Dog days of summer? More like bug days

It's stinking hot. It's dripping humid. It's the Dog Days of summer. Accordingly, the dog star Sirius, the brightest star in our sky, rises high and casts its -1.46-magnitude light down onto our mid-summer nights. Perhaps out of unfounded jealousy, our sun ramps up the daytime heat on Earth's northern hemisphere like a furnace out of control. The Real Feel rises and any prayers for a gentle breeze subside when such movement of air simply makes it feel hotter. The mid-summer nights are in cahoots with it all. They are much too short to provide any semblance of relief. The officially named Dog Days of Summer are partnered with the yet-to-be-named Dog Nights of Summer. But while people sweat, real dogs just pant their way through July and August. Oh, and they sleep, too! There's no celebration … no party … from them. (They do not even put in work orders requesting the installation of AC in their collective dog houses!) To the greatest extent, dogs become a little less of everything during the Dog Days of Summer. But, you know who does become omnipresent? It's the bugs, and during mid-summer they take center stage. (Lacking a press agent, they have not, as of yet, lobbied for any sort of official designation.) (Why no one has suggested Bug the Bejesus Out of You Days of Summer to date is beyond me.) But while bugs, insects actually, do become ultra-common during the middle of summer, not all of them are bad or even bothersome. Some are actually attractive, nay, beautiful, and some are even helpful. Some mark summer milestones as if they are intriguing dots on your Outlook calendar. (Perhaps they are iconic precursors of soon to be named "Days," maybe like National Earwig Day … or Cockroach Appreciation Day.) Celebrated, or cursed, here are some of the bugs of mid-summer … BUTTERFLIES Butterfly numbers follow the cycle of growth and blooming of their favorite plants. Both seem to peak in mid-summer. Monarchs are now common, as are their caterpillars. The large and graceful swallowtails dance over fields and among colorful landscaping. Fritillaries display a strong belief that brown and orange can be a winning combination. CICADAS So often, and so incorrectly, called "locusts," cicadas secretly emerge from years of subterranean confinement only to scream about their escape from the treetops. The annual species are old bugs at 7 years old, and the periodic forms can be 13-17 years of age, the latter erupting in uncountable numbers. The timing of the singing of the annual species adds an auditory boundary to the Dog Days of Summer and earns the insect the nickname of Dog-day Harvestfly. (Note: it's not a fly, and it doesn't harvest anything, so it appears to be aptly named.) DRAGONFLIES/DAMSELFLIES Dragonflies are cruisers. Their aquatic days almost forgotten, they fly flat sorties over their protective domains …often wetlands, but sometimes backyards or parking lots. On four stiff wings they seem to glide and turn, often on-a-dime, without effort or exertion. They go by the names of pondhawk, dasher and darner. They are big, colorful, and fun to watch. Damselflies are flitters. They perch like stickpins, usually light blue stickpins. They seem to have little to do …except mate. Seeing them fly "united" is not at all uncommon. A fun exception is the ebony jewelwing. This damselfly is often encountered along woodland trails. Its black wings and glistening green body draw attention within the sunny perches it prefers. When approached, this large damselfly will flutter down the trail to the next sunny spot and repeatedly do so as you hike. TRUE FLIES Yes, as much as we dislike them, mid-summer is filled with flies -- true flies! House flies seem ubiquitous at both trash cans and outdoor meals. Bottle flies pretend to obscure their true nature by reflecting a rainbow of colors off of their metallic bodies. (Truth be told, they love fecal material and rotten garbage.) Deer flies perch en masse where fields and forests meet. (Woe be the passing hiker who has only two hands for swatting them away.) Horse flies are giant and simply frightening. Luckily, they are also slow to recognize the intent of a flyswatter. Mosquitoes are true flies and true villains. By many accounts, they are the deadliest creatures on Earth, besides humans. But understand, they are unaware of the evils that they carry; they are just trying to make an unfortunate living by sucking blood. Crane flies look like giant mosquitoes, but they don't seek blood. Regrettably, several alien crane fly species have increased their numbers, and the misconception of their nature. CRICKETS/KATYDIDS/GRASSHOPPERS Crickets and katydids are booked for concerts each year starting with the Dog Days of Summer. To most, their vocalizations are pleasant and welcome. For a few, they are manically repetitious and ominous. (How a cricket's chirp can be ominous is beyond me.) Both of these nocturnal insects sing deep into the fall. Grasshoppers fly onto the scene during mid-summer. While some hop, the lubbers fly on two-toned wings, and they buzz to boot. And then they crash land! It is amazing to think that these large insects were around in the spring and early summer. They were just too small and sedentary to be noticed. True locusts are grasshoppers that are large in both size and numbers ... and biblical notoriety. STINGERS Let's just talk yellowjackets here. Their hive population has now grown and workers are everywhere, looking for anything. This includes everything set out on an outdoor dining table. While seeming aggressive, they are just trying to find food, and usually a light wave of your hand will move them along. However, if cornered, they will sting and do so several times. Their sting is painful. Further, their propensity of living underground allows us to stumble upon their nests. Painful -- and to those at a safe distance, humorous -- attempts at running usually result. Think about this, these true hornets are just protecting their family, and that has to be a bit inspiring. There is no doubt that mid-summer is filled with bugs. But instead of dismissing them as some minor reason to dislike the season, try taking a look at who they really are, and what they really do. In this way, you might be a little less heated with one of the sublines of the Dog Days of Summer.