Out of Focus

We were supposed to get about a foot of snow over the last two days. We didn't. We got about an inch, maybe, and today was so warm that by the end of the day we had less snow on the ground than we did before this latest "storm". I wasn't going to do a bug walk, though, because it was cold enough to snow for the last couple of days, and it looked cold out (a ridiculous thought), so I figured it was just like it has been, but then I looked at my weather station and saw that it was almost 50ºF, so out I went.

It was pretty disappointing, really. There wasn't much to see other than a lot of winter fireflies, and a lot of little things flitting through the air. And I took horrible pictures, so horrible that I couldn't believe my own ineptitude when I looked at them.

And then later, there was this:

 

 Lovely ichneumon wasp of some kind attracted to the porch light, but it would not sit still for a picture!

So, here's the best of what I got on my bug walk:

 Tiny fly

Another species of fly

At first glance I didn't think there were any winter fireflies on their favorite tree, but I looked closer and realized that there were plenty. It's funny how hard it is to see them sometimes, because they don't really blend in that much.

 Size variation

Insects have NO respect for personal space.

 The woodpecker holes in the trees were popular today; the sap must be flowing:

 

 It wasn't just ants enjoying them.

I assume this is an egg case that has hatched its inhabitants. They must have been tiny, this thing was about an eighth of an inch long.

Arachnid Appreciation:
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 Six-spotted orb weaver. The first one I have seen this spring.