Winter Lodgings

February is the snowiest month of the year in this part of the world. Which is pretty well borne out by the forecast for the next week - 6 of the next 7 days have snow in the making. That will be on top of the 2 1/2 feet we got in the last week (most of which was from one storm in January, actually. A bit of a January aberration). I am not sure where we're going to put it. Anyway, I have been having mild proxy panic attacks on behalf of the cricket under the board. Yes, it is probably in diapause and doesn't know that it is trapped under a foot and a half of snow, but it makes me a bit woozy thinking about it.

Much smarter are the bugs who have chosen to pass the winter inside my house:

 Which is not to say that I want them there. And maybe they aren't so smart, because there's nothing for most of them to eat in here. This, for instance, is a western conifer seed bug. There are no conifers in my house (not since the Christmas tree left, anyway). I don't know how long it can go without eating, but surely it is doomed in here.

 Speaking of doomed, there's nothing for the ladybugs to eat, either. So this one is dead. The point of this picture, though, is to show the proboscis of the western conifer seedbug, which is a hemiptera.

 I spotted this critter by the driveway while I was shoveling snow today. I am very happy this one is not in my house.

This may be the entrance to the mouse's house.