March 2021 has been one of the warmest and mildest I can recall and I have never seen this many bugs and insects emerging before April.  For the last few week there have been spiders wandering and crawling out across the melting snow drifts, almost like extreme explorers on glaciers.  

I am note sure yet what species the first two images are but I suspect they are some type of Drawf or Sheetweb Spiders. This last one, directly above is a Thanatus Crab Spider, they are quite common spiders found Pacific Heights and this one was on a snow drift near the pedestrian walkway near Kensington Save on Foods. 

I did not always take my camera out with me but I counted about 20 spiders observed on my walks the weekend of March 13th and 14th. More snow had melted and there were about 30 seen the following weekend March 20th and 21st. Most were common were these Red and Black wanderers:

 This past weekend was the warmest one yet with Temperatures up to +18 Celsius on Sunday, in most open areas the snow had melted down and not much for drifts remained . 

April has also been quite lovely and some of the wasps and beetles I usually do not see until End of April or early May have been out and about.  Below are some of the bugs found in Saskatoon, mostly Pacific Heights and out at Chappell Marsh Conservation Area just south of the city. 
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A small Rove Beetle running underfoot in the gravel alley behind Tache Crescent in Pacific Heights, Saskatoon. 

A few of these large Flea Beetles were crawling upward from the debris at the foot of the sound wall behind Michener Crescent in Pacific Heights, Saskatoon. 

An adult female Ichneumon wasp my sister found and brought to me as we were looking for bugs and birds at Chappell Marsh Conservation Area just South of Saskatoon. 

At Chappell Marsh we were trying to walk the Buffalo Berry Trail there and had to walk on the grasses adjacent to the path since the snow drifts on the path were so high and soft we kept sinking in to our knees. While walking in the grass we startled a few of these tiny sharpshooting leaf hoppers, recent identified on iNaturalist.org as Helochara communis - the Bog Leafhopper. 

We also startled a few spiders in the grasses on the snow drifts. This was a sub-adult wolf spider in the genus Pardosa at Chappell Marsh. 

Early Jumping Spiders!  :) The first image is a Habronattus Jumping spider on the Sound Wall behind Langevin Cresent in Pacific Heights and the second image is a female Zebra Jumping Spider on the outside building of the Saskatoon Farmers Market Building on Koyl Ave in Saskatoon near the Airport. 

An early Honey Bee, it had flown around us and landed on the pathway at Chappell Marsh where it wrestled with a piece of sage on the path, not sure if it was getting anything from the sage as it was not blooming. 

​Favorite Observations of 2020!

Last year I created this blog and made one post! The year did not roll out how I envisioned as I had intended to publish quite a few more entries and a lot more photographs.  I found that my desire to be out and about taking photographs greatly exceeded my desire to write. Adding to the mix and fray my work and family needs also seems to creep in and get entangled so my already poor time management also made writing a low priority with old routines evolved into new routines.

Last year Saskatoon was blessed with lovely weather, albeit a bit windy from time to time (or all the time) and on the weekends and after work I was able to get out quite a bit with the camera. I am quite happy with some of the results and pleased to say I got some funs photos as well as many memorable encounters with my arthropod neighbors.  

Here are some of my favorites!

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A Camo Inchworm! I was trying to photograph a wasp feeding on the Yarrow when the flower itself seemed to move, startling the wasp and making me jump! Upon closer inspection it proved to be a small caterpillar that had used silk threads to glue Yarrow petals to itself. I am not sure what species it was but suspect something in the Genus Synchlora. 

A lovely wasp feeding on Goldenrods in the afternoon, observed just south of William A Reid Park in Fairhaven, Saskatoon. It has been identified on both iNaturalist.org and Bugguide.net as Stenodynerus amormis which is a member of the Potter and Mason Wasp Family.  

This little leafcutter bee was feeding on a small sunflower in my sister's back garden in Riversdale Neighborhood. It took up quite a defensive posture and stood its ground but did not fly away or seem intimidated by me or the camera. 

A small Phidippus jumping spider sharing its afternoon snack with several small flies. This was also observed in a patch of weeds and wildflowers just south of William A Reid Park in Fairhaven. 

Two different Bumble Bee Species tolerating each other while feeding on Sunflowers in my sister's back garden in Riversdale. Most of the Bumble Bees I saw there were quite territorial of their feeding space.

Sunday Brunch in the sun. This poor aphid became food for a Jumping Spiderling.  Observed on a morning hike in Echo Valley Provincial Park.

This little guy was one of many that was clustered on the leaves of a flower or weed in the morning sunlight. It was identified on iNaturalist.org as Graphocephala gothica, a member of the Sharpshooter typical leafhoppers. Observed on a hiking trail in Echo Valley Provincial Park. 

Butterflies were quite elusive this year for me, this was one of the few that did settle and allow me and the camera a few shots.  Not sure of exact species but very certain something in Genus Phyciodes - the Crsecents.  It was observed on the Northern entrance (near Dickey Cres
) to the pedestrian Bridge that crosses 22nd ST West near the Shaw Civic Centre Southern.  

