Fluttering

Leaves were falling all around me as I did my bug walk today. It made for a very fluttery walk, and provided a sort of contrast; the leaves were fluttering down, and moths were fluttering up. I think a couple of days ago I mentioned that there have not been any moths around lately; well, today there were plenty of moths around (one just fluttered past me as I sit on my couch). I only got pictures of a couple of them, and the interesting thing is that there were multiple species of moths, it wasn't like when the gypsy moths eclosed, or when the winter moths come out, it was a variety.

Beginning with Backyard Bug of the Day:

 This is a tiny moth, so tiny I thought it was a gnat at first glance (although it's probably a little bigger than a gnat, I would say less than an eighth of an inch, though). Possibly Cosmopterix pulchrimella.

 It was running around in circles on this leaf when I spotted it.

 A couple more moths:

 Can you see it?

 How about now?

 How about now? Plume moth. I usually see those mid-summer, so it was a surprise to spot this one.

 

 I thought this one was bird droppings when I first spotted it. It doesn't look like it in this picture, but believe me, from farther away it did.

The honeysuckle is blooming again.

The asters continue to be a meeting place for insects:

Here we have a fly (order: Diptera), stilt bug (Hemimptera)...

 ... and an ant, too, (Hymenoptera)...

 The American copper was back (Lepidoptera)...

 ... and a thread-waisted wasp (another Hymenopteran).

Another sweat bee

Some kind of Hemiptera... I think.

 And... Arachnid Appreciation:
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 Of course, this flower crab spider is feeding On an aster, but not feeding on asters, if you get what I mean. It has a sweat bee for prey, and there is another species of sweat bee in the background.

 Some funnel web spiders' webs are still covered in droplets. It was really humid again today (and got into the 80s), but this was surprising to see.

 

 This one isn't as wet, but it does have a section covered with water drops.

 I spotted this interesting scene, and watched for about a minute, and was then distracted by a bee...

 ... and when I came back to it, this is how things were. I wish I had stuck around to watch what happened.