Confusing Things

I was looking for something in my bug books, and I noticed something in one of the books that made me chuckle in light of what I wrote yesterday, and that is that there were quite a few of the photos of bugs that pictured the bugs on someone's skin. Some looked like arms, and some looked like the palms of hands, and in many of them the bugs in question were unquestionably biters - many mosquitoes were pictured on someone's arm. Obviously this is a person very dedicated to getting a picture of these bugs. I have to wonder how many of them were swatted after the picture was taken, though. I would say that I am not that dedicated, but I did once let a mosquito bite me so I could get a picture of it. And that was before I had a macro lens on my camera. However, I still prefer to avoid being bitten, stung, jabbed, poisoned, or peed on.

Backyard Bug of the Day:

This insect was chosen for its unusual and beautiful green color. I don't know what this is, and I did try to look it up, but I couldn't find a definitive answer in any of my bug books, because the pictures were kind of vague in the one book that even had anything that looked like it might be it. And even then, there were a few things it could be. I think it proves that I am learning something, though, that I didn't just look under wasps, I also looked under sawflies, because they look like wasps (at least to non-entomologists). Anyway, I think this is a wasp. But it could be  a sawfly.

Except, if I zoom in one of the other shots where the back end is more in focus...

It looks like it has a sting, which would mean wasp, not sawfly. Unless that is an ovipositor, and not a sting. In which case, I still have no idea. You know what, let's just say, I don't know what this is, but it is a very attractive insect.

Backyard Bud of the Day:

I don't know if there is a scientific definition of a bud, and if this would qualify, but it fits my criteria, so here it is. I think this is another kind of goldenrod, and these are budding leaves. It's interesting how much leaves look like flowers, and how much I never really noticed about how plants grow.

Here's something we haven't had in a while - Daily Dandelion:

Of course, this is far from a daily sight these days. It's weird how many spring things are suddenly reappearing in the yard.

I took over 400 pictures today, so I have a lot of Random Bugs to share, but I was really disorganized about selecting my files, so they won't be in any kind of logical order. You never noticed that I organize these things, did you? Well, usually I do, but not today, so you will be seeing them basically in the order they were taken. More or less.

 These flowers are currently my favorite backdrop for bug pictures.

 These tiny moths love to hang out on the deer netting, I have noticed. I don't know what it is that they like about it, but there are always a few of them on there.

 This little wasp was on the deer netting, too.

It sort of makes sense that there was a net-winged beetle there, too.  Both the wasp and the beetle were clumsy climbing on the netting.

 I sometimes can't tell if a Hemiptera is a plant sucker or a bug sucker. It is much easier to tell when you find one that has another bug in its grip.

 Moth in the wild.

 Ladybug with mangled wing cover.

 Of the 400+ pictures I took today, more than 50 of them were of this caterpillar dangling from a tree by a thread. It is quite difficult to get a picture of something that is hanging from a silk thread, especially when it's breezy - and it's almost always breezy.

 The caterpillar was in the process of climbing back up the thread. You can see the ball of silk it has been making as it climbs. I assume it will eat it when it gets to the top.

 Cranefly. Trust me.

 A caterpillar that has just finished moulting. I always miss the good part.

 The saddleback caterpillar has grown.

 It has been eating quite a bit.

The deer netting remains an irresistible place for moths to lay eggs:

 These appear new, but there are some that are a darker color. We'll see if anything comes of these. There's always things that want to eat them, and there is a chance of rain tomorrow night (HA!).

 I don't know what this is, but my guess is that it is what is left after some kind of larva moulted into adulthood.

My favorite kind of cocoon.

Arachnid Appreciation:
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 There's a spider in the middle of that.

 Right now, if you are a spider whose web stretches between goldenrod plants, your diet is going to include a lot of bees.

 Mite, if I am right.

 There is a spider in there, but I am posting this to show the iridescence of the web.

 This spider's hangout location is interesting - this flower is directly below the web of Orb Weaver #1 (who is still building its web in the same spot every night).

I know daddy-long-legs don't have venom, but those sure look like fangs.