Bugs

Not Buggsy, who is so named because it looks like he is covered with bugs, but the real thing. I often find insects in the birdbath when I refresh it every morning, and their variety never ceases to amaze me. I am overwhelmed by the identification process: I wish I had had a little more biology education.

But, there is help. I found this great website (http://www.bugguide.net/). It is an exhaustive collection with enough information to fill a library it seems, but rather than having to muddle through, you can submit an ID request. I have found the volunteers very helpful and knowledgeable, and I usually get a response within hours of my question.

Here is a wasp (ichneumon wasp [subfam. Ophioninae]) that I found in the birdbath yesterday. He was swimming for all he was worth, but thankfully recovered quickly once I fished him out and let him dry on a nearby plant. And I thought he might be a dragonfly of some sort ...


This is a moth (Hemileuca juno) that clung to the screen door this morning. What a hairdo!


Love that Web!