It was fairly breezy this morning, but that can be an advantage. Insects will disappear if they feel unnatural movement of their perch, but wind does not bother them. When it's breezy, I can gently grasp a stalk and hold it still for photos and the insect simply thinks the wind has stopped.

I dare not identify the crab spider. I will get it wrong. Four anterior eyes but no dimpling of the carapace. The dimpling could be a matter of age. I finally got the eyes today only after it retreated to its hideout in the flower petals and looked out. That was quite a trick getting the timing, focus and light correct enough to count eyes.

Aphids are doing well, of course. But there was drama. A nursery spider captured an ant under a leaf with an aphid colony. Both ant and spider were dangling in this high breeze and I could not figure out how to keep them still for photos.

I saw only one St. John's Wort beetle on oxeye daisy, but it quickly disappeared after Lucy ran through the clump of flowers. I saw none on blackeye susan today and found no aphids there, so I cannot solve the mystery of the objects in the photo with the beetle a couple of days ago.

The bees are swarming the rugosa. There are several species but I cannot reach the blossoms.

Posted on July 4, 2022 05:02 PM by andreerenosanborn