Choices

The only thing I could really say about the backyard today would be to complain about the weather, and you are probably as tired of hearing about that as I am tired of walking around in it. It's May, I should not be thinking of wearing gloves when I am out in my backyard! So, let's not talk about it.

I chose a Backyard Bug of the Day earlier for facebook, but in looking through the pictures I think I made the wrong choice, so I am going to have co-bugs today.

Backyard Co-Bug of the Day #1:

 This is another one of those bugs that I don't know if it is a bee or a fly. I couldn't find it in my books in either section. If it is a bee, then it is the smallest bee I have ever seen. It was about the size of a large gnat. I am not sure it that is a helpful description, but that's all I've got.

 I should probably mention that I recently got a new ring flash, which is the only reason I was able to take any of these pictures today, or really all week, with the gloom that has been here.

 

Backyard Co-Bug of the Day #2:

 When I started my bug walk, for quite a while I thought I wasn't going to find any bugs today. I didn't see so much as a gnat. Then I came to this tree, and saw this bug. It was moving around from place to place on the trunk, barely stopping, and often moving into crevices in the bark, so it was hard at first to even get a look at it because it moved too fast. It looked like it had gold colored wings. But when it finally stopped I realized that it has clear wings, and a gold colored body.

 

 Hiding in a bark crevice.

 Then I found one on another tree, doing the same thing, flitting from place to place. (More on this one later).

 Then I found one on another tree. I don't think I have ever seen a fly like this before, and suddenly I found them on three different trees in different areas of the backyard.

 After my failures yesterday, it is nice to know I have not completely lost my powers of observation.

 

 Nice antennae.

 This caterpillar is probably less than a half inch long.

 Zoomed-in look at the caterpillar to see the tiny droplets of water stuck in its hairs.

Arachnid Appreciation:
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 Remember that fly from above? It had company. I watched them for a while to see if the spider would attack, but neither of them moved. I went away and came back a few minutes later and the fly was gone, but the spider was still sitting in the same spot.

 Gorgeous spider!

 This is the only picture I got of the fly from this angle, but I couldn't post it above because of the spider.