Insects on the road - a study in black, white, and brown

This morning Fred "did the streets" - his routine before turning in at night and upon leaving the house in the morning. Sometimes it is Cepaea snails, alive or crushed by tires (one notable snail became roadkill after crossing the road to feed on a squashed frog). Most of the time there is a frog or two (Leopard Frogs, mostly) and every so often a Toad.

I think if our village did not have street lights, the road mortality (except for snails - and worms on rainy nights) would be much less than it is. Most of the insects are attracted to the lights and the brightly lit street, and the frogs (when they're not simply crossing the road on seasonal migrations) may come out to catch insects, appreciating the clear view for hunting at frogs-eye level.

There are always changes - seasonal, weather-related, and differences from year to year in both abundance and behaviour. Fred recently found our first autumn Red-belly Snake of the year , and this Giant Water Bug (Lethocerus americanus) or "Toe Biter" or "Electric Light Bug" is our first this fall. There were only very few in the spring. Some years we have a lot, and some years hardly any. These formidable aquatic predators fly from the woods to the ponds in the spring, and back again in the fall, to hibernate in the leaf litter and under logs.

As for the moths - Fred went to Lynn Scott's moth site http://www.acleris.com/dls/07939.html and guessed they may be Furcula occidentalis. One gradually gets to notice smaller and smaller animals each year. Fred would have noted "little furry black and white moths" if there hadn't been four of them all on the same night. I thought the assemblage of the slain looked artistically intriguing in the steel bowl he used to bring them to the Lab for identification.