Spring in December

Oops! I almost forgot to write a blog today. I have gotten out of the habit, since I haven't seen anything all week except for a few winter crane flies. Some days I didn't see any bugs at all, even though it wasn't all that cold out. But today it was like the beginning of spring instead of the beginning of winter - 60ºF. I wore shorts when I went out for my bug walk. I didn't find a whole lot of bugs - not that I could take pictures of, anyway, because mostly they were zooming past me in the air - but they were out there, enjoying the spring weather in December. I happened to see a picture I took two years ago today, and it was snowing that day, which is more Decembery. But I am enjoying this at the moment.

And speaking of feeling like spring, this popped up in the backyard:

Backyard Bug of the Day:

 This shouldn't be Backyard Bug of the Day, because it was Backyard Co-Bug of the Day last month, but I was already loading the picture when I realized that, so it gets its own day now. These tiny hoppers are nearly impossible to photograph, so I am taking advantage of the lucky break to post it again.

The ants were at work again today:

There are a variety of berries and fruits in the backyard now. Very colorful and pretty. The birds don't seem very interested in them, though.

 Bonus points if you can find the ant in this picture. I swear, I can't NOT take pictures of bugs.

I have completed two of my bug calendars so far. Except one of them is actually a spider calendar. You can find them HERE for bees and wasps and HERE for spiders. There are more to come, butterflies and moths, caterpillars, and at least one general bugs calendar, if not two. 

Arachnid Appreciation:
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A surprise to find an orb weaver today. This is a tiny one.