A Buzz

Hi there. It's been a few days since I had anything to post. I didn't do a bug walk on most of those days, because of temperature or circumstances, but the last time I did one I didn't find anything, so there didn't seem to be much point on cold days. But this morning I spotted something on the side of the house that was quite a surprise.

Backyard Bug of the Day:

 I know I have featured bumblebees as Backyard Bug of the Day this year, but I was so happy to see a bee today that I don't care. Of course, a bee I am seeing this time of year is probably a bee that will soon be deceased, but it's the first bee I have seen in over a month, so I have to admire its survival skills.

After I saw the bee I didn't do my bug walk for a few hours (hoping it would be a little warmer, and it was), but I didn't see much. There were a LOT of flies around, and a few winter crane flies and winter fireflies, and...

 ... one dragonfly, basking on a rock. This is actually a small cliff in front of my house; with the low angle of the sun, the best place to catch some rays if you are a bug is to rest on a vertical surface.

I heard crickets today, too, for the first time in about a week, or maybe more, I don't remember when I last heard them. Most of the bugs I saw (and heard) today were in the front yard, near the bedrock outcropping there, probably because that is the warmest place in the yard. But I saw this one out the back door in the early evening, when I went out to see the sunset:

 Earwig. It moved quite sluggishly and then didn't seem to care that I was taking its picture. It's a little unusual for me to see an earwig out in the open; usually when I see them they are hiding somewhere on a plant.

Arachnid Appreciation:
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 Today was much less spidery than the yard has been lately. I only saw this one.

And for the arachnid I DON'T appreciate:

Not too cold for ticks, apparently.