A Backyard Education

Today was still pretty soggy, even though it was sunny out. It rained a lot yesterday, and today was very humid, so the backyard was still really wet. Also, it was hot. Hot weather sometimes seems to make bugs very energetic, particularly bees. There were a lot of bees around today, and they were quite busy. There were quite a lot of different species of bees around today, which is always great to see. Funny how only a few years ago I had no idea there were more than about three or four kinds of bees. I have done a lot of reading in those years, and learned a lot about bugs from that, but mostly I know about all these different kinds of bees from seeing them for myself. My backyard is very educational for me. On a sad, but maybe hopeful note, a species of bumblebee has just been added to the Endangered Species List, which will supposedly give it some protection.

I peeked very carefully today and discovered that the nesting bird I kept accidentally annoying yesterday is a robin. The nest on the ground is still empty.

I have also found out that there are a lot of species of beetles that hang around in my backyard, like today's Backyard Bug of the Day:

 This is a longhorned beetle, I think the species Urgleptes signatus, which is in the sub-family of flat-faced longhorns. Don't be too impressed that I "know" that–I looked it up in Insects of New England and New York by Tom Murray. This might be a new species for me; I can never be sure, though, because there are a lot of longhorn beetles and I could have seen it before and not remember it.

 Two interesting things: look at the length of that antenna! And one of them seems to be broken.

 For some reason when I got close with my camera it pulled its antennae back along its body, which offers a good look at how long they are in relation to each other.

The funny caterpillar continues to amuse:

 I think that the tiny sweat bees that feed on these flowers were annoying it, so it flopped down like this...

 ... and flopped back and forth a few times.

Bees on milkweed:

 

 

 Rocking some bright orange pollen pants (note that that is not an official entomological term. It's just what I call it when bees have polled collected on their legs).

 This was a really big robber fly, with even bigger prey. It's hard to tell, but I think that is a moth it has caught.

 I am pretty sure this gypsy moth caterpillar was preparing to pupate... until I put an end to that plan. This is the only gypsy moth caterpillar I saw today. I am happy about that.

 Ladybeetle larva

 I don't find a lot of bugs in the wooded areas of my backyard (at least, not by comparison of the grassy/flowery parts), but there is one rather small area where I frequently see these huge flies. I don't know why.

 Buffalo tree hopper