Insect Confusion

Today I saw three different species of spiders when I went out to get the mail, including one in the mailbox. I didn't have my camera with me, but I was able to re-find two of those species (and a few more) on my bug walk, though not those specific individuals–I did look for the spider in the mailbox, but I didn't see it again. More on the spiders later.

First... Backyard Bug of the Day:

 I don't know what this is. Could be a wasp. Could be an ant in a winged phase, looking to start a new colony. Ants and wasps don't seem like the kinds of things it would be difficult to distinguish between, but they are, after all, in the same order, Hymenoptera. Obviously there are sufficient similarities between them for scientists to class them together like that.

 Adding to my confusion: I found this in the same general area of my yard. This definitely looks like an ant, but it also looks like the winged creature above. Are they the same species, and this on is not in its winged phase?

Other Bugs:

 This is definitely an ant.

Things are starting to bloom, and where there are flowers, there will be pollinators. I haven't seen any so far on the creeping myrtle, but the first crocus bloomed today, and my first look at the flower revealed that there was already an insect inside:

 I was unable to figure out what it was.

 Later I spotted a sweat bee on the bloom.

Also beginning to bloom:

 Hazelnuts. This is the female flower.

 This is the male flower. Or rather, flowers, because there are multiples on the catkin. I believe that is a birch catkin bug, even though this is not a birch.

 Sawfly? More wasp confusion. Sawflies, as you may recall, are actually stingless wasps, not flies.

 Considering the sunshine and the temperature less than a degree from 70ºF, I expected a lot of candy striped leaf hoppers on their favorite tree, but there were only a few.

 I can't remember, but I think this is a kind of dung beetle. I have always thought these were adorable.

 I found another one later, on my shirt. As adorable as they are, I am not keen on having a dung beetle on my shirt... or my hand.

Arachnid Appreciation:
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 This is one of the spiders I saw when I went out to get the mail. As a web builder, it was easy to find again when I went out with my camera.

 Spider on the garden shed.

 Jumping spider

This is the same kind of spider that was in the mailbox, but this one is on the picnic table.