My favorite new way to learn things about bugs is to observe them myself, rather than reading about it. It can sometimes be rather startling to learn things that way. I don't remember ever being shocked to read something about a bug, but a number of times I have seen things that were unexpected enough to make me gasp with surprise. Today, for instance, I found out that katydids don't just eat plants:
I found that out by finding this one eating an aphid. I was shocked; I was sure that katydids were plant eaters. But... here was obvious evidence to the contrary. I did look it up, because I wondered if I had just been completely wrong all this time, and they do mostly eat plants. They just sometimes eat small bugs, including aphids.
Backyard Bug of the Day:
I brought my camera with my macro lens on my forest walk, and was happy to find this mushroom covered in bugs. I
think they are rove beetles. And given the different shapes, but matching colors and patterns, I wonder if these are male and female.
One of them has its wings out; usually rove beetles keep them tucked under their very short elytra.
Other Bugs:
Hover fly larva. All of the aphids were elsewhere on the stem, along with the ants. It this larva wants to keep eating aphids, it is going to have to move.
Leaf hopper
Sawfly larvae:
I am not sure if this is a long-legged fly or something else.
Leaf hopper
Caterpillar
I found these eggs on my screen door...
... and more on a milkweed leaf.
I think this is called a frog hopper.
Arachnid Appreciation:
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Crab spider
Spider with eggs:
When she scurried away she carried them away with her.
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