Recent Bugs

A fly? A bee? I put less effort into identifying the types of some insects than I used to because there are flies that look like bees, bees that look like flies, flies that look like wasps, and I don't know what else. As for species, sometimes it seems as though one has to count the hairs on a leg to decide.

eastern yellowjacket wasp on lovage

 A northern paper wasp, maybe. Many photos show them with stripes, but this photo matches one in an ODNR publication which says, "This is our most common native paper wasp, but is highly variable and can be mistaken for several different species. Further, recent studies have revealed two previously unrecognized species nearly identical to the Northern Paper Wasp." Also, an Iowa State U. website says, "... the separation of P. fuscatus from related species remains the greatest taxonomic problem of the northeastern Vespidae fauna." What did I write in the first photo's caption?

cabbage white butterfly, I think. This would have been a fantastic shot if only the butterfly were in focus.

Leaf-footed bug. I focused on the eggs, which look like barrels lined-up end-to-end. The party is on a porch screen.

leaf-footed bug nymphs

black swallowtail caterpillar on dill