Hello, old friend!

Well, first of all, thank you all so very much for all the lovely messages yesterday on the occasion of my 2,190th blip.  I was a bit overwhelmed with the responses and it's going to take me a wee bit of time to catch up.  But, thank you, thank you, thank you.

I was just saying to one of my naturalist friends yesterday that I hadn't seen a single Sycamore Assassin bug this summer... So, I was quite delighted to find this fine specimen hanging out on one of my patches of coneflowers today, waiting for a meal.  Assassin bugs are excellent insects to have in your garden as they eat a host of "pest" insects.  They are in the True Bug family, and the adults have wings so they can travel in search of food.  They patiently stalk their prey and then pounce.  Once they've gotten hold of the hapless meal, they use that long "nose" to inject a toxin that liquefies the insect - making it into kind of a bug smoothie.  And, no, I can't believe I know this stuff either.  When I first started blipping, I didn't know an assassin bug from a camel.  Six years into this blip adventure and I'm totally rocking my inner geek.

I have some other interesting shots from today, but I'm too tired at the moment to post anything on Flickr, so maybe tomorrow.

I frittered this entire day away pottering around the garden taking photos of birds, bugs, squirrels and various other odds and ends.  A "me" day.

cheers...

Debbi