Beware Her Sting

There wasn't as much unpleasant noise in the backyard today, but the more noteworthy sound was, I think, a conversation between two tree frogs. There was a sort of call-and-answer going on, and I recognized one of the sounds as a tree frog, and the other was a little different. The sounds came from different locations, but not far from each other, and I could not see the critters making them. I assume it was two tree frogs. I cannot help but wonder what they were saying to each other.

Backyard Bug of the Day:

 Velvet ant. This is not actually an ant, but something else from the same order, Hymenoptera–a wasp. The female velvet ant has no wings, but she reportedly has a terribly painful sting–I don't know if it's true for all species (of which there are many), but Kaufman's Field Guide to Insects of North America describes the sting as "perhaps the most painful sting of any North American insect. Needless to say I keep my hands to myself when I am trying to photograph one of these.

Other Bugs:

 The spotted apatelodes caterpillar was still on the pedestal when I first went outside today (it had disappeared later). Notice a bit of its yellow fluff has been shed to the left in this picture.

 As with some species of dogs that are so fluffy you can't see their eyes, there are some fuzzy caterpillars that are so fluffy I never see their heads. Here's a rare glimpse of a spotted apatelodes caterpillar's head.

 Weevil

 I think this is a potters wasp

 Wasp

 Candy striped leaf hopper

Tiny larva. I think it's a caterpillar:

 One assassin bug

 

 Two assassin bugs, preparing to make more assassin bugs.

 Ants on daisy fleabane

 Banded tussock moth caterpillar

 Plant hopper

 A rare sighting of a caterpillar that is NOT a tussock moth caterpillar. Fall webworm.

Arachnid Appreciation:

 This spider has recently shed its exoskeleton. I read somewhere that unlike insects, spiders grow throughout their lifetime. You can see its exuvia, the "skin" it shed, attached to the flowers (lady's thumb).

If you were a bee, would you land here?

Nursery web spider

A bit of the bizarre from nature: a spider that has been killed by a fungus.