Buggy

I was stung by a bee today. Presumably I did something to alarm it, but I don't have any idea what I did. I was mowing the lawn and felt the sting on my hand; it was a little sweat bee that did the deed. I flicked it off, hopefully not so roughly as to hurt it, though I don't know if sweat bees are like honeybees, and die after stinging. It hurt for a while, but it was the tiniest hurt I think I have ever experienced. The incident has not affected my feelings about sweat bees, which I still think are cute. However, I wish I knew what I had done to make it mad–or more likely, afraid.

Today was a really buggy day in the backyard, and it wasn't all the same bugs I have been seeing lately, which was very gratifying as I did my bug walk.

Backyard Bug of the Day:

 I think this is a new leaf hopper for me. There is another species that is blue, but it is a very different shape, so I think this must be a different one. I love blue bugs.

 Yesterday the watermelon rind was covered with tiny ants, today it was bigger ants.

 The last couple of days the raspberry bushes have been blooming and covered with bees, mostly bumblebees. I keep forgetting to mention it because I haven't been able to get a picture until today; the bees are too busy working to pose, and I'm not fast enough to get a shot while they're so busy!

 Some kind of Hemiptera nymph

 I tried to find out what this is, with no luck. It might be something called a scale insect, but I don't know. It has a definite larval look to it.

 Sawfly larvae

 Ladybeetle

 Grasshopper nymph

 Robber fly with prey

 I am not sure if this is a cricket or a katydid.

 Skipper

 Flower longhorn beetle of some kind

 So many moths around lately!

 This caterpillar is hiding under a silk canopy. It had scooted out, but when I got close it quickly scooted backward back under the silk lines. I know caterpillars have very small brains, but it obviously has no idea that a) I can still see it, and b) that silk would not stop me if I wanted to hurt it. Which I don't.

 Moth

 Plant bug of some kind

 Weevil

 I think this is a spittle bug.

 This is the tiniest assassin bug nymph I have ever seen. I thought it was an aphid at first, and wasn't going to bother with it, but I decided to get a closer look, and was surprised to see what it really was.

 Beetle

Arachnid Appreciation:
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 It's kind of rare for me to see one of these that has all eight of its legs!

Mama-to-be with egg sac