Very, very cool!

That's a good looking spider Char, thanks for the breathing legs info too. Who would have thought?

Arachnids are fascinating creatures. Did you know Horseshoe crabs are closely related to arachnids?
they have unique blood -- it's blue - read about it here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
Because their blood is so unique it is used for the detection of bacterial endotoxins in medical applications. The blood of horseshoe crabs is harvested for this purpose.

How neat is that?!

Wow - this forum is fascinating. Like Ripley's Believe it or Not!
I hate to change the subject, but back to bees. I've got lots of these right now. Hoping someone out there can tell me what they are. Only two eyes, but they are huge!

"All the better to see you with, my dear."

Also, I once saw Horseshoe Crabs mating and I've never recovered.

That's really neat Ann!

I'm looking forward to the name of those bees Char...

Melanie! You just can't unsee things. Heck, that's not even a word.

It didn't help that I was about ten when I saw that. I mean, I knew about sex, but horseshoe crab sex? I was on a Girl Scout trip to Indian Rocks Beach, I believe. Showed my mom and everything. I actually felt better about it when years ago I happened to watch a nature show that explained the process. Made much more sense then.

Love those big eyed bees. I think that one is a Sweat Bee.

I think it's a digger bee of some kind
http://bugguide.net/node/view/...
http://bugguide.net/node/view/...

A Digger Bee???? I think you're right! How exciting! Thanks, Dirt!

I'm okay with most insects and spiders.
Fire Ants and Yellow jackets are not on that list.

This was our garden guest today.



She may or may not pollinate things with that fur of hers brushing all over the flowers but I can tell you she has a voracious appetite for bugs. We love her!

Skunk?

Back in the 70's visited Florida and saw Horseshoe crabs (I think that's what they were) mating by the hundreds (maybe thousands). I guess some biological marker causes them to gather in masses to mate.

Today: ants, leafhoppers, and a spider -

Yes, skunk.

Oh J, I love that stripey, colorful leafhopper.

I've seen that colorful leafhopper before... I think it's called candy striped leafhopper.

With all the rain, looks like pollywogs in standing water.

Oh boy! There's a passel of them!

Can you believe how many!? I hope they have time to turn into frogs. Although there must be a mess of them already because in the evening I can hear them. Whatever kind of frogs they are, they sound like goats.

I have a feeling it's going to get so loud you can't hear yourself think! Let's just hope they gobble up all those skeeters that will come of this.

I sure wish you could send some rain our way Christine. Isn't it amazing how we get opposite weather conditions?