Some new bugs

Travel for work has been really reducing the time I can spend in the garden recently, which means the time I have in the garden is spent working for the most part -- I've been spending a lot less time just observing.

I've still managed to keep my eyes open and find a few interesting things almost every time I go out there though, which is gratifying because that's the kind of garden I've been striving to create over the years.

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Today we take a look at a couple of "new" bugs that I've not seen before:

As I've mentioned several times before, I primarily use bugguide.net to help identify unknown insects. In this case though, it's really difficult to know where to start.

I've spent some time looking, but haven't been able to identify this one -- so for now it's unknown (to me).

This next one though I think I can find:

At first  I thought it was a wasp of some kind, but then realized that it was drinking the nectar, and is actually a moth:

Not just any moth either, but Melittia cucurbirtae or the squash vine borer. Ack! My zucchini! My cucumbers!

Finally, I felt a tickle on my leg while I was out looking at the pond, and found this little guy climbing me:

I released him onto a bamboo, hoping I'd get to see him catch some small flies that were landing there. I didn't have the time to spend watching him hunt though... maybe next time little guy! He is larger than he was when he first hatched of course, but still quite tiny.

(That's the reason I don't immediately swat at any tickle I feel when in the garden.)


So one unknown, one unwanted, and one very much wanted.

I like the way this post balanced out.

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