#broodbugs

[broodsys]

I found a new-to-me bug !!!

inat suggested it's a type of fungus eating lady beetle, which makes sense considering I found it while trimming back the goji berry that's been struck by what I'm guessing is powdery mildew

[broodsys]

and "pics or it didn't happen" tax (spiders!!!)

each individual is gonna get it's own row. I think a lot of these are the same species - I'm thinking cross orbweaver?

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this one is just an underneath photo bc of the position of the actual spider

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this one and the next were just, idk, 2 inches apart? smth like that

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no idea what this guy is... inat I am on my way!!!

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(ft. one from last night)

[broodsys]

just sitting outside watching this wasp come back to one specific spot in the bucket pond over and over again

I thought it was drinking water when I first saw it, but it frequently isn't quite at the water level and instead seems to be doing with with a piece of material along the interior wall of the bucket pond

building a nest there seems... terrible lmao. but I'm wondering if it's taking pieces from the material - which seems to be a bit of decaying reed - to help build its nest elsewhere

[broodsys]

ohhhhhhhhh.... okay, i think i finally understand smth that has confused me for some time

idk tho, this might bother some ppl, so i'll be talking in some detail about mosquito life cycles under the cut

so i've seen the larval stages a lot, ofc. they're very active and distinct. but i often find what appears to be the larval stages just... floating and unmoving

i was really confused. kinda wondered if it was maybe a mating thing? smth like the male becoming unmoving/floating so the female can access him as needed kinda thing? but then when i looked into it, that didn't sound like how they bred

so then i was like, okay, well, maybe it's the shell left behind when the adult emerges! that makes sense! ...except! the pupal stage looks different than the larval stage, and they emerge from the pupal stage. so back to square one

...but! they have multiple larval instars! and they molt during these! so these things i'm finding are most likely the larval molts!!!!

[broodsys]

having a little sippy 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 I keep seeing wasps - or maybe this one wasp in particular! - going to this exact spot in the bucket pond for a little drink 😭💖 so cute....

edit to say don't turn on sound unless you want to hear really loud construction noises 😩