Saved for a rainy day

It has been cold and rainy for several days, making it difficult to see much of interest in the backyard.  Even when I dared to take my camera outside during a slight break in the weather, my potential subjects were still in hiding.  After some searching, I did find several insects sheltered in various spots around the yard.  The fact that they were not engaged in any interesting activities was somewhat compensated for by their being much more obliging than usual and staying very still as I moved the camera close.

A fly shelters from the rain beneath some flower buds.

Although I did not find much outside, I did discover some unedited videos on my computer.  The video below is from a time when the air was full of insects, rather than water.  I took it to illustrate the surprising number of woolly aphids flying around in early October.  If you look closely at the cotoneaster branches, you can also see the shimmering of spider webs (where many of the aphids ended up). 

* To see this video in high definition (1080p), you may need to (1) click "YouTube" to watch on the YouTube website and (2) change the settings at the bottom of the video screen.