Food

I would say that most days so far this year it has been pretty easy for me to decide which bug to choose for Backyard Bug of the Day. Either I didn't find many bugs, so there was not much to choose from, or I found something new, which becomes the obvious choice, or there was something that I thought was so spectacular that I just had to choose it. Today was a rare occasion this season when I couldn't decide. In fact, I chose a bug, posted it on my facebook page, and then later checked and discovered that it had already been Backyard Bug of the Day about two months ago, so I had to choose something else (had to being a loose determination - nothing would have happened if I didn't, except it would have nagged at me like I was not doing my job correctly. Which I realize is a really nutty thing to say).

Backyard Bug of the Day:

 Some sort of Hemiptera. There were three of them in close proximity on a tree trunk; when I approached two of the skedaddled, but this one stayed.

Random Bugs:

The daisies were very popular with little bees today.

Here I was trying to just take a picture of daisies.

 Well camouflaged moth

 Curious thing about the aphid ant ant spot on this particular tree today - all of the aphid nymphs were gone. There was only the adult nymph and one ant.

 I have mentioned that the ants drink the honeydew that the aphids excrete; I read somewhere that the ants will prod the aphids to get them to excrete a drop. That is what is happening here.

 If you look really closely you can see that the aphid has excreted some honeydew and the ant is drinking it.

 This brown lacewing was almost BBotD today. I had to change it, but the insect is still beautiful.

 Cabbage white butterfly. These have been flitting about the backyard for the last few days, and one yesterday was practically accompanying me on my bug walk. It never landed for me to take a picture, which is why you didn't see a picture like this yesterday, but today's was more cooperative. Unfortunately, the battle now begins between us and the cabbage white butterflies - there is a reason they are called cabbage whites, and it is because they lay their eggs on cabbage and related plants, and their caterpillars eat the plants. We have been trying for years to grow Brussels sprouts in our vegetable garden, and what are Brussels sprouts but tiny cabbages. We have failed most years because the plants have been devoured by cabbage white caterpillars. Today I saw a couple of these butterflies doing their little mating dance (at least, I assume that is what's going on when they swirl around each other), and then my husband found caterpillar eggs on the Brussels sprouts. So now we are competing for food with the cabbage white butterfly's offspring...

 Assassin bug

 I wish I'd been able to see this fly closer - it looked very pretty.

Lady beetle larva

Arachnid Appreciation:
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This was the only spider picture I got today. It was a very active little spider. It may be another species for the list, too, but I didn't get a great look at it, so I can't be sure.