We've investigated some more this weekend and found some more interesting species and happenings. I may have to start a "Best of Backyard Science" board and begin taking votes! Check out our recent discoveries.
Discovery #1
After spying on this rather large bee for a few minutes, I discovered it was actually "combing" through each and every purple petal of the Passion Flower. It made several trips around the center of the flower, all the while getting pollen stuck on its back and legs. My guess is that this backyard friend was all of 2 inches long. No fun getting buzzed buy this thing...I left in a hurry!
Discovery #2
Nope...it's not a bee! Nope...it's not a butterfly! Nope, it's not a hummingbird! After some research, we discovered this flying machine is a BUMBLEBEE MOTH, aka "Snowberry Clearwing"! Not your typical moth...this bumblebee disguise is perfect for tricking the most sly predators. And...we thought the most interesting part was that it feeds during the day, which is completely opposite that of most moths. It's even fuzzy like moths. We have several of these that visit our butterfly bush daily.
Discovery #3
I'm not sure if this backyard friend is as funny as its backside indicates... I hadn't even noticed this big smile until I edited the picture. The spider is actually very small...probably about a 1/4 inch. As I was cropping the image to make the spider bigger, I noticed his big grin! My oldest said, "God has a sense of humor - it's probably one of the most poisonous spiders in the world." I was just happy that it seems happy in my backyard!
Discovery #4
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