This thread is dedicated to the brave defenders of our outdoor gardens.
To start things off:
I went out to scout for loopers this morning and found someone beat me to it.
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Cool pic. 
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Looks like a baby. Very cool!
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Looks well fed! 
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I need one for my garden.
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Both of these plants are crawling with aphids.
I’m very happy the brown mantis showed up today.
I believe he is a male and the green one is a female.
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Lacewing munching aphids .
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Interesting bug, do you know what it is? Looks like a big mosquito 
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@Vertebrata it is an Assassin fly.
Something like that, lol. Here is what I pulled from a quick search on how they eat :
Robber’s modified mouthparts form a stiff, hollow beak that serves first as a dagger, then as a hypodermic needle and finally as a straw. When robbers impale prey they inject both neurotoxins and digestive enzymes. The neurotoxins quickly subdue and soon kill the prey. The digestive enzymes turn the prey’s internal tissues to soup, but do not damage the tough chitinous exoskeleton, which now serves as a watertight container full of thick broth. Fluids are sucked through the beak until the carcass until is a dry husk.
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Damn it man, what a cool diptera, i thought they could suck blood like mosquitos, but it’s a predator bug, very very cool. 
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Yes, I find them interesting too. A bug that eats my plants is my enemy, a bug that eats other bugs is my friend 
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AKA Antonio Banderas
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