the end of the day.

 A leaf bud beginning to open on a tree. Given that winter is probably NOT over, this is a bad idea.

Anyway, as I mentioned, the temperature was in the 50s all weekend, but I didn't get a chance to get out looking for bugs. Today, however, a day I expected to be in the 50s was actually in the low 60s. In February. I couldn't believe it. And I had to go out looking for bugs.

Backyard Bug of the Day:

 I found this cricket on the stone steps leading up from the mailbox. It scurried in front of me, and then stopped, probably because it wanted its picture taken. I was happy to oblige.

 The cricket was found toward the end of my bug search. I actually found other bugs right away when I walked outside:

 This fly was sitting on the bricks at the bottom of the back porch steps.

 This one was on the same bricks, which were covered with tiny puddles. The fly kept poking the puddles with its front legs. It was interesting to watch, because the surface tension on the puddles was so high that the fly's feet did not penetrate the surface of the water.

There was a particular bug that I was looking for today, and I knew where to look for it, and was gratified to find it:

 Leaf hoppers on the mountain laurel. If the weather is in the 60s, I find leaf hoppers. So... there they were. I am now wondering where the leaf hoppers go when the temperature is too cold for them. They must be sheltering nearby this plant, or maybe actually on it somewhere? I don't think that's the case, because there isn't really much shelter here, but they could be in the leaf litter around it?

There's a vine in the backyard that also stays green, and I found a leaf hopper there, too.

It doesn't look like much, but hey, it's February! And I did see quite a few other bugs, but they were tiny things that were flying by, so no pictures. Still, I'd never have thought to be doing a bug walk in February at all!