Flaky

I was up at dawn again today, outside with my camera. I wasn't looking for bugs, I was looking for frost, and what I found was this:

 Our first snow! Okay, so it was just a sprinkling of flakes. But doesn't it look pretty on the moss? See, I told you moss was pretty! Obviously this snow did not stick around long. But it stayed pretty cold all day. I didn't even hear any crickets down by the rocks, where it's warmer. Not a single chirp. I did my bug walk, and found the lowest number of bugs I have found so far this season. So here's how this is going to work for the time being (meaning, until spring). If I go outside, and don't find anything new to take a picture of (new meaning something I haven't been seeing every day lately, not necessarily new new), I am not going to blog. I don't want to be boring and post pictures of the same three bugs every day.

I don't have a Backyard Bug of the Day today. And, in spite of what I just said, I am going to post a picture of the same bug I posted yesterday, but today it's a better picture because I was out in full daylight:

 I figured I'd find this caterpillar in the same place it was yesterday, because most of the time in between those sightings it was probably too cold for it to move. I'll keep an eye on it to see if it goes anywhere.

 One crane fly; I actually saw three today. That's it.

I saw several winter fireflies, but I didn't take pictures of them.

And I found this:

My guess would be that there are insect eggs in there, but it could be something pupating. Whatever it is, it will probably stay in there until spring.

Bugs At Dusk

I haven't quite adjusted to the shortening days and the time change, so I sometimes forget that if I wait until after 4:00 in the afternoon to go out and look for bugs, the sun will be setting and I won't find much. Such was the case today, though it was more a question of opportunity: it was raining in the morning and I was out for most of the afternoon–the opposite of yesterday, when I went out in the morning, and by the time I came back in the afternoon, it was raining (which is why there was no post yesterday).

This is a roundabout way of saying I didn't find many bugs.

Backyard Bug of the Day:

 Looper caterpillar snug up against a tree trunk. I'm surprised at how many of these I am finding lately. It made sense to me when the weather was warmer, but it's pretty chilly nowadays, and downright cold at night. And what are they eating? There's no leaves left. Caterpillars live to eat. So I would think they would either be pupating or hiding somewhere in leaf litter for the winter, but they're still crawling around. Except this one didn't move, and I don't blame it. The reason the picture is not better is because it was on a tree trunk above my eye level, so I had to take the picture angling up at it.

The bugs I saw today were all bugs I have seen the last couple of days. I am just posting them so you can see what was out there on an icky, cold November day:

 This twice-stabbed lady beetle was also over my head, on a tree branch. This could be the same one from a couple of days ago, same tree, but different spot.

 Winter firefly. It was quite a small one.

 

 One aphid crawling up a tree.

I saw a LOT of spiders, little ones, a couple of different species, including one that I found dangling from my camera lens. Here's a couple for Arachnid Appreciation:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

 

Mossy

I like moss. It's pretty, it's colorful, it doesn't have to be mowed, it's comfortable to walk on, it grows where it wants to be, it's just all around wonderful. For some reason a lot of people don't like it, and when they have it growing in their yard they kill it and try to replace it with grass, but why? It's green, like grass, but it doesn't have to be mowed. It' visually more interesting than grass, if you bother to look at it. And if there is moss growing somewhere instead of grass, it means that it is a location in your yard that probably isn't suited to grass anyway. If it was a good site for grass, grass would be growing there. If moss is growing there, it's a good place for moss. There are several areas of my backyard that have been taken over by moss over the years and that makes me happy. I don't go around staring at it, but I do look at it, in part because I think it's pretty, and in part because I am always hoping to find a cool bug on it, so then I can take a picture of a cool bug on pretty moss (The only problem with that being that moss is usually on the ground, at least in my backyard, and it's always awkward and uncomfortable to take macro pictures of things on the ground. I prefer things at eye level). It is so much easier to take a picture of a bug on moss than on grass. Sadly, I rarely actually find any bugs on moss.

Today I found a bug on moss. Backyard Bug of the Day:

 Today I found this tiny bug on a mossy log. I am not sure if is a fly or a wasp, but I think wasp, based on those antennae.

