Bad Timing

The salamander larvae have chosen a very bad time to emerge; this is what the little pond, where their egg masses were laid, looked like today:

 There is a tiny bit of water in the middle, but mostly it's mud. I have seen it empty once before, but except for those few days, there has been water here since last fall. Considering how rainy it has been in the last few weeks, I am a little surprised that it has dried up now. Unfortunately for everything living in it, the forecast is no longer looking like this is going to be replenished soon.

 There are at least three salamander larvae visible in here. The egg masses themselves don't seem to be drying up, although almost all of them are completely out of water now. I hope they survive, but it's not looking good. They need to live in the water for a while before they can survive on land. First the turkeys, now the salamanders... nature is harsh.

I have two Backyard Co-Bugs of the Day today, and though they are from different orders, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera, these two insects have certain things in common: they are almost impossible to photograph, and they can deliver painful bites/stings.

Backyard Co-Bug of the Day #1:

 Six-spotted tiger beetle. This was taken in the street, in the cul-de-sac, but since the cul-de-sac is now my property I am counting this. This is one of my favorite insects. Supposedly they can bite quite painfully, but I wonder how anyone ever gets close enough to one to get bitten. I find them quite skittish. I didn't even get close enough for a really good picture.

Backyard Co-Bug of the Day #2:

 Velvet ant, female. To reiterate what I have said about velvet ants before, it is actually a wasp. The male has wings, and the female does not. What she does have, that the male does not, is the ability to sting, and the sting is apparently quite painful, though I don't think this particular species is reputed to be the most painful one.

 They rarely stay still long enough for a good picture.

Other Bugs:

 Water strider in the stream

 Stonefly

Arachnid Appreciation:
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Spider exuvia. I cannot tell what species shed this exoskeleton.