Orb Weaver - Araniella proxima

This is my favorite spider of 2013. I photographed it in mid July. A spider with a face on its butt. How cool is that!

Cicada - Okanagana canadensis

This one was singing near Birch lake this summer. Okanagana canadensis is a common northern species which even gets up into the NWT.

Apple Maggot Fly - Rhagoletis pomonella

Back in August I found this cool fruit fly with a spider pattern on its wings. It was on our hops vine.

Bee Fly - Hemipenthes morioides

I've always liked Bee flies. I found this one in the yard in July pollinating flowers.

Picture-winged Fly - Callopistromyia strigula

July was a good month for Picture-winged Flies. I like the way they hold their wings open at times, ready for lift off. This one was in the herb bed around the oregano.

Picture-winged Fly - Ceroxys latiusculus

When we were at the farm this fall I noticed quite a few of these striped flys. They seemed to do more walking than flying and were constantly shuffling their wings.

Larder Beetle - Dermestes lardarius

I found this beetle crawling across the floor in the lunch room at work. That makes sense. They are often found where food is stored.

Tissue Moth - Triphosa haesitata

The temperature was about 5°c the other night when this Tissue Moth showed up. I love their colors.  It's always a treat to see one.

Snout Beetle - Glocianus punctiger

At only 3mm B spotted this tiny beetle while we were out in the yard. Their host plant is Dandelions and the larva feed on the seeds in the flower heads.

Dung Beetle - Aphodius fimetarius

For whatever reason I’ve always associated dung beetles with the prairies where I grew up. On the farm, whether in the chicken coop, the pig barn or the cow pasture, there was lots of dung for these beetles to eat. I was pleasantly surprised to find this guy on our walking trail up here in the Boreal forest. This species was introduced from Europe and is about 7mm in size.