Where Bugs Come From

Today was as shiny and bright as yesterday was gloomy and forbidding, but it was still cold. That is, it was cold when I was out in the backyard; I didn't do my bug walk until late in the afternoon, when the sun was already well on its way down. I think it was probably warmer earlier in the afternoon, but I was out for the day, and missed that opportunity to look for bugs. Therefore, if there were a lot of bugs around this afternoon, I missed them. There were certainly NOT a lot of bugs when I did my bug walk, in spite of the sunshine. I don't think it snowed at all last night, but it did get very, very cold (for this time of year). I wonder if that has anything to do with why I couldn't find bugs today.

I actually didn't have to do a bug walk to find the Backyard Bugs of the Day. They were on the porch when I got home this afternoon. I just had to go inside and get my camera.

Backyard Bugs of the Day:

 These two were on the porch light - which was not on at the time. I don't know what these are - some kind of fly, I guess. The sexual dimorphism is pretty stunning - if I saw these two bugs separately I don't think it would ever occur to me that they are the same species. The size difference, the shape difference - even the wings look different. I didn't get any picture where they were both in focus because they were sort of angled... it's hard to explain. They were also in an awkward location. But still a cool find.

 Here's the other one in better focus. I am pretty sure the larger one on the right is the female, and the smaller one is the male.

And speaking of insect reproduction...

 I think that is a sawfly larva soon to hatch.

Not many other bugs to be found today...

 I think this is the exact same bug I found in the rock garden yesterday, on the exact same plant, just farther down the stem.

And a few ants on a tree:

 I am not sure if these are different species of ants that just happen to be hanging out together, or if they are the same species and look different for some reason. It's kind of hard to tell in this picture, but the lower one has a bigger abdomen, and is a lighter color.

 I did see a couple of candy striped leaf hoppers on the mountain laurel, but I didn't take their picture. It's funny that the first time I saw a candy striped leaf hopper I was blown away by how exotic it was, and now I see them enough that I don't even bother to take their picture most of the time.

I didn't see any arachnids today...

... but I did see a few spider threads here and there.