The Bugs in the Backyard: The Lasting Thrill

You can probably tell time, in a seasonal sense, by the insects that you find. Instead of four seasons, you would have hundreds, overlapping but distinct, that without any other information would tell you (if you knew all the details about such things, and I don't) what month it is, or what time of year, by what insects show up in your backyard (provided you have a backyard that is attractive to insects). A lot of this information would come from caterpillars, what kind you find and what stage of development they are in. But there are other bugs that have their seasons, and for me, having a vague kind of knowledge about them doesn't so much tell what time of year it is, but knowing what time of year it is tells me I could find those insects. Like, for instance, this is the time of year for finding stick insects. Looking them up on my previous blog posts, I have seen them in the past on the 27th and 22nd of September. Now add September 14th to that list.

In the past, during my insect envy period regarding stick bugs, I have seen a lot of pictures that people post of stick bugs on their window screens, or on the side of their house, and I have always thought, "Why don't I ever have stick bugs walking up the side of my house?" The times I have seen them have always been spotting them 'in the wild,' somehow noticing them among the plants in my backyard. I always wonder how many I have walked right past without noticing. Well, today I walked outside, not to do my bug walk, I was going to do some yard work, and there, on the wall of my house, was Backyard Co-Bug of the Day #1:

Northern walkingstick, walking up the wall.

For a sense of size.

I removed it to an oak tree, which is where they normally live.

I still get really excited when I find one of these. They are such cool bugs. And come on, this is only the third one I have found in my backyard. The thrill is not gone. I actually got goose bumps when I saw it. I have been looking for these for the last week or so, paying careful attention to the spots in my backyard where I have seen them before. And then it was just right out there in the open.

At rest, in order to enhance the impression of being a stick, they hold their front legs up over their heads.

Backyard Co-Bug of the Day #2:

American lady butterfly, on autumn joy sedum. This is a new species for my backyard.

Backyard Co-Bug of the Day #3:

I think this is a new leaf hopper for me.

For a complicated variety of reasons, including that I didn't feel like it, I didn't do a complete bug walk today. I still managed to find a nice selection of Other Bugs:

When I looked up the other times I have seen a walkingstick in my backyard, on one of the posts I had also taken pictures of two species of butterflies. Same today. This is either a comma or a question mark. Usually I see question marks, and I think this is a comma, but this isn't a good enough picture to be sure. Very uncooperative.