Killer Instinct

MrsP sent me outdoors in search of a small orange butterfly she saw on Joe Pye Weed. Of course it wasn’t there so I toured the yard in search of something else to blip • I found one of our tall cosmos had face-planted into one of the milkweeds. As I was propping it back up with a stake I noticed this one inch long assassin bug at its base. It moved onto a short stem facing away from me but I was able to get off a couple of shots. This is the first one I’ve ever seen • They’re considered a beneficial insect because they kill garden pests. First they paralyze them, then they suck out their bodily fluids. So gruesome but fascinating too :) • I mowed the lawn and moved some things back out of the shed. All is right in our little world :) • Happy Sunday!