Infested Memories

My family moved to Connecticut one summer in the early 80s when I was just about to enter middle school. I believe it was the following spring, my first one in Connecticut, when we had a horrific infestation of gypsy moth caterpillars. It was traumatizing. I swore that I was never going to go outside again, and could not believe that we had moved to such a horrible place (which I had quite liked up until that point). There were caterpillars EVERYWHERE and the nightmarish aspects of it had a lot to do with this:

 Gypsy moth caterpillars sometimes dangle from the trees on silk threads, I think because they are planning to go somewhere and it's the fastest way down to the ground. That year of the horrible infestation, which is still the worst one I have ever experienced, they were everywhere, and it was a grotesque experience to walk anywhere outside, because wherever you went, you were surrounded by dangling caterpillars.

 It's not as bad this year, but gypsy moth caterpillars were still the most prevalent insect in my backyard today.

It was, over all, a frustrating day in the backyard:

 Honestly, I was contemplating quitting this blog, and my Backyard Bug of the Day project. I still am.

It was really cold last night; I don't know what the low finally was, but when I went to bed it was 43ºF. I wondered how that would affect the number of bugs I found today, regardless of whether or not it warmed up a lot during the day (which it did, but it still felt strangely chilly at 70ºF). I don't think it had a huge impact. I didn't see quite the variety of bugs that I usually do, but there were a lot of bugs over all, mostly bees and wasps. Like today's Backyard Bug of the Day:

 Note that this bee (or is it a wasp?) is holding onto something. I couldn't find this in my book, but I think that it is a parasitic wasp that brings a caterpillar to its young in a burrow so that the wasp larva can feast on the caterpillar as it grows and develops (as the wasp grows and develops. This is pretty much it for the caterpillar).

 Even though I saw a lot of bees, this is the only other one I was able to photograph.

 Case bearing moth pupa

One of the most frustrating of bugs in my backyard:

 Bee fly. As you can see, I was not able to get very close to it.

 This doesn't help much.

 Sharpshooter

 Caterpillar

 Woolly aphid

 This sapling has been almost completely defoliated by sawfly larvae.

 Beetle

 

 This ant was carrying a sliver of wood that was at least four times its length. I have no idea what it was going to do with it.

Arachnid Appreciation:
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Leafy

Mmmm... trees...

The canopy of my woods has filled in, and it is lush and vibrant, and so beautifully alive. I love walking along the wooded paths, and the feeling of being enveloped in the greenness. It's all so wonderfully leafy!

Backyard Bug of the Day:

 Dragonfly. I had gone out on the porch to look at the moth that was yesterday's BBotD (more on that later), and saw three dragonflies patrolling the rock garden and driveway. When this one landed, I went inside to get my camera, hoping that it would stay still long enough for me to take a picture.

 Well, I got lots of pictures, in spite of the fact that it was once again extremely windy, and the dragonfly was perched on an unstable stem. But it was exceedingly cooperative, and let me take pictures from very close, and multiple angles.

Then another dragonfly landed on some grass by the side of the driveway. I know it was a different one because the first one was still in its same spot as I was taking pictures of this one:

You know who could learn something about cooperation from the dragonflies? Butterflies. Here's the shots I got of butterflies today:

 Comma or question mark, I didn't get close enough to see.

 Same with this one.

 Pearl crescent.

Now, about yesterday's Backyard Bug of the Day:

 After I took pictures of it yesterday I moved it to a plant in a pot on my porch because I didn't want to leave it on the doormat, where I had already almost stepped on it. I went out hours later (when it was now today), and it was still there in the flowerpot.

 The underside of the wings

 It was still there in the morning, too, when I went out to get the mail, but shortly after it moved to the outside of the flowerpot...

 

 ... and then walked across the porch and started walking up the door frame. It stopped near the bottom, but I still didn't think that was a safe place for it, so...

 I put my hand down and it climbed up onto my thumb...

... and I moved it to a plant in front of the porch. It stayed there into the evening.

Other Bugs:

 Fly

 Wasp

 Ant with beetle

 Tent caterpillar

 Flower longhorn beetles

 This caterpillar wafted past me on the breeze and landed on the grass, where it quickly scurried out of sight.

 The ration of ants to aphids has shifted toward more ants.

Finally! A picture of a butterfly!

 Skipper

 There are two moths I frequently get confused, the eight spotted forester and the grape leaf roller. I've posted several of the glrs lately, and here is the eight spotted forester. Both are generally uncooperative and hard to photograph.

Arachnid Appreciation:
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This might be a new species of spider for me.

Jumping Spider in the kitchen sink, after I accidentally poured water on it. Then I moved it outside.