mistressofmuses (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
mistressofmuses) wrote2022-08-09 06:58 pm
mistressofmuses) wrote2022-08-09 06:58 pm
Monday: a neighborhood park with lots of bugs!
One thing our city has going for it is that there really are a lot of nice little neighborhood parks - almost any area is likely to have at least a couple within walking distance. We've visited a few that are on our usual commute route, because we want somewhere to take Cy on very short walks. Unfortunately, a lot of them have been taken over by geese, and dodging the goose poo is not the most fun with the dog.
BUT. There's one we'd never really stopped before, but Alex has been taking Cy there for a week or so. He said it was pretty nice, so on Monday we stopped by there.
They have a small garden area, which I of course headed for, and there were SO MANY BUGS! It was delightful! (I love insects and spiders and such of all kinds, and getting to see a bunch of different types in a small area was really encouraging!
My favorite was this praying mantis, and I was happy to manage to get a picture of it AND a bumblebee together!
(There were SO MANY bees. Lots of honeybees, several bumblebees, a few wasps, and some solitary bees that I couldn't identify exactly. One was mostly black, another kind of greyish - they're possibly carpenter bees of some kind.)
Second favorite: an ambush bug and a very tiny jumping spider (so cute!) on a daisy.
Alex was the one to spot the ambush bugs, of which there were many. I had completely overlooked them, initially! If I was a smaller bug it would have gotten me.
And here's Cy. :)
Alex seemed most impressed by the variety of grasshoppers. This was a particularly large grasshopper! And a true bug of some kind down in the corner.
I did really like the mantis. We don't see them every year, though most years we do.
The composition leaves something to be desired, but three bugs in one! Mantis to the right, bumblebee up toward the left, blurry honeybee photobombing in the lower middle.
Another smaller mantis!
A daddy long-legs, lurking.
Cy having a good roll and stretch.
It was warm but not too hot, and it was nice for a short little walk. Getting to see so many insects - especially ones I haven't seen often, like the ambush bugs and the mantises - was fun. I'm glad to see someplace that even with a pretty small plant area that has a fairly decent ecosystem going for it!
BUT. There's one we'd never really stopped before, but Alex has been taking Cy there for a week or so. He said it was pretty nice, so on Monday we stopped by there.
They have a small garden area, which I of course headed for, and there were SO MANY BUGS! It was delightful! (I love insects and spiders and such of all kinds, and getting to see a bunch of different types in a small area was really encouraging!
My favorite was this praying mantis, and I was happy to manage to get a picture of it AND a bumblebee together!
(There were SO MANY bees. Lots of honeybees, several bumblebees, a few wasps, and some solitary bees that I couldn't identify exactly. One was mostly black, another kind of greyish - they're possibly carpenter bees of some kind.)
Second favorite: an ambush bug and a very tiny jumping spider (so cute!) on a daisy.
Alex was the one to spot the ambush bugs, of which there were many. I had completely overlooked them, initially! If I was a smaller bug it would have gotten me.
And here's Cy. :)
Alex seemed most impressed by the variety of grasshoppers. This was a particularly large grasshopper! And a true bug of some kind down in the corner.
I did really like the mantis. We don't see them every year, though most years we do.
The composition leaves something to be desired, but three bugs in one! Mantis to the right, bumblebee up toward the left, blurry honeybee photobombing in the lower middle.
Another smaller mantis!
A daddy long-legs, lurking.
Cy having a good roll and stretch.
It was warm but not too hot, and it was nice for a short little walk. Getting to see so many insects - especially ones I haven't seen often, like the ambush bugs and the mantises - was fun. I'm glad to see someplace that even with a pretty small plant area that has a fairly decent ecosystem going for it!
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And yes, the biodiversity was super encouraging! It seemed to be a pretty healthy little ecosystem, which is always nice to see. Too many parks spray pesticides, and I like finding one that doesn't appear to.
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It was a very nice spot for a short walk. He had a good time, even though he wimped out pretty fast, yet had to keep being herded back to the shade, lol.