Bugs! and Other Photos from Our Yard

Our yard is alive with wildlife this spring, so thought I would post some photos of the critters and a few native plants they’re especially attracted to. The insects attract a host of larger insects and in the chain of life, they in turn attract a rich bird and lizard population that feeds on them all. The last photo I took was of a Cooper’s hawk hoping to feed on one of those birds.

I’m also fishing more native bees and other interesting insects out of our pool (the majority are making it after catching their breath) — more than the usual honeybees, so that’s a sign their numbers are increasing in our yard as we’ve gone to more native plants. In a prior post Native Bees and Other Wildlife Find Our Yard I mentioned how research is showing native bees are effective pollinators, and their presence makes the European imported honeybees work even harder.

While most photos below are from our yard, a couple are from a local hike. If anyone wants to help me identify anything please do… Update: The Bug Chicks helped me identify a few more – thank you!