So I’m bored with the garden, ok?
Until we get some decent rain most things are at a standstill…. except for the bugs. They’re going full tilt and doing what bugs do (which is eat and multiply). The grasshoppers are moving in off the dead grass of the meadow and taking advantage of the lush, watered parts of the garden. I can do without a plague of these suckers, and fortunately they don’t seem to do too much damage. I just pick them off and toss them on their way.
Katydids always show up on the purple leaved cannas. I’m not sure if it’s just that the holes are more obvious on these big leaves, but I always seem to find one here. If you look carefully you’ll see a second one further back, to the lower right. These guys (actually this one might be a female) get their names from the “Ka-ty-did, she-didn’t, she-did” song they sing at night. It’s one of the summer sounds I always look forward to. If you want to see something even cooler, look up “pink katydid” and you’ll see some uncommon color forms of this already far too pettable insect.
Believe it or not these things can fly too, and between their cool leaf shape, summertime song, and impressive size, I really don’t mind them eating as much canna leaves as they want. Plus the kids love to play with these slow moving gentle giants. I love having all this life going on in the garden and it’s the number one reason I avoid spraying whenever I can.
The bugs don’t always have it that easy….. A big bug makes for a big meal and besides all the birds that search the garden each morning, these yellow garden spiders wouldn’t mind making a meal out of a fat bumble bee or grasshopper. Judging by it’s plumpness I’d say the living is easy right now. 
As you can see the phlox is still holding on, and I’ll try to show a couple flowers next time instead of continuing this parade of creepy crawlies. But just look at the size of that spider! Oh, and also notice the white zigzag “writing” on the web above and below the spider. These orb spiders are sometimes called writing spiders, and I think the pattern is supposed to keep birds from flying into and ruining their webs…. Flowers next time, I promise.
sorta like suburbia 
I actually like all the bugs, with a few exceptions (Japanese beetles, for example).
I like the bugs too, but would add asiatic garden beetles and gnats to the exception list…. Hate both of them.
Your phlox look great. I’ve not seen orb spiders this year yet. They’re pretty fascinating.
They are cool aren’t they! They’re so big and colorful that even though you’ll jump a little when you see one move, you can’t help but be fascinated.
I saw my first of the season orb spider today, but what the heck is with all the grasshoppers this year. It is like they are here to take over the world. I do enjoy taking photos of them, but everywhere I walk, it is like artillery firing all around. I am like you a bit, we NEED the rain. Everything is dry and I will be out cutting off all the flowers to preserve the plants. These last number of years I have been doing that. Our area really has been suffering from the lack of rain. Yesterday, the big equipment came and took down 5 of the 90 foot high Norway Maples on our street. They were stressed beyond ever coming back. I know I am a broken record on the warming, but I think this is what is to come. I do like your photos. You have color and insects too.
I know what you mean. Our weather has been all over the place this year, but the part I like least are the dry springs. Last year the lawn was going dormant in May!
I think that’s the kind of weather grasshoppers thrive on, dry weather really seems to grow them up big and healthy… but on the plus side drought seems to really hurt the grub population, I guess a dormant lawn doesn’t do much for baby grub health.
Sorry about your trees. Even with all their invasive water robbing tendencies a maple lined street really adds a lot to a neighborhood. Hopefully the replacements will thrive.
I don’t mind sharing as their concert is just so beautiful in the summer. By the way, humans are the same: All they do is eat and multiply AND destroy this beautiful planet which the other guys wouldn’t dream of 😉
Hi Annette, Good point, bugs are more than welcome to their share of my garden patch; I’m glad it provides for them as well as myself!
I think the title of my post is a bit misleading, when I say ‘enough with the bugs’ I meant enough with me posting non-flower pictures- I feel like they are not everyone’s favorite subject…. myself though, I could go on and on about all the little creatures I find out there!
I came across a large praying mantis this morning, had the camera battery not been dead I would have broken my ‘no more bugs’ promise one more time!
Somehow I missed your last blog post! Love the well and I let out a little laugh when I saw your bush cricket! Excellent pictures and good find, looks like we’ve both got bugs on our minds 🙂
Misleading, you’re right, I’m glad that’s how you feel about it. Me, too, I can never get enough of the wild things 😉