Snow Bugs

Of all of the unexpected things I have seen in the backyard, this may take the cake.

Backyard Bug of the Day:

 Yes, that is a moth in the snow. I have no idea what it's doing there. I went out to clean the first bit of our current blizzard off the driveway before my husband got home (because driving on the snow leads to ice later), and found this moth crawling around on the snow.

 I don't know where it came from, or why it left whatever cozy nook it was in to go for a walk in the snow, but there it was.

 I may have been projecting, but it seemed kind of like it was struggling to move, though it made pretty good time. It toppled over once, and had a bit of a struggle righting itself (I helped).

 I know I am all about nature taking its course, but I couldn't help it. I brought it in the house.  I set it on the table in the foyer while I went out to finish my bit of shoveling. When I came in it was not there, so I have no idea where it is now. I suppose it's a bit ironic, given how much I try to avoid letting moths in the house.

If this blizzard plays out like the forecasts predict (and I don't really think it will), this ladybug pupa may be buried under the snow by tomorrow night. I presume that it can take it (snow is actually a good insulator, so it will keep it warm if the temperature plunges). Of all of the various bugs whose location for waiting out the winter is known to me, this is the one that is the most exposed. I have to trust that the larva knew what it was doing when it chose this spot to pupate. On the other hand, there was another that chose a leaf on a tree; the leaf has since fallen, and who knows where it is now. But nature knows what it's doing right?