Step Outside

Those of us who nurture our small plot of land see the rewards of our efforts in the daily visits of birds and butterflies. I see the birds flying by and hear their calls right through the windows. I know they are finding sustenance and shelter in my yard. I can see the butterflies floating through the air, even as I sit inside and participate in conference calls for work.

Handsome trig cricket

I’m amazed, however, at some of the truly unique things I see on chance moments outside. A walk to the mailbox or a moment to water a thirsty plant can be very special because occasionally these quick moments outside allow me to discover things that I probably would have missed – a moment of serendipity, if you will.

This summer I’ve discovered several unusual bugs, species that are new to me after 16 years in this garden. Have they been here all along? Or have my garden practices (planting native plants, leaving fallen leaves/logs/sticks, eschewing pesticides) helped to bring them in?

The first discovery in late June was a spider-eating wasp; this fierce lady was carefully dragging a large, paralyzed spider to her nest to feed her babies. I noticed the flicker of movement as I rounded the side of the house to get something.

Wasp spider carrying her groceries

In mid-July, I was photographing bees on my mountain mint (Pycnanthemum) when I spotted what appeared to be a large mosquito. As you may remember from my earlier post, it turned out to be an elephant mosquito, one of the good guys! I have seen it once again, when I was counting pollinators in mid-August.

The third discovery was the handsome trig, a cricket of elegant attire to be sure. This picture is not my best but unfortunately I have not seen him since to try for a better one. I found him next to my 'casual brush pile' next to the driveway in early August. He is also known as the red-headed bush cricket.

In mid-August, a moth on my boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) turned out to be the boneset borer moth. It was new to me, and if my boneset dies over the winter then its larvae may be to blame.

Boneset borer moth ... on boneset (Eupatorium)

A mating pair of Carolina mantids

September brought a male Carolina mantis to mate with the young female that had been living in the potted plants on my deck. Although he – and another male waiting nearby – stayed there for the act for several hours, I would not have seen them if I hadn’t gone outside that day. By the way, there was no evidence that she ate either one afterwards; she was happily munching on a small bee the next morning.

Geotrupes dung beetle

An upside down beetle in my garage the same day turned out to be a type of dung beetle. It was a gorgeous shade of green with blue undersides. This is the second type of dung beetle I’ve found in my yard (the first one not being seen again) and will be added to the list of beetles that I’ve seen only once: the carrion beetle, the tortoise beetle, the tiger beetle.

Step outside for just a moment, especially in your own yard, and see what shows up. I think that the more native plants you use, the more natural materials you leave in place, and the fewer pesticides that you use will all help to bring you more of the unique things in nature. If you have a diverse mix of areas, sun/shade and wet/dry, the diversity of what you can see increases even more. Nature awaits!