Righting a Wrong

Today I found out that I was wrong about something I posted the other day, and I found out in a cool way. Let me explain by showing you the Backyard Bug of the Day.

Backyard Bug of the Day:

 This is a green lacewing larva. Need a closer look?

 Here you go. What's that you say? It looks like a walking pile of debris? You don't see a bug there? Well, how about another angle?

 Hmmm...

 Here you can get a tiny peek at the mouth parts... So what's going on here? Well, remember the other day I posted a picture that I said was a beetle larva, and it had bits of stuff stuck to it, and I wondered why it was just holding onto its prey with its mouth parts, and not eating it, because beetles eat their prey, they don't just suck the juices out of them? Well, that was not a beetle larva, it was a green lacewing larva, and green lacewing larvae do suck the juices out of their prey. The jab them with the prongs of their mouth parts and suck them dry. I am not clear on what they use to suck on them, but that's what the do. Anyway, some green lacewing larvae stick bits of debris onto their backs. And some, like this one, make a big pile of debris on their backs. The one the other day had a few bits, and they were plant pieces. This one has a pile. And what is this pile made of? It's made of the carcases of the insects it has dined on. That's right, it sucks them dry and then piles them on its back to camouflage it and make it easier to catch more insects. Technically this kind of bug has already been BBotD, and recently, but since this one is in a different form, so to speak, it qualifies to be chosen again. Because no way could I NOT make this Backyard Bug of the Day today (and not just because I didn't find anything else eligible. But that is true. I didn't).

 Obviously it is difficult to get a look at the larva, but by coaxing it onto this twig I got a few shots. You can definitely see the legs, and a bit of the head on the right.

Now the head is to the left. This is one of the weirder things I have found in the backyard. It's funny that the green lacewing is a beautiful bug, and it's larva is so gruesome and weird. Also amazing is that I actually found this in one of my bug books. There wasn't a picture of one like the other day, with just a few bits of debris, which is why I didn't get it right then, but there was a picture of one like this. I even looked at it the other day, and thought it was interesting, and ta da! Here it is!

You know what else looks interesting? Stick bugs. Not that I have ever seen one.

Random Bugs:

 I was happy to see this ubiquitous autumn bug on these flowers today because these flowers are weirdly unattractive to bugs. You'd think that being almost the only thing left blooming in the yard, aside from stray asters, that this is where the bugs would all be congregating, but nope. Ever since they bloomed, there's hardly ever any bugs on them. So it's nice to see them being appreciated.

 Some bugs just don't get hide and seek...

 I find aphids to be inherently comical.

 Female snowy tree cricket.

 Not at all a good picture of this bug (I didn't get one), but cool nonetheless.

 I wonder what that little puddle is that this ant is eating.

I am not sure what's going on here, but this appears to be a bee or wasp jammed into a hole in the back porch step.

Arachnid Appreciation:
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 Here's a zoomed-in look at the previous picture. Note the silk threads coming from the spinneret.