Feelings

It feels like autumn outside. I realize that that is how it should be, since by all the various ways of determining the end of summer and the beginning of autumn–meteorological, astronomical, social–it is autumn. But today it felt like it. Alas. However, the crickets and katydids are still filling the night with their music. I just have to go outside to hear it because it is too cold to have the windows open.

Backyard Bug of the Day:

 Rove beetle

Other Bugs:

 I tried to get a picture showing how popular these asters were with the bees today, but all I could get in there were two of them.

 This woolly bear has been on this leaf for probably two weeks. On a side note, I have seen more woolly bear caterpillars this year than ever before, and they seem to be very susceptible to whatever is killing the caterpillars in my backyard.

Twice in the course of only a couple of steps I almost stepped on katydids. It's not usual for me to find them on the grass:

 This one is missing half of its back leg, but I am sure it is not because I almost stepped on it.

 Slightly more interesting than this grasshopper is the plant it is on. It looks like a newly sprouted zucchini plant, or something similar. What a pity there will be a frost in the next few weeks probably, so I won't be able to see what this would grow into.

 I wish I had been able to get a closer look at this blue wasp/sawfly.

Candy striped leaf hopper

Assassin bug

White hickory tussock moth caterpillar. The background of the pictures is mostly still green, but you can see that a lot of the plants are turning brown.

I saw quite a few spiders again today for Arachnid Appreciation:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Six spotted orb weaver:

 Underneath view...

 ... and dorsal view, which I seldom get to see since they so often build their webs on leaves and then sit on them upside down.

This isn't just a picture of an assassin bug:

 Can you see the jumping spider?

 This is quite a messy web, with leftover daddy-long-legs prey and egg sacs.