This insect is one of the good guys. Have you seen any like this? Any other good bugs that you have seen recently?
That one’s cute in a prehistoric throwback kind of way.
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The wheel bug is very common at my property. Here is some information about him http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-09_wheel_bug.htm
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We get lots of ladybugs, of course, and some pretty nifty predatory wasps. And our pollinators are going great guns: honey & bumbles, and tiny little wasps, and so far no stings this year!
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We have lots of these around this year. I’m always glad to see them. These ladies are BIG.
Every time I hear the cicadas singing, I’m hoping they become dinner for the cicada killers wasps.
Photo credit goes to Matt Bertone from the NC State University Plant and Insect Clinic blog.
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This is a great discussion. I hope folks will continue to add their photos and info to this thread. It’s sooooo helpful.
Thanks so much for the link to the Galveston Master Gardeners link about beneficials. I love that!
Thanks, I think, for that photo of the Cicada Killer. My first glance at that picture made me jump back, a bit…especially seeing the “business end” of that wasp.
Yikes!
Good hunting! LOL
Loving this,
Jess
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This is a very good spider to have in your garden! Garden spiders typically make their webs in front of my fruits and vegetables to catch grasshoppers and other bad bugs. My mom would get frustrated with me when I was a kid because I would reach behind the spiders web and pick the fruit because it always looked the best. I only cared at the time about filling the bucket not realizing I was costing myself a lot of produce! At the time I was not aware that fruit was all part of the spiders trap. If I picked the fruit the spider would need to make a new trap elsewhere that was going to be less effective in catching the bugs attacking our garden.
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Wow. That’s a beauty!
I must say I do love spiders. When I was a kid, my folks always found it amusing when I would carefully catch any spiders that were in the house and put them outside.
My all-time favorite has got to be the Jumping Spiders. We have Bold Jumping Spiders, here. I see them marching around the garden like little bulldogs and sometimes find one or two among my houseplants. As small as they are, they’ll absolutely look at you eyeball-to-eyeball and never give ground. Very bold, indeed. LOL
Thanks for the great photo of your spider. Good hunting!
Jess
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My favorite
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Yep, he’s “giving you the eye”, alright. I like the pattern on his legs. Very fancy! The Bold Jumping Spiders we have here are a little stockier than your little guy. They’re velvety black and speckled with starry white spots.
Thanks for the great photos.
I love this thread.
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