Bugs in the Backyard

Yesterday, the Wookie and I spent some time in his backyard checking out the health of the frog pond. He had been excited earlier in the spring to discover a snapping turtle which neither of us had seen last year. It (or one just like it) had been there the year before. The Wookie was going to remove the remnants of a little pier but having discovered the turtle likes to sun itself there, decided to leave it.
Of course, there are a ton of frogs:
some snails:
I almost caught this little guy(gal?) and when it hopped away from me, it still had an inch of tail left. Not quite a tadpole anymore, but not quite a frog.
The dragonflies and darners were out as well, but harder to photograph with a digital camera. Click on the pic and look to the right.
Sometimes you can find a little cocoon woven between leaves of the bulrushes. I took this one apart:


Inside a mama spider, a worm for a snack, and I don't know what else as I grossed myself out:

I left the spider and her snack in some bushes, so she'll repair the damage and get back to business.

More frogs:


There are at least three types of frogs living in and around the pond, several species of dragonfly, snails, spiders, and other assorted bugs. And several large goldfish. It was high noon and getting very hot so the fish were staying away from the surface of the pond. I also caught sight of a couple of toe-biters. I'll go back with my net soon so I can catch one and take some pics. They are very scary looking things and can inflict a rather painful bite.

S.