Condensation

 A couple of weeks ago I had over 50 Daisies blooming in my front lawn.  Today, all that's left is this small patch.  AS the food supply diminishes, certain bugs are gathering for their last meals before winter.  As I came closer I saw three bugs on one daisy.  They looked like siblings.  The Daisy was about ready to dry up, but there must have been a little edible tissue remaining.  As I watched,

 a fourth bug emerged.  Probably the same species, but maybe an adult, or a different gender.  Much fancier coloration.  Click for a closer view

 In the flower patch along our fence, there are just a few remaining flowers blooming, and a purple cluster got my attention.  The bees were very wary and they took off as soon as I approached.  As I was contemplating the slightly cooler weather and the cloud cover, I thought about my unfinished gathering of firewood.  Also, wanted to compare to last fall, so I checked last year's blog.  Turns out it snowed on October 5!  It melted quickly, though, and the treehoppers on the oaks in my driveway hung around in good numbers for at least another two weeks. 

 This year, though, the Treehoppers are about gone.  Today I could only find this one (below), and all the brightly colored nymphs I photographed last week are nowhere to be seen. I thought we'd get some rain today, but we didn't.  There's a great air of anticipation around our house.  We don't have all our firewood yet, and we haven't yet fired up our new wood stove.  We're trying to prepare good shelter for our pets, and on our frequent breaks from fall chores we 're enjoying watching the plants and bugs prepare for winter.