I saw fewer insects in my flower garden this summer than I have in the past. The sweet autumn clematis and climbing milkweed vine, which usually teem with a variety of insects, seemed still and quiet. However, around the lake, the insects were more visible. Maybe because of the high heat and humidity that we’ve had, they, like me, have sought a cooler spot to pass the day away.
“How could this earth of ours, which is only a speck in the heavens, have so much variety of life, so many curious and exciting creatures?” ~Walt Disney
walking on a country road 
Nice variety. Insects and other critters go in cycles.
I’ll bet you are correct about the heat and humidity being a factor Rebecca. I like all your shots, but the grasshopper shot especially. This year was the first time for seeing grasshoppers in years. I was speaking to one of the volunteers at the botanical gardens yesterday and she mentioned insects, among them grasshoppers. We saw a couple land on leaf and she said they were in abundance this year and I said I saw a lot of them while wading around in the wildflowers on my longer treks on the weekends. She said there were lots of wasps this Summer and they were aggressive. One or two of the volunteers who hand water the 120 pots at the Conservatory have been stung on the arms and legs when the spray of water hit the wasp nests. She told me some wasp nests were no bigger than a fist but they were angry and streamed out and attacked. I told her I had huge black wasps – first time ever at my side door. The handyman sealed up the hole and then the relatives were buzzing around for weeks afterward.
I have seen several grasshoppers, especially in the tall grass along the road. Wasp are my least favorite insects. I tend to have an allergic reaction when stung by one. I try to stay as far away from them as possible.
I’ve never been stung by them, but those black wasps (which I never knew existed and look like an over-sized flying ant) were certainly worrisome buzzing around the door – I don’t blame you from staying away.
Very nice pictures! They’re all so beautiful! 🙂
Thank you!