Single-lined Emerald - Nemoria unitaria and Wavy-lined Emerald - Synchlora aerata

When we visit the farm I like to get up early and check out the moths that were drawn to the porch light overnight. To my delight one morning in July I found these two beautiful Emeralds.

Spotted Tussock Moth - Lophocampa maculata

Just about everyone has seen these little guys crawling around in late summer. They feed on the leaves of poplar, willow, alder, birch and maple and if you touch them they roll up in a ball. The moth, on the other hand, is a little trickier to find. They come to lights, which is where I found this guy one morning. It was on the wall by the front door.

Green Lacewing - Chrysopa chi

In the summer when you see a delicate-looking bug fluttering about it's probably a Green Lacewing. Sometimes if you're lucky they will land on you. I found this one flying over the lawn back in June. The weather was pretty strange this summer but there seemed to be a more than normal amount of them in our yard. One day, while filling the bird feeder, I noticed tiny lacewing eggs hanging from a willow twig. I wasn't lucky enough to see them hatch, but I did manage to find one of the larva.

Firefly - Pyractomena borealis

I think everybody likes fireflies. You often see them on warm summer nights. Kind of magical. Well I found this guy sitting on the trunk of a tree at one of the usual stops on the West Arm Road. I thought, hey, a bug with a pink neck, how cool. When I found out it was a firefly, it kind of took the magical summer night image away. Oh well.

Phidippus borealis

Finding a jumping spider isn't the easiest, but last week when we were out trying to relocate a tiny green orb weaver in a boggy area just off the West Arm Road, B , who has an uncanny ability to spot these little guys, found this one. I was thrilled as this is the largest jumping spider that we have in SK.

Powdered Bigwing - Lobophora nivigerata

I love cryptic moths. It's amazing how well they blend in. It was cool and rainy the other day when I found this one in the yard on a poplar tree. It almost seemed sluggish which was a good thing for getting pics.

Trashline Orb Weaver - Cyclosa conica

It's still pretty cold here for this time of the year. I found this guy when we were out looking for warblers on the Mystic Lake Road. Didn't see too many bugs on that trip.

Greenish Blue - Plebejus saepiolus

I like all butterflies, but this is one of my favourites. It's color is hard to describe. We usually see them in early summer gathered around puddles. I found this one resting on our rose bush one evening in early July when I went out to check the webs around the house.

Leafhopper - Cuerna alpina

When I first saw this leafhopper I was on my knees in the leaf litter trying to get some shots of a spider. I was amazed to see such beautiful color on something so small. If I had been just walking down the trail there is no way that I would have seen it. It really makes me appreciate how much we see if we actually get down and look. This one was down the West Arm Road which is one of our favorite places.

Common Branded Skipper - Hesperia comma

I love these little guys. They seem to show up around late summer and are always fluttering along the edge of our walking trail. They seem to stop at every weed and flower along the way. I photographed this one last August.