This year, spring felt like a gift. Plants seemed to be growing larger than usual, verdant and lush. My lawn was bedazzled with bright pops of color from all the blossoming flowers. Birdsong tolled day and night, joyful and loud. At the end of May, I wrote on my Instagram: “everything is in bloom: peonies, roses, columbine, sage, dandelions, henbit, clover. We went for a walk at dusk last night and the air was perfumed with the scent of irises. The worlds a mess, but at least there is this spring, opulent with flowers.”

At first I wondered if spring had always been this beautiful. Was I just getting to appreciate it now, another benefit of working from home with open windows? But then I saw other Missourians commenting about how, yes, this has been one exceptionally beautiful season.

And with this vibrant spring came a proliferation of bugs! My garden is crawling with insects enjoying a veritable buffet of pollen and nectar. Their favorite café is the brawny sage and its crinkly purple blossoms, a treat for ants, flies, and bees of all sizes. I’ve even seen ruby-throat hummingbirds dart over, too quick to capture on camera, another spring sight that feels like a gift, a symbol, a portent, a poem.

The peonies are a hot spot for ants. Did you know that they have a symbiotic relationship? Ants feast on the nectar produced by peonies, and in return protect them from other, more damaging insects, like thrips. Mutualism in action!

This cabbage butterfly is probably responsible for my holey bok choy… At least they’re lovely to look at!

A post about spring insects wouldn’t be complete without bees! My garden has been dizzy with activity, literally buzzing with bees in action. Check out those cute bee butts!

These praying mantis nymphs were a wonderful surprise: I caught them all clustered on a deck post one afternoon, newly hatched. I love how expressive mantises are: I could see them scoping me out, wondering what to make of this strange giant creature waving a red rectangle (my iPhone) in their faces. By that evening they had scattered, but I hope they grow big and stick around, keeping my garden free of aphids and mosquitoes. (Just not too big… I don’t want them snacking on the hummingbirds!)

What sorts of bugs do you see in your garden? Has spring been this exceptionally beautiful where you live?