Flaky

I was up at dawn again today, outside with my camera. I wasn't looking for bugs, I was looking for frost, and what I found was this:

 Our first snow! Okay, so it was just a sprinkling of flakes. But doesn't it look pretty on the moss? See, I told you moss was pretty! Obviously this snow did not stick around long. But it stayed pretty cold all day. I didn't even hear any crickets down by the rocks, where it's warmer. Not a single chirp. I did my bug walk, and found the lowest number of bugs I have found so far this season. So here's how this is going to work for the time being (meaning, until spring). If I go outside, and don't find anything new to take a picture of (new meaning something I haven't been seeing every day lately, not necessarily new new), I am not going to blog. I don't want to be boring and post pictures of the same three bugs every day.

I don't have a Backyard Bug of the Day today. And, in spite of what I just said, I am going to post a picture of the same bug I posted yesterday, but today it's a better picture because I was out in full daylight:

 I figured I'd find this caterpillar in the same place it was yesterday, because most of the time in between those sightings it was probably too cold for it to move. I'll keep an eye on it to see if it goes anywhere.

 One crane fly; I actually saw three today. That's it.

I saw several winter fireflies, but I didn't take pictures of them.

And I found this:

My guess would be that there are insect eggs in there, but it could be something pupating. Whatever it is, it will probably stay in there until spring.