The garden in the evening can be a magical place. Very often the gardener will find himself deadheading and weeding as the sun rides low on the horizon. I encounter a good many insects that are wriggling about in the cooler soil of evening, many are reaching a maturity and will be more obvious in their adult stage as they fly or hop above ground. Some of the insects that mature during the summer months choose night to eat and travel, we encounter them as they are beginning their night life. This seemingly backwards way of life has served them well, aside from the fear of being spotted and eaten by day, they can function in cooler temperatures.

Many of these nocturnal insects can give the gardener a real fright. Truth be known most are unable to inflict pain with stings or bites, many of them have no mouth parts. A good example of an insect that scares us is the oversized crane fly, which looks like a giant mosquito. They often fly to lights that have been left on outside during the night. The crane fly has very long legs and two long wings that are clear. This is the final stage of life, having spent most of it as larvae which feeds on decaying vegetation. The adult is completely harmless and short lived, seeking a mate is its only reason to exist in this final mature stage or instar.

Earwigs are also active at night. Their very small, segmented body ends in 2 prongs. Earwigs have three life stages, egg, nymph and adult. The adults feed on bits and pieces of plant material as well as smaller insects. They hide during the day and move about freely at night. Even though they have a pair of pinchers at the end of their abdomen (for self protection), I have never been pinched, despite the fact that I frequently encounter them in the garden. They have been known to feed on aphids, mites, nematodes and other insects, so they can be beneficial.

Katydids and crickets are also nocturnally active insects, finding safety under the cloak of night. The katydid makes a rasping sound that is produced with the rubbing of forewings. They look like oversized, bright green grasshoppers with high wings. Usually found feeding on plants, they contentedly rest on a leaf or flower as they slowly devour it. Crickets are related to katydids and also mantids and walking sticks. In East Asia it is considered good luck to have a cricket in the house, favored for their chirping. Various species of katydids are also coveted for their evening sounds, the Asian katydid actually sounds like a cricket. Elaborate vessels of wood or bamboo have been made to house them. By listening to the chirps of a cricket and counting them, it has been said you can tell the current temperature. There are several formulas, but I find this one to be the easiest: count the number of chirps in a minute, then divide by 4 and add 40, you will have the temperature in Fahrenheit degrees.

So as you work in the garden with the cooler temperatures of twilight and encounter some or all of these insects, simply plod on.... no need to fear them.