It’s cold and rainy in the Northeast now, which means the diversity and abundance of insects will be a bit lower than say in the summer. I will just have to be a little more focused in my efforts to bump into bugs during the cold months.

There are a few still out and about though, like for example this little ambush bug. Their name says it all…they are a ’sit-and-wait’ predator. Usually you can find them on flowers like golden rod, beautifully blended into the background. They wait for an unsuspecting bee or fly that happens upon the flower for a pollen meal…then they ambush. The bug injects a saliva/toxin mixture into the prey to kill it. Notice the femurs on the front legs are a lot bigger than the others, that is because they have powerful muscles for grabbing and holding insect prey.

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