The More You Know

Many years ago I assumed, without ever thinking about it, really, that there was one kind of mosquito. I suppose if anyone had ever asked me how many different kinds of mosquito there are it would have occurred to me that there were different kinds, but I never thought about it. They were just mosquitoes. Now I still don't know how many different kinds there are, but I am aware that there are many different kinds. They are not all equally evil. Not all species, for instance, bite humans (and it's only the females that bite - they need the blood to be able to lay eggs, but I forget why). In fact, there may be some species that only feed on plants, I am not sure. There are also species that feed at different times of day - some years back there was an issue of eastern equine encephalitis in Connecticut, and part of the problem was that some of the infected mosquitoes were daytime-biting mosquitoes, as opposed to dusk or night time, and so in the affected areas the schools had to cancel sports and all outdoor activities. People were told not to go outside.

To my great misfortune, lately there are a lot of daytime-biting mosquitoes in my yard. It's making things really unpleasant for me, and today I just didn't want to be out there. It was also gloomy and humid - not my kind of day. I did my bug walk, however, though maybe not with my usual care and attention to detail. But I found what I needed.

I was able to find one of the bugs that got passed over for honors yesterday, and so that is one of today's Backyard Co-Bugs of the Day:

This is not a caterpillar, because it has way to many prolegs, but it sure looks like one. I have no idea what it will be later, but it would have to be pretty big - this is a pretty substantial larva. Not huge, but this will not be a tiny bug after metamorphosis.

The other Backyard Co-Bug of the Day...

I know, not the most thrilling moth. But it does have a nice richness to it (it's more rust colored in person than it appears here), and I have been seeing them for a while, and keep thinking it would be an okay BBotD, but then I always find something better, so today, it's having its moment.

In addition to the increase in mosquitoes, there has been an increase in fireflies, which is something I am much happier about. For a while I was worried about them, because there were so few of them around, but in the last couple of days there have been more lights twinkling in the backyard at night.

Sometimes I see them during the day, too...

 This firefly came stumbling out of the center of the plant, and staggered around on the leaves...

It was clearly the worse for wear. Obviously too much shining last night. Unfortunately for this bug, what happens in the backyard doesn't stay in the backyard. It goes on my blog.

So, remember the Backyard Bug Behavior from yesterday? The caterpillar in the leaf? Here's what it looked like today:

It had closed up the leaf, but I could see inside that it was still there in the same form - no chrysalis or cocoon. So I don't know what's going on there.

On the same plant was this:

 You can figure out for yourself what that stuff is on the end of the leaf. (Okay, it's frass. A lot of it)

It rolled up the leaf, but continued to eat away at it. And later the leaf was empty. So, no idea what that was about. There a are a lot of leaves around the yard that are rolled up, sometimes so tight that I can't see what's inside...

And for more Backyard Bug Behavior...

Ants. They build their nests in some dumb places. Like here, in the tiny gap under the rain gauge. I empty the rain gauge after it rains. So not a good place for a formicary.

Here's a bit of mystery for you...

What's on the other side of this leaf? I have no idea, because I managed to scare it away when I VERY, VERY CAREFULLY tried to flick that little stick off. I don't even think I touched the leaf, but the bug, which could not possibly have seen me at all, flew away when I did it. It flew in a very fast, moth-like manner, and has a mothishness to it, so I am assuming that's what it was. But I will never know... (And yes, I had planned on taking the picture from the other side of the leaf, too... Such is the life of a bug photographer).

Let's see...

Here's something that my file notes describe as "weird". I wonder what it is...

Ah, yes, weird jelly-like goo on a tree... I really DO wonder what it is...

Here is a bug that would have been featured in yesterday's blue bugfest if I had been able to get a decent picture of it. Blue and green... I believe this is a honeysuckly borer. Non-native, but apparently not harmful. Of course, the honeysuckle is invasive anyway.

Hey, remember that black moth with white polka dots that was BBotD a while back? And I said I wanted to get a picture of it in a more natural setting, instead of against the house? Well, there's two reasons why that is probably never going to happen. One is that it just doesn't let me get close enough. The other is...

Almost all the time this moth lands on the bottom of leaves. That makes it very hard to photograph, even if it doesn't fly away before I get close. And this picture was as close as I could get today.


Okay, so where are we on my picture list for today...

How about a random beetle?

I know this is a garden pest, but I think it's cute, and it's nowhere near the garden. Some day I will probably make it BBotD, when I get a picture of the other side of it, but for today I just liked this shot.

Okay, enough bugs for now. Time for Backyard Bud of the Day:

 Tall cinquefoil.

Wait, I didn't already post the Backyard Bud of the Day, did I? [scrolls up the page...] Nope.

We're going with leaves again for Daily Dandelion:

And since we're on the subject of plants: Berries!

 Raspberries...

Now we play a game of Who Will Get the Strawberries? The contestants: Me and the Birds. My money's on the birds. There will be plenty of raspberries to go around, but only a couple of strawberries (same with the blueberries, but they are inside some netting, so I have a better chance at those).

These aren't edible, I don't think. Hard to believe just a couple of weeks ago these were Backyard Bud of the Day!

There's a fungus among us...

Poor thing is going to get mowed down tomorrow...

More baby bunnies today - not as bashful as they should be.

 The noteworthy thing about these baby bunnies, aside from their high level of adorableness, is that I took these pictures during my bug walk. Meaning I didn't take them with the telephoto lens, I took them with the macro lens. The lens that you have to get close to your subject to use. I took this picture from about 3 feet away, and this bunny actually stayed there, calmly eating while I crouched down beside it.

This one was not quite as mellow, but still.

Okay, one last bug before I post stuff that will freak people out...

There's been a firefly hanging out on the window screen the last couple of nights. Yes, this is the best picture I could get of it. You try focusing on a moving subject in the dark.

Okay, now for some Arachnid Appreciation! The first picture is pretty, but the second one is one that arachnophobes are definitely not going to want to see.
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The firefly was not the only one hanging around on the window screen...

Can I just say what a relief it is to me that that spider is on the OUTSIDE of the screen? I am not sure the bug vacuum could handle it!