Elegance

 Well, today didn't turn out the way I expected, bug-wise. I thought because it was sunny, and close to 70ºF, that there would be a great variety of bugs, and it seemed that way before I went out for my bug walk, when I saw them landing on and flying by the skylight as I did my physical therapy exercises. But I had a hard time finding bugs when I went out with my camera. I mean, I did find bugs, just not the variety that I expected. I saw a lot more swarming march flies (still have not seen a female), and the candy striped leaf hoppers were out sunning themselves. But I didn't even find today's Backyard Bug of the Day on my bug walk, I found it on the back porch when I got back from walking in the woods. It was getting dark, and the porch light was on, and I saw what looked like a leaf hopper on the wall by the door. I wasn't going to bother getting my camera, because I was tired and have a lot on my mind, but I did, and was glad when I saw what was there.

Backyard Bug of the Day:

Brown lacewing. I always forget how small these are, smaller than green lacewings. And, as you have figured out by now, about the size of a leafhopper. Not that that helps if you've never seen a leafhopper in person, because I know looking at pictures on this blog don't really give you an accurate sense of size. 

It's quite an elegant little insect, if a tad uncooperative.

Other Bugs:

The number of aphids continues to dwindle. I think they way their weird life cycles work out, they have this winged generation at this time of year so they can disperse and go lay eggs in other places, rather than all together like they have been for months. Wherever they lay their eggs will be like this tree was eventually, covered in aphids as they are born and immediately start producing more of themselves.

Stilt bug

I found this amusing for some reason. It looks like all of these candy striped leaf hoppers are standing in line for something. What they are probably all doing is feeding from the ribs of the leaf.

 

A couple of springtails. After they were everywhere a week or so ago, I haven't found them since, until I found a few on this chair. It was a dangerous place to be, with two spiders nearby, but you'll see those later if you scroll down through Arachnid Appreciation.

 

Planthopper

Weevil

Bristletail. I found out recently that these scuttle across the front walk in the dark of night, so I suppose it should be no shock to find one there in the middle of the afternoon, but it sort of was. Usually even when I have found these on trees in the middle of the day, they tend to be in darker (or at least, shadier) places, not basking in the sun.

Arachnid Appreciation:

Jumping spider

This was an interesting scene. I wondered when I saw these two spiders if this was a potential prey situation, or a potential mating situation (which, actually, with spiders can become a potential prey situation); in a lot of spiders the male and female look different, with the male often a lot smaller than the female. So I watched these two. The smaller one, which would be the male if these are the same species, turned and walked away (upwards, as this picture is arranged) and then made a dash at the larger spider from the side. To my great surprise, the larger spider ran away. And that was the end of the scene. I didn't get an answer to my question, except to say that no one got eaten.