coupling Froghoppers and other invertebrates

If you know, or have an incline to the ID of, any of the unidentified species in this post, could you leave a comment, in the box below, please?

First of all, I have to thank Liz for identifying these tiny critters.
Froghopper or Spittlebug, the last name due to their ability of the nymph to suck sap from the plant, and shelter within this "foam or "spittle".
I'd been inbetween the Nettles, Urtica dioica, and Common Bird'sfoot Trefoil, Lotus comiculatus, and went indoors to get a new battery for the camera. Outside again, I spotted this hitch hiker. It had travelled a fair distance with me. This was the second time that one took a fancy to the control panel of my wheels.





On the 19th of July, I found these two Fro'hoppers, being cosy together and I suspect that their coupling will produce the next generation. Assuming that I am seeing things right? Mind, it seems an odd way they are connected to each other.


A few leaves further, another couple being intimate?
Another hopper.

This Insect in my garden, had a yellow heart-shaped triangle on its back; more or less like the Insect I had seen inside the Wild Angelica, Angelica sylvestrus, The difference being that this Insect is flat and the other one was more long and 'round'.






These 'flies' i like too. Perhaps it is the markings on the thorax?



Zebra Spider, Salticus scenicus
One of 3 Zebra Spiders living here in the garden/house. (in last winter one the warmth of the house seemed to win one over to come indoors. ) They are jumping spiders which stalk their prey before pouncing down on it. They can jump a fair distance too. This way they don't have to spin a web to catch prey.


This mollusc? or whatever it is, I found on one of the Bindweed leaves, Calestegia sepium. It has these impressive grooves, running over its body, diagonally. It was about 50-70mm long.


Bindweed itself.

Garden Ants: Nuptial Flight of the females

Female Garden Ant, Larus niger trying uot her wings to fly for her first and only nuptial flight.
Only the females in the colony will fly out.


here you can see the size difference between an ordinary worker in the colony and female members of the Ant society. Females will grow wings, mate and set up new colonies. Not all of these will be succesful though. The new queens will become major egg-laying machines, so to speak; hence the large body. After mating, she wil store enough sperm for the rest of her life. Being able to lay millions, if not more, eggs to help guarantee the future of this successful specie.
An interesting fact: The global Ant population weigh as much as the human population does.!

They time their nuptial flight to just the right temperature, time of year (usually late july or early August) and level of humidity too, perhaps? That it needs to be dry speaks for itself, as they had trouble enough already, it seemed.

After about 3 weeks of wet weather where we had either showers or lashing rain, with dry intervals now and then. The wind had been strong during most of this year's summer too, keeping me from rides on the road for a lot of these months.
Last Monday, there was a change in the weather. It was close, no breeze at all, and I had a peculiar feeling all day. Then at about 5pm, Nina (our cat) went through the kitchen door, going outside for a quick wee before tea. As she went out, I saw a flutter of winged Insects flying up from what I assumed was the path under her feet. They all fluttered up into the air. Flying up was too big a word for the way they went, up.
As I sat in the doorway, i spotted these female Ants pushing themselves out of the lock of the door. They had wings alright, but that did not mean that they were able to fly yet! Winthin a few minutes, I was covered in very large Ants, flapping the wings; unsure what to do with these.
They walked up the door frame, thinking that height would help them in take off. Soon, most fell off!



Just outside of the door, tiny Spiders were waiting in anguish; they must have recognised the time in summer, and were waiting for the unlucky ones, whose legs would let go too early.

You cannot see much here, but look at the two white eyes of the Spider, as it takes a look who has offered itself to be his/her next meal.
They had a field day! Probably for days/week9s?) on end. They weer tiny in comparison to the Ant. Unfortunately, it was too windy for sharp images; they kept swinging from end to end.


Here the Spider is wrapping its catch laboriously.