I have a buddy that hangs out between my window and the screen. He keeps me company. Most days, when it’s colder, he hides in the corners where I can’t usually see him, but on the warmer days he does his funny little slow walk into the center part of the window where I can watch him. He used to have a bunch of friends that were around my doors and periodically came in to visit, but now it’s just him…

In the mornings, I am always sleepily waiting on the coffee pot to finish brewing that first cup of coffee to get my day started. That first morning sip of wonderful, warm, steamy, caffeine laden liquid is much anticipated. Until you see something small floating in your dark wonderful liquid and discover a nasty little fruit fly has decided to take a death bath in your morning coffee. Gross 🤢

It looks like I’m going to need to start watching where I step in my house. Not because there are dog toys on the floor, or rugs waiting to trip me up (although it has been known to happen), but because I have extra critters roaming about. Large, fat, and theoretically grossly squishy if stepped on, caterpillars!

Well, our pool of many–legged critters to write about may be getting smaller with the cold weather, but there are still some winter hardy bugs out and about. Like the little grey thing in the image below. Is it a tiny moth? A weird fly? A bit of lint with legs? Nope, none of the above. It’s actually a type of tiny insect called a Psyllid.

Did you know not all ladybugs are female? These ferocious bugs certainly aren’t lady like either when they’re chowing down on the sap sucking critters eating your plants. And, to top it all off, ladybug’s aren’t even “true bugs”. They are actually a type of beetle. Basically the whole name “ladybug” is a misnomer. Well then, lol!

The adorable Woolly Bear Caterpillar brings a lot of fond memories for me. As a kid, I would always find these furry guys crossing the road when out for a dog walk or just going down the street to a friend’s house. Every fall. Without fail. And of course, being a good little nature lover, I would have to stop and carry each one to the other side of the road lol. I mean, I couldn’t let them get hit by a car, now could I!

You feel almost nothing at first… Maybe a slight poke or prick, nothing of consequence – you figure you probably just brushed up against a twig or something. Soon you start to feel sluggish, maybe unwell, not at all like yourself. You start to notice a squirming, gnawing feeling internally. It gets worse… And worse… You finally realize what’s going on. You are slowly being eaten from the inside out. While still alive! 😱 And there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.

Gone are the days of sunlight until 9 o’clock in the evening and it is definitely getting colder. I even had to bring a couple of my plants inside over the weekend because I was worried about frost! Despite losing the long warm months, there are still a few hardcore insects trying to hang in there.

Whoever said little moths were all brown and ugly clearly has never seen this lovely critter. This bright, boldly patterned creature looks more like a roll of batik fabric than a fragile little moth in my opinion. And it’s a moth that actually comes out during the day!

Here I was just minding my own business, observing all the lichen bits on a nearby tree, when who do I see? None other than the beautiful, the amazing, the tiny yet mighty, red Velvet Mite!