Memory Lane

 I was looking for something here on the blog, which led to me going through a lot of old posts, reinforcing how many more bugs I found in my backyard in other years. There was also a reminder of the drought we went through in 2015. But there were more bugs then.

Backyard Bug of the Day:

This may look exactly like some bugs I have posted frequently lately, but those were large milkweed bugs. This is a small milkweed bug. The difference is seen in size, which is hard to compare when you see only one bug, but also in the markings on the back. I realize that this is not really a good picture (and therefore should not be BBotD), but it's what I got. The wind and lack of cooperation from the bug were against me.

This horrible picture at least shows the markings. I read this one described as being black with red markings, which I thought odd because I always saw it as red with black markings, mainly because of the black heart that makes this so identifiable.

Other Bugs:

One of the grasshoppers was still hanging around today.

Today I got a better picture of it. It was on a different plant today, proving again that it can get around find without that missing leg.

 Bad picture of a wasp (ugh, why do I undermine myself like that? But it's true... although more the wasp's fault than mine), but I am posting it for the insect I didn't see when I took the picture.

 

Crane fly

A leaf hopper nymph and a leaf hopper. I don't know if they are the same species.

 In the middle of the main milkweed patch are two thriving, blooming goldenrod plants.

Here is one of them. These two plants should be teeming with insects, but they are not.

On the two plants, I found two honeybees...

... one bumblebee, some gnats (which were flying around and didn't get into the picture)...

... one jagged ambush bug, pictured here, and one stilt bug, which flew away before I could take its picture. There should be at least a dozen bees on these plants, a wasp or two, some flies, perhaps a moth, several beetles, a couple of spiders (which may have been lurking unseen), at least one looper caterpillar, and a hairstreak butterfly. I haven't even SEEN a hairstreak butterfly in about a month, and I haven't seen any on the goldenrod. Same with looper caterpillars. 

Where are you, bugs? I miss you!

On another goldenrod plant nearby, I thought I was about to witness an assassination, but the assassin but turned and moved off in the opposite direction, and the stilt bug was unharmed.

I didn't find this cricket on my bug walk, I found it while I was harvesting cucamelons from the garden; it was hiding among the leaves.

Arachnid Appreciation:

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Trash line spider. Note the background color of an autumn leaf.