Be On the Alert

I will begin today with a PSA:

 If it is warm enough for insects, it is warm enough for ticks. I found this one crawling on my neck when I came inside after my bug walk. So if you're spending time outside, and you're seeing bugs, be aware that you need to check for ticks.

Tomorrow all of this will be covered with snow again, according to the forecast...

Backyard Bug of the Day:

 I am not sure what this is. I thought it was a barklouse, but maybe it's an aphid. Or a hopper. I don't know.

 This wasp crashed right into me, and then dropped to the ground, which is where I took this picture.

 I think this is the same wasp, on the side of the house.

I found a couple of twice-stabbed ladybeetles:

I saw quite a few spiders in the backyard today, most of which were not photographable (webs and wind are not a good combination for photography), but I did get a couple. Arachnid Appreciation:
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 Here is the Backyard Bug of the Day where I first saw it - I watched it land here. So why is this in Arachnid Appreciation instead of up with the other picture of the BBotD? Because it has landed on a spider web. Look in the lower right-hand corner of the picture...

 ... and you'll see this spider. It didn't react to the BBotD landing on its web. It also didn't react to me getting close to it for a picture, which surprised me.

 Can you see the spider?

 Here is it on the other side of that twig, and a little closer.