Quiet

Today was supposed to be different. Yes, it was still supposed to be chilly (and it was). It was still supposed to be overcast (and it was). But it wasn't supposed to be raining–AND IT WAS. I am... never mind, I am not going to complain about the weather. BUT I AM TIRED OF HAVING TO DO MY BUG WALK WITH AN UMBRELLA. It doesn't really work. It's awkward. There are a lot of reasons it's just not feasible. I swear, if it rains tomorrow I am not going outside with my camera.

It was windy, too, but aside from the wind it was very quiet. Up until yesterday the level of cricket and katydid sounds had remained pretty constant, but yesterday they abruptly dropped. I heard one lonely cricket in the rock garden, and a few in the backyard. I didn't hear any katydids. Today was even quieter, although I did hear two or three rather determined crickets. But they were all solitary enough that I could pinpoint the noise. No one was calling back. There are days when the insect noise is cacophonous, and it's a bit weird to hear the quiet now.

Backyard Bug of the Day:

 Wasp. Some kind of ichneumon, I think.

Other Bugs:

 This bumblebee was quite active when I spotted it, which happened when it swooped in front of me as I was walking around the backyard a bit after getting the mail. It was not raining yet. It landed on a few plants for brief moments, each time taking off again quickly and flying somewhere else. Then it came to this morning glory, and that was it for the day.

 After it crawled out of the flower, it sat on the petals (are they called petals when there's just one continuous one like this?) and stayed there.

 I did my bug walk a couple of hours later, and it was still there. As far as I can tell it spent the whole afternoon on this flower, changing positions sometimes, but not flying off.

 There are other bees that are spending a great deal of time in one spot.

The asters were popular again today:

 Ant

Hover flies:

 Wasp–on morning glory vines, not asters.

I saw quite a few hoppers today, and got pictures of a couple:

An interesting development on the infested woolly bear:

 Do you see those dark things sticking out of its side?

 These things.

 Some of the larvae have begun to pupate. I think that this is the end of watching this macabre scene, though. Later in the afternoon the caterpillar, which has been in the same spot for about two weeks, had walked almost all the way down the wall of the house. I would guess it will be gone tomorrow.

 This woolly bear seems to be in better shape.

And the march fly is still on the front porch.