Fungus Fun

We've had about twice as much rain as is normal this month so far, so there's a lot of moisture in the environment of the backyard. This means a lot of mosquitoes, a lot of slugs and, much more appealing, a lot of mushrooms.

Let me begin by saying that I have no idea what any of these mushrooms are. I don't have a mushroom book. I don't know which, if any, are edible, and I am not going to experiment. Just enjoy the mycology display here:

 Purple is my favorite mushroom color... because I have never seen a blue one.

Backyard Bug of the Day Backyard Co-Bug of the Day #1:

 Since I didn't get a good picture of the one that eclosed yesterday... Ailanthus webworm moth.

 This is clearly not the one that eclosed yesterday; you can see that it is a bit beat up and worn.

Other Bugs:

The sumac flowers are definitely on the wane, and there were nowhere near as many insects on the plants today. The beetle on the right here is not the same one that I have been seeing there for the last week... And come to think of it, it might be a new species for me, so... Backyard Co-Bug of the Day #2!

Looper

When they get alarmed they usually do this twig impersonation, not realizing that it only makes them more noticeable to be doing this in a non-twiggy place.

This appears to be a chrysalis whose occupant has eclosed and moved on.

Red-headed ash borer. I got better pictures of it today, because it sat still for me.

Either tumbling flower beetle or wedge shaped beetle, I think. Sadly, I am not sure this insect is even alive.

Assassin bug nymph [Correction–this may be a leaf-footed bug nymph]

Really huge bee.

Really small bee–sweat bee

Another sweat bee

Thick-headed fly

Dragonfly

Arachnid Appreciation:
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 This was a bit of an unusual find for me today. I don't know what species of spider this is, but I am pretty sure it's an orb weaver. The unusual thing is that I don't usually see this kind of spider sitting out in the open in broad daylight. They tend to hide among leaves, and the time you get a good look at them is late at night when they have built their web and are sitting in the middle of it.

 

 This is the moment when I was glad this is not a jumping spider.