Mostly what I found on my bug walk today were flies:

 

 I saw them basking on a wide variety of vertical surfaces: the side of the house, rocks, tree trunks... That is the best way to soak up warmth from the sun, so that's what they were doing.

Other Bugs:

 I found two species of lady beetle today, this twice-stabbed lady beetle...

 ... and this one with fungus growing on it, which might be an Asian multicolored lady beetle.

As for other beetles...

 I saw a LOT of winter fireflies.

 Here's what I like, though: nature already getting ready for spring, which is only... 4 months away.

Looking Closely

I really do hate starting all these posts with a description of the weather, but so often the weather has, or seems like it should have, an effect on what kind of bug life is around that I just can't help it. Like today: we didn't have a freeze last night, and the high today was in the 50s, warmer than it's been the last week or so, so I expected a buggier day. Granted, most of the day was really overcast (and there was hail, and the heaviest downpour that I think I have ever seen in my whole life), but there was a little sun, and with the warmer day I thought it would be really buggy in the backyard. Eh, no.

Backyard Co-Bug of the Day #1:

 Some kind of very small leaf hopper. Actually, looking at this again, I think this may have already been Backyard Bug of the Day this year. Oh well. It's getting to the end of the year, I can't remember everything.

Backyard Co-Bug of the Day #2:

 I think this looks like an immature tree louse, but I don't know. It has awfully small wings to be an adult anything. I found both Backyard Co-Bugs of the Day within about a foot of each other.

Other Bugs:

 Rove beetle. I thought it was an ant at first, but then I decided it wasn't moving like an ant and took a closer look. Those are always fun surprises, when something turns out not to be what I thought.

 Yesterday's wasp was still in the same place on the side of the house.

 Ant on a wilted, frost-destroyed morning glory bud.

 Springtail

 

 Just to prove that I am not always as observant as I think, I didn't notice in the springtail on this leaf when I took the picture.

 After the forceful downpour I wondered if the loopers would still be on the rain gauge; one of them was.

 I saw this winter firefly in this nook in some tree bark a few times in the last week, but a couple of days ago it was gone. Yesterday it was back, facing head down, and today it had turned around again.

 

 Another winter firefly

 Candy striped leaf hopper

Plant bug

 I found a discarded caterpillar face.

Arachnid Appreciation:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

 I have been checking out this spider for over a month, trying to get a good picture of it. Today was my best yet, but still needs work. At least it wasn't hiding in a corner this time. Such a striking pattern. It is some kind of orb weaver, but it has not built a new web in several days.

Sunshine and Swarms

Today was a little bit warmer (closer to "normal" November temperatures, but still under), a lot sunnier, and a bit buggier than it has been lately. I heard crickets for the first time in days, but just down by the street where it's warmer, and found more bugs that just a couple of aphids on the rain gauge. The two woolly bear caterpillars were gone, but there were two other caterpillars from yesterday that were still in the same place:

 The one that was just on the rain gauge post has moved up to the top of the rain gauge. I have no idea what they are doing up there, since there's nothing to eat...

 ... but I wonder if this one is getting ready to become a pupa? I have never seen one with its prolegs splayed out like that.

Backyard Bug of the Day:

 Wasp

Other Bugs:

 I only found one candy striped leaf hopper today.

 A surprise find: dragonfly basking in the sun on the side of a tree.

The winter crane flies were swarming today:

 They are the bright speckles in front of the tree trunk.

They were swarming up and down like a column.

A different swarm, that I was able to get close to, which is rare, because usually if I get close, the insects all land on the ground.

 Small Hemiptera nymph

 There were a lot of flies around today, mostly basking on tree trunks. This one is on the morning glory vine.

 

 I lifted up a piece of wood on the ground and found an earwig, a rove beetle, and some other kind of beetle.

Arachnid Appreciation:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

 

 There were a lot of tiny spiders around today. This kind...

 

 ... and this kind.

Interesting thing: Usually in the autumn I see these spiders on the trunks of trees all over the backyard. There may be one, but often two a male and a female. This year I have hardly seen any, a few about a month ago, and this one today.