Insects in our Warm November:

The warm November temperatures extended the growing period of some flowering plants. Insects such as this Ailanthus Webworm Moth were able to find nectar on Thistle.

One of the most abundant "bee mimics" to be found recently is the Common Drone Fly. A dozen could be found in some Canatara Park gardens.

Notice the green tube in the middle of the photo: The larvae of Pine Tube Moths feed on White Pine needles. Young larvae spin silk and tie 5-20 needles together to form a tube. The larvae live within this tube. When the tube walls have been mostly eaten, the larvae will abandon their tubes and begin constructing new ones. The species overwinters in the pupal stage within the tube.

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/214161-Argyrotaenia-pinatubana

A tiny insect that I have not been able to identify has made a cozy cocoon on a Grey Dogwood twig. It was 1.5 cm in length.

The recent warm weather has not been kind to trees. A Flowering Dogwood thought spring had arrived and I found buds opening on November 15th. Next year's leaves started to grow last summer and require protection inside the buds during the winter. The emerging leaves are no longer safe from the elements and will not survive the winter.