Another lovely jumping spider found in Pacific Heights, Saskatoon. This one was eventually identified as Phidippus Whitmani or Whitman's Jumping Spider, named in honour of American poet Walt Whitman. There have not been many observations of these guys in Saskatchewan but I found a few of them in Pacific Heights 2020 and hope to see more in 2021. All of the ones I encountered were very fast and very shy. 

 A marsh Fly in Pacific Heights. It was very pretty and I was quite impressed to find it just a short walk from my home in Pacific Heights, we do not have any Marshes in the immediate area the the ditch nearby lining 22nd ST W just north of the Shaw Civic Centre can hold a fair bit of water. 

A Spreadwing Damselfly in Kensington just a minutes walk from the Save on Foods, it landed on the long grasses in the vacant lots of Palliser Court that will eventually be developed into houses or residential units. 

This is a Leafcutter be filling up on some Showy Milkweeds in my parents back garden. 

A poor Crab Spider paralyzed and being dragged to a wasp's nest to feed the next generation of spider wasps. Observed on the gravel pathway behind the Kensington Save on Foods. 

This small bug was a silent little Ninja! It drifted almost like a ghost just before twilight and landed nearby the Rose Weevil I was trying to photograph in my neighbors Rose bushes that were growing over the fence into our driveway. A member of the Thread-legged Bugs in Subfamily Emesinae. 

A gorgeous adult male Habronattus decorus in Pacific Heights, sunning itself on the sound wall that runs parallel to the Blairmore Bikeway. 

A very unexpected surprise! This is a type of fruit fly called Chetostoma californicum that is quite out of place. Most observations of this species are limited to California, Oregon and the West coast United States, not sure why it chose to live in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan but seemed quite at home in Holiday Park. 

Another unlikely exile in Holiday Park! A Western Leaf-footed Bug, AKA Leptoglpssus clypealis species has not been reported on either bugguide.net nor iNaturalist.org as being this far north. In the southern US states it is a common pest of Pistachio and Almond Trees. 

I observed this large Ichneumonid wasp doing its Tarzan Thing and hunting in the sand at Gabriel Dumont Park just off the Meewasin trail. Not sure what family or species it is yet but it was lovely to watch in action. 

A Bronze Tiger Beetle - Cinindela repanda running about on the sandy beaches near Meewasin Park in Riverheights/Lawson Heights. 

 This handsome fellow is an adult male Euophrys monadnock Jumping spider. It is an uncommon site and there are not many photos of these guys and virtually no pictures of living females online (as of March 2021). I have been looking for these guys every May and June since I discovered my first one in 2016 and stumbling on this active fellow felt amazing! It was not at all bothered by me or the camera but was quite fast and did not stay still at all.  Its not the crispest photo nor the best quality but I call this the "Best day Ever!" spider just because I was lucky enough to have seen and photographed it. 

Hello and Welcome! 

This blog is intended to be many things: I desire to share my adventures and photographs of the unique insects and bugs in my neighborhood as well as those  further abroad in the lovely Province of Saskatchewan. I also intend to share bug and insect science in Canada, both through books and news articles as they get published. As far back as I can remember - I have always been interested in small critters and in my adult years this interest has manifested and spawned a passion for macro bug photography during the warmer months.

With Spring approaching I am getting eager to be outside and at work. Winter seems to be hesitant to leave and combined with the reality of Covid 19 and the need to self isolate and stay inside has been quite frustrating. There is a silver lining though and as longer days and shorter nights keep trickling onward I expect that we will see Bees in our dandelions before May!

Last year Easter was slightly later and the weather warmed up much sooner - as is tradition we went out to the old family Homestead for a big supper with all the aunts, uncles and cousins as well as Grandma! Exploring the farm we found crocuses, blooming pussy willows and many of my little friends!

​April is not peak season for bugs but all of the following pictures were taken during this cool and breezy month. Most of those below are from Easter in the Rural Municipality of Corman Park just Northeast of town. The last few are from our back yard and the nearby park in residential Saskatoon. 

Ants colonies are some of the first insect groups to get going in the spring.

Small solitary mining bees emerge once the temperature consistently rises above zero during the day, and Pussy Willow provides an early food source. 

Much like the ants, flies of all sorts and various sizes emerge as soon as it gets warm and sunny!
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This large wolf Spider was sunning itself in the center of a gravel road mid afternoon. 

 That spider should be cautious as not far down the road we spotted this Spider Wasp on the hunt. 

A clown beetle scurried across the road and froze for the camera. 

This flower bug was spotted trying to blend in with the stucco on the side of our garage. Its a member of the True Bug family and was a bit of a surprise to find about so early. 

Another True Bug climbing the side of the garage. 

One of my favorite bug families or groups are the Jumping Spiders! This is a male Zebra Jumping Spider on the wall of the Shaw Centre off of Hart Road. They are tiny and quite easy to find in May, last year they were a few weeks early and a delight to find.