Melted Expectations

Today was a GLORIOUS spring day! The snow melted away in the backyard so fast that I think it I had sat there all afternoon I could have seen it melting. I know that over the course of an our between looking out the window and going outside to do my bug walk, there was a visible difference in the amount of snow on the ground. And when I went out I was able to wear my gardening clogs, and hardly had to walk through any snow at all, and where I did walk through snow, it wasn't enough to get inside my clogs. So between the fact that the temperature came close to 60ºF, and the exposure of so much more ground and leaf litter, I was expecting to find a LOT of bugs today. After all, I saw a lot of bugs yesterday, which was not as warm and had a lot more snow cover. I was even hoping that I would see things other than the same-old, same-old I have been seeing, and decided not to bother taking pictures of the usual things. And... there weren't that many bugs around today. Hardly anything flying around, and just not much to see (except spiders, but we'll get to that).

Fortunately, when I got home this evening there was something interesting on the porch that was not a new find for me overall, but new for the season. So, Backyard Bug of the Day:

 Wasp

I did find a LOT of winter fireflies today. And they were more active than usual.

 I found another firefly that looks a lot like a winter firefly (well, they all do, really), but a lot smaller, and with slightly different coloring on its pronotum. Of course, I realize that saying it's smaller, and showing you this picture, means nothing.

So, how about this picture?

I guess this only helps if you can find the insects...

The one on the left is the small one (but you knew that).

Winter firefly side view

 I also found a twice-stabbed lady beetle. It was in a hurry, climbing up a tree trunk.

 And that was all the insects I got pictures of. Now, on to the spiders for Arachnid Appreciation:
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 I think this is a bowl and doily spider.

And these are only the ones I got pictures of. There were others. It amuses me to think that the reason I couldn't find many insects is because all the spiders ate them all, but really, there aren't THAT many spiders.