The Bugs in the Backyard: Constant Changes

Monday, August 22, 2016

Constant Changes

Today was an incredibly beautiful day. It wasn't too hot, it wasn't humid, the sun was shining, all wonderful. The only problem, from the standpoint of a person trying to take pictures of bugs on plants, was that it was also incredibly windy. Wind is the enemy of the insect macrophotographer. So many missed shots...

But the first of today's two Backyard Co-Bugs of the Day was taken overnight. Because I count a day as being from midnight to midnight - calendar days, basically - any picture I take after midnight belongs with the bugs taken during the daytime that follows. So even though I took pictures of a bug before I went to bed last night, it is today's bug.

That's confusing, and poorly expressed, so never mind.

Backyard Co-Bug of the Day #1:

I think this is a mayfly. It was on the storm door of the back door late last night. Or early this morning, depending on your perspective.

Upper view

Impressive tails

Since it was on glass, I got to take a view from the other side, too.

Backyard Co-Bug of the Day #2

Some kind of fly

The pictures don't show it well, but from certain angles it looked blue.

Remember what I told you about how to find an ambush bug?

Look for an insect hanging weirdly?

The presence of an ambush bug in the flower didn't keep other bugs away - it was too busy to eat them.

There are plenty of other cabbage white butterflies, though.

Two interesting changes in the caterpillars on the blueberry bush, the Drexel's da-somethings: 1 - The other day there were about ten of them in a clump, and today there were only two, and 2 - They are much hairier than they were two days ago.

The furcula caterpillars continue to fascinate:

Not only was this one still white...

... but several of the others are turning white, too.

These furculas have changed colors several times now. I don't think the other furculas I have seen - last year and elsewhere in the backyard this year - have been so changeable.