On the Rocks

I've written before about the different microclimates in my yard, and specifically about how down by the rocks in front of the house tends to be warmer, because it's in direct sunlight, because the rocks retain heat, and because it's by the road. Today that difference was extremely obvious, with the area of the rocks being a tiny pocket of summer today.

It actually was pretty nice everywhere in the yard today, sunny, 60ºF, perfect except for the blustery winds, so I don't think there was any really compelling reason that there should have been bugs there that I am not seeing in the rest of the yard now, except for one thing - there is a small clump of asters growing there, and the rest of the yard is pretty much done with blooming flowers - it has been a while since I have seen any bees. Actually, that is a very compelling reason, and enough to explain most of the bugs I found. But it doesn't explain the presence of crickets. In the backyard I didn't hear any. The only singing came from birds. But down by the rocks (and I say down, because it is literally down a slope) I could hear crickets galore. And they are not there for nectar from the asters.

I wasn't even going to go down there with my camera today, but I did, and was glad.

But first, to the backyard, where I found the Backyard Bug of the Day:

Now, for the Bugs on the Rocks:

 Bees.

 Quite a few bees. And they weren't very polite to each other.

 There were even a couple of species of bees, not just bumblebees (I didn't get them all. Some of them were too fast).

 An assassin bug

 Small milkweed bug (with my hand in the background. I had to hold the plant steady in the wind).

Now, back to the backyard...

 These flies were still around in impressive numbers, both sitting on plants and swarming today.

 Here's what they look like when they are about to fly away - you can't see the wings either because of the angle or because they are moving too fast. (Another cameo appearance by my hand - which is probably why it flew away. Stupid wind).

And one from the front porch:

 Moth

Arachnid Appreciation:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

 This was a pretty exciting find for me today. I haven't seen any of the big orb weavers this year that I usually see in the autumn, and have been pretty bummed about it. This one isn't a big spider like the shamrock orb weaver, but it was bigger than the orb weavers I have been seeing. Unfortunately, I didn't get a look at it from the other side, so I couldn't tell what it was (if, by some strange chance, it was actually one of the few spider species I know).

 This is the point where it decided I was too close and scurried off into its bower. I hope to get a better look tomorrow.

This one was down by the rocks. Here it is hiding from me between the rock and a leaf.