Quick

Some days, like today, I don't have the time for a leisurely stroll in the backyard to find something to be BBotD, and in those cases I feel very lucky if something interesting presents itself very quickly - which happened today. Finding a bud for today was easy, because I knew where there was a plant in bud that I didn't use yesterday. So I was able to walk right out the back door and get a picture of it in the glorious sunshine.

So, let us begin with Backyard Bud of the Day:

This is a bleeding heart I am fostering in my garden. It's pretty obvious where the name comes from.

For today's Backyard Bug of the Day I found a pretty cool looking bug. It is a borer of some kind, but I don't know what kind. However, I am pretty sure it's not the dreaded emerald ash borer, so it's okay. I did find it on an ash tree, but the funny thing is, most of the borers I have found have been on that ash tree. I have checked them out with the proper authorities, though, so I know they are all harmless. Anyway, here's today's bug:

I love the coppery legs! Also the purple/green iridescence.

Most of the pictures I post as-is, but sometimes I alter them a tiny bit to show something better. In this case I zoomed the picture in and cropped it to better show this buggy face. I didn't get quite this close in - it's hard to take pictures of bugs from a side view when they are on the trunk of a tree.

This is what the bug looks like from underneath, a view I got when it decided to play dead and dropped to the ground. Don't worry, it's not dead. It flew off while I was refocusing to take another shot - so fast I didn't even see it go. You can see the gorgeous metallic accents underneath.

I saw another (possible) cranefly today, and this one was not laying eggs, but just resting calmly on a tree, so while its behavior was not as interesting, it was easier to photograph:

Now for some arachnid appreciation. Now is the time to stop scrolling if you don't want to see a whole bunch of adorable baby spiders...
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We were on our way out when I saw these on the side of the porch and I had to go back in the house and get my camera to take pictures of them (I do bring a camera with me pretty much everywhere I go, but not usually the one that I use for macro photography).

Sometimes taking pictures of bugs would be easier if I was taller...

These are all just hanging out in a web together.
When we came home this evening they were all gone, the ones on the side of the house and the ones on the web. I can't help but wonder where they all are tonight...



And with that creepy, crawly thought... sleep well!