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.

Shelter

I didn't do a bug walk today because, although it looked gorgeous, the weather was not exactly the, "Ah, springtime!" kind of day that makes bugs want to crawl out of their cozy nooks. I did find a bug, though, when I was out in the woods. I happened to flip over some leaf litter while picking up some trash, and exposed an insect that was sheltering there.

Backyard Bug of the Day:

Green stink bug. It was not happy to be rousted from its hiding place, and crawled back under the leaf.

And other than a tiny spider I annoyed while cutting some vines, that was it for arthropod sightings today.

Winter Visitors

For years after we moved into our house we used to get wasps inside in the winter. I have no idea where they came from, but they would be flying around, mostly trying to get out through the windows, not really understanding the concept of glass. On three separate occasions I was awakened in the morning by being stung. One of those times was my fault; I rolled over and my hand landed on a wasp that was on the bed, and it stung me in self defense. On the other two occasions I was stung in my armpit for no provocation whatsoever. How's that for a rude awakening? In the case of the first two of these matitudinal attacks I retaliated and killed the wasps. But by the time of the third one–an unprovoked attack on my armpit–I had changed my attitude about wasps, so I captured the wasp and released it outside. I never liked killing the wasps in my house, but for a couple of years I killed every one. I didn't want them in here, and so they had to die. But I don't feel that way about them anymore. Granted, I might be killing them by releasing them outside, but it is possible that they are able to find a place to shelter before the cold takes them. I assume so, because they usually fly off. But given their propensity for attacks on my armpits while I slumber I don't want them in the house. I figure I do enough to protect habitat for them outside; I don't have to share my own habitat with them, too. However, it has been several years since we have had wasps in the house in the winter–until this winter, when they have recently made an appearance. So, I have been catching and releasing them, and not feeling at all concerned about them freezing to death because it has not been freezing out. I released one today that landed right on a bush in front of the front porch, so I decided to take its picture, and that wasp is now Backyard Bug of the Day:

 I found this later when I did my bug walk. I don't know if it's the same wasp.

Other Bugs:

 We also get lady beetles in the house during the winter. I wonder if this one was inside, and somehow ended up outside today, or if it was outside and woke up to the lovely sunshine.

I found a swarm of tiny things:

 Too small to be winter crane flies, but I couldn't get a good look at them. They look like gnats.

 Now that I know that winter ants exists it's no longer surprising when I see ants on warmish winter days, but this is a different species of ant. Still, it's been mild most of the week, so I wasn't surprised to see this, either.

And, on a tree trunk...

 Winter firefly and snow fleas...

 ... and on the same trunk, a twice-stabbed lady beetle and snow fleas.

 Beetle

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 I didn't get to see the face of this jumping spider, so I don't know if it was the same one with the red face from yesterday.

Spider that has just caught a gnat. Knowing that's what the prey is should give you an idea of how small the spider is.

Dodging Frogs

The coolest thing I heard today was the spring peepers, who have begun their nightly concerts in the wetlands. We heard them as we drove home, slaloming around the frogs hopping across the road, hoping not to squish any. The coolest thing I have to show you today is a spider, which will be at the end of the post. In fact, the insects today were scarce and uncooperative:

 Gnat on snowdrop

 I am assuming this is a plant bug, Hemiptera, but this is the best look I got.

There were lots of snow fleas out, and a few winter fireflies:

 And a handful of candy striped leaf hoppers. Though it had clouded over by afternoon, taking away the sun they so enjoy basking in, the temperature was in the 60s, so they didn't seem to mind much.

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 This is a new species of jumping spider for me, but I didn't realize it when I was taking pictures of it. It certainly looks similar to others from this view, but...

 ... when it looked up, it revealed a bright red face mask! I must admit that I didn't see that when I took the picture. It was small, it didn't stick around long, it was kind of dark from the clouds, and I was unable to get closer than this. I only saw the amazing red face when I looked at the picture on the computer.

 

 Here's a closer look.

The leaf litter is a popular prowling ground for spiders.

New Habitats

When we bought the land next to our original property last summer, one of the many advantages that occurred to me of having a nice expanse of woods was that I would be able to find more bugs. I didn't even know at the time (having bought the property without ever actually examining it) that there were several different small bodies of water included in it: streams, small ponds, and a bit of a swampy bit. When I found out about those, naturally I thought about the possibilities of different kinds of bugs than are currently to be seen in my backyard: water bugs. We didn't really start exploring our woods until the fall, when it was getting chilly and not prime season for insects, so up until now I haven't seen much in the way of water bugs–just springtails, and they are not precisely water bugs, not to mention I find them in my original backyard. I have been looking forward to spring and summer, though, for the chance to see more aquatic insects.

Well, Sunday was the first day of meteorological spring. And though that is a meaningless designation to the wild world, today I found one of those things I was hoping to see in the spring. Backyard Bug of the Day:

 Water strider. Oddly, I actually have seen these in my backyard before, on a puddle once. They definitely felt out of place. Here on the stream is a place I think they were much more as home. Sorry for the low quality picture, it was taken on zoom on my phone while I was perched precariously on the edge of a rock trying not to fall into the water or drop my phone.

I saw a lot of stoneflies, winter fireflies, and winter crane flies today, but didn't get usable pictures of any of them. I found one tree that had at least a dozen stoneflies racing up the trunk.

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I didn't have time for a bug walk today, in part because I chose to go for a walk in the woods instead, and while I was sitting on the back porch steps putting on my sneakers, this spider ran past at the foot of the steps. I felt a little bit like it was reproaching me for deciding not to do a bug walk. And yet I didn't do one. Sorry spider.

Snowless

Oops, I forgot I did a bug walk today, and almost didn't remember to write this blog!

Not that there is much to write about. Except to say that it feels churlish to complain about pleasant weather, but I don't think we got any snow at all in February, which is usually our snowiest month. I wanted more snow this winter. Just a normal amount, nothing crazy. And today as I was walking around outside in a t-shirt, I couldn't help thinking that while 10 to 20 degrees above normal is nice in February, what if that pattern holds until July?

I don't have a Backyard Bug of the Day today, because I didn't see anything noteworthy. Actually, I didn't see many insects at all. I do think it was interesting that this stonefly was in the same spot where I saw it yesterday:

 And I found a woolly bear caterpillar in the street. I moved it onto the curb, which seemed like a safer place for it.

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 Spider in the leaf litter

 This one was dangling from a thread when I spotted it.

This mite was about a tenth the size of the one I saw yesterday, not that you can tell from the picture.

Early Bee

What do I always say is the law of nature? If there is something to eat, there will be something to eat it. Well, it's still February, but there are flowers blooming:

 Close to the concrete foundation of the sunny side of the house is a warm microclimate, and that is where the first of the creeping myrtle flowers bloom. It's pretty early for this, but today was almost 60ºF–this isn't a normal winter.

And since flowers are blooming... Along came Backyard Bug of the Day:

 Okay, I know it's really hard to see...

A sweat bee. I saw this when I went out to get the mail, so this picture was taken with my cellphone, which I had in my pocket, not my real camera. I know I am breaking my rule about only choosing something as BBotD if I have a good picture of it, but I don't often see bees in February, so for this extenuating circumstance, and because I was so happy to see it... well, here it is.

 And it's in here somewhere, too.

For the warmth and sunniness of the day there were surprisingly few bugs out, but here are today's Other Bugs:

 Stonefly, looks like a gravid female, perhaps?

 There were lots of flies around.

 Today there were more candy striped leaf hoppers:

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 Jumping spider

Velvet mite