Not Seeing Things

Today was a gorgeous day in the backyard, and I spent a lot of time outside, but it was sort of melancholy from a bug standpoint. Not just because I hardly found any bugs, but because in spite of the temperatures in the 70s, I was keenly aware of the coming end of the bug season.

It probably happened gradually, and I just didn't notice because I was paying attention to other things, but today it seemed to me that the goldenrod just suddenly finished blooming. There are a handful of plants that still have flowers on them, but most of them have gone to seed. They no longer give the backyard a dominant gold color scheme. The asters are still blooming, but there aren't as many of those, and so the lack of goldenrod means fewer bees. The bees that remain seem almost frantic. That may have causes other than the dwindling supply of flowers, it could be the shortening of the days, or something else that bees know that I don't. Either way, they were in a big hurry to do their bee work. Interestingly, before I went outside I spent some time gazing at a tree through a skylight, and I could see that there were a lot of bugs, which I presumed were bees, based on the way they flew, flying around and about the leaves of the tree, about thirty or forty feet in the air. Not something I could take pictures of, but fun to watch.

I saw a butterfly today for the first time in weeks. It was in a hurry, too, and was some distance away from me as it zoomed through the yard, but I think it was a sulphur of some kind. Of course, with so few flowers in the yard, I can't expect to have butterflies around.

Today I was quite aware of what I am not seeing in the backyard. I haven't seen any shamrock spiders or marbled orb weavers. I saw a ladybug today for the first time in ages (and didn't get a picture of it, because I was painting, and had put my camera inside), and usually at this time of the year they are swarming, trying to get into my house for the winter. I don't want them in my house for the winter, but it is odd not to have them around. Just that one today. It makes sense to not be seeing ladybugs, though, because ladybugs eat aphids, and there are no aphids around. They should be everywhere, and they an not here. I'm not seeing springtails, either. And usually even after the coneflowers have died and gone to seed they are covered with tiny living things, but this year, they are bereft of critters.

Sigh.

Backyard Bug of the Day:

 I don't know what it is. I didn't get a good look at it. But I don't have a lot to choose from today. It looks like some kind of fly.

Random Bugs:

 Here's another example of the scarcity of bugs right now. Last year these case bearing caterpillars were all over the place. This year they are kind of hard to find - a bunch on one particular plant, and a couple others I have seen in other spots.

 Sharpshooter

 Another view

 Hopper

 Bee

 Assassin bug

Another curious thing - the morning glories have been blooming for a couple of weeks, but until yesterday I never saw any bugs on them. Yesterday I saw one. Today I saw a few more.

 It is a tricky setting for photography. A bee.

 A tumbling flower beetle

Another bee

Arachnid Appreciation:
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 Daddy-long-legs

 Jumping spider before the jump...

 ... and after. Notice the silk safety line.

 Another jumping spider. You can't really tell in this picture that it has prey in its grip.

 There you can see the wings of the prey.

Someday I will look up what this spider is...