Some cool new faces in the gardens

As usual, I just happened to look in the right place at the right time. This time, it was down at a mealy sage leaf in the front yard. Something bright yellow caught my eye. I snapped one photo, then –– silly me –– I touched her. Whoosh! Up her drag line she zipped, way high in the wafer ash tree. Luckily, I got one decent shot. Anyone care to guess at this spider's common name? (Answer at the bottom of this post.)

 

Now meet a piglet bug. A what, you say? Me, too! I spotted this tiny critter on my rubber flip flop and nearly blew off getting any pictures. I mean, it was TINY. But I did. Good thing, too. Turns out I found a piglet bug, more precisely this one: Bruchomorpha nodosa. And that's all I know.

 This morning, I was walking down our driveway when I spotted.....A TIGER BEETLE! My first ever! I knew what it was right away. They're fast fliers, but I got some great shots. This one is a limestone tiger beetle (Cicindela politula). According to Bugguide.net, they occur in "limestone or calcareous clay and, in particular, dirt roads, bare areas, and trails near this type of substrate."

ANSWER: Butterfly orbweaver (Araneus pegnia). As soon as I got a close up look at this spider, I said, "That looks like a butterfly!" Hence, its cool common name.