Hit or Miss

I took mostly terrible pictures today. I'm going to show some of them to you anyway, just so you can see what was out there. I didn't get to spend anywhere near as much time as I wanted to in the backyard today, and the pictures I got represent only a tiny fraction of the insects I saw (including two butterflies. I haven't seen any butterflies all week until today), but since most of the insects were on the move, in the air, I didn't get pictures of them.

There is now a part of the backyard I am probably going to have to avoid for a while; I startled a bird away from this nest, so until whatever eggs it has laid have hatched, I'll had to give this area a wide berth.

The first bad picture I'm going to show you is the Backyard Bug of the Day:

 This incredible moth was attracted to the porch light.

Other bugs:

 Squash bug. That's the name of the bug, not what you should do to it.

 Visited by an ant

 This was just meant to be a picture of the crab apple tree in flower, but I realize it is also a bad picture of some insects. Can you see them?

 Bee on crab apple bloom

Crane fly on crab apple tree. As you look at this picture I want you to keep in mind that there are a lot of bugs I took pictures of that you're not going to see because the pictures are so bad.

Ladybeetle in crab apple blossom

 Click beetle. Finally, a bug that would sit still!

 Six-spotted tiger beetle. This is the BEST picture I got of this beetle today. Last spring the six-spotted tiger beetles used to frequent this rock. I guess they like it this year, too. Maybe I'll get a better picture another day.

Beetle

 As I mentioned, I was in a hurry today when I did my bug walk, and at that time I didn't see any of the beetles I saw so many of yesterday. Later in the evening, at dusk, I went out with my camera again, and found quite a few of them, though not as many as yesterday. This is on the same raspberry vine where I found them yesterday.

And that, as they say, is all the pictures fit to print. Or fit to post, anyway.

Arachnid Appreciation:
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