I wasn't sure I was going to be able to do a bug walk today, but it wouldn't have mattered too much if I did, because late last night I discovered that the back porch light had been left on, and it had attracted some cool bugs, a greater variety than just moths, though there were several of those.
Like a green lacewing:
Tiny wasp
Leaf hopper
Some kind of geometer moth
In my head I have always called this an art deco moth, but it turns out it has the unlovely name of dingy cutworm moth. I like my name better.
I know, bad picture, but cool moth
Leaf hopper on the storm door
Another leaf hopper on the storm door
A monarch eclosed today, the only one this week:
He spent all day in the enclosure, because it eclosed in the morning only a few minutes before we left for the day, and I could not put it outside when its wings were not even straightened out, much less dry and ready for flight. So by the time we got home in the early evening it was ready to fly. I only got pictures with my iPod, it was too quick for my camera.
It will be a few days before the next eclosure, and there is still one caterpillar that is probably almost a week away from chrysalizing.
Fortunately, I did get to do a bug walk today, because I got home before dark. Thus, here is today's Backyard Bug of the Day:
Spotted apatelodes caterpillar.
Just kidding. I have better pictures of it.
It waved its back end around a lot.
This is one of those caterpillars that I am not sure if it is toxic or not, so I was trying very hard not to touch it. Taking its picture was challenging because a) I was trying not to touch it in case it is toxic, but it kept moving around on the leaf b) the plant it was on is thorny, so it was hard for me to hold onto the plant c) there was quite a bit of the plant between me and the caterpillar, so I was leaning over and into thorns, and...
d) on the next leaf over was
another caterpillar that I know is toxic, and was also crawling around.
White hickory tussock moth caterpillar drops by.
Other Bugs:
There's a bug under all that debris.
Tiny glimpse of its legs?
Another trashy bug, either a green lacewing larva, or possibly a brown lacewing larva (not one of the ones that hatched yesterday, they are way smaller and have not had time to accumulate all this junk).
Should that little bug be worried about being eaten?
Apparently not.
Better look at its face
Jagged ambush bug blending in really well with the goldenrod. I never would have seen it if not for the prey bug in its grip.
Stinkbug nymph
A couple of tiny looper caterpillars
Coccon
Assassin bug with prey
Sawfly larvae
Spotted cucumber beetle
I think this is a tiny syrphid fly (hover fly) larva.
This is a much larger syprhid fly larva. For more on this one, scroll down...
Arachnid Appreciation:
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Crowded leaf: two syrphid fly larvae, and a six-spotted orb weaver spider.
This might be a sowbug killer spider.
Flower crab spider
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