A bug's life

 I've been trying my best the past few days to get some good pictures of two bugs that have decided to set up house in my hibiscus plant. Both are a little shy and always move to put a stem or leaf between the lens and their delicate little insect bodies. I see them every morning going about their business in the plant, and I think that they have finally grown accustomed to me shoving a camera in their faces.

I have a feeling both of these bugs are not desirable, but you know I'm not one to indiscriminately kill things. And, the hibiscus seems to be doing fine without me interfering.

I'll probably kill this bug someday, but not today

I think this first one is some sort of sap-sucking leaf hopper. It's covered with a lot of little wet "hairs". I love the black polka dots on lime green with some orange and white accent colors, very Diane Von Furstenburg. 

In my very cursory, non-thorough internet search for the identity of these bugs, I never found anything that really looked like this guy. It looks similar to a stink bug or leaf-footed bug (but less sartorially appealing). It is probably also eating the sap from my hibiscus, but I'm a softy (this morning, tomorrow may be different) so I let him live.

If it looks like a bee, flies like a bee,
and buzzes like a bee, it's a hoverfly.

 I was taking some pictures of some new blooms on The Republic of Texas rose this morning to prove that I wasn't just making stuff up when I advised you all to dead-head your roses (shirtless), when this hoverfly flew up. It looks like a bee, but it isn't. No stinger. I'm sure that the other members of the animal kingdom that don't have homosapiens' abilities to reason or blog mistake hoverflies for bees and stay the hell away.

And, because I do, in fact, want to show you that the rose is still and will continue to bloom thanks to dead-heading...

A yellow rose of Texas