Poplar Midge
Here’s one of the last midges of the season, artfully posed on a poplar tree along a wetland trail near Utah Lake. You’ll need the larger version to see the midge closely; I found the scenery framing this image in soft-focus to be as compelling a part of the image. Here’s a zoomed-in version of the midge itself. Note that this species is a little bit different than the midges I have posted in the past; I’ll try to get a better picture of one later.
This female midge is heartily braving the late September night temperatures here. Last night got down to 0.5°C (33°F). For better survival in temperate climes with wild temperature fluctuations, many insects have evolved criostatic compounds in their blood and organs, enabling them to shut down without dying when temperatures hover near or even dip a little below freezing. They can’t actually survive being frozen solid, but the same criostatic compounds that allow them to survive chilling also act as antifreeze, allowing them to remain unfrozen a few degrees below zero. Since Autumn temperatures occasionally reach freezing but rarely plummet more than a degree or two below, this allows them to survive nights of severe exposure. The midges seek out places to spend the night where they hopefully won’t get eaten, and then go into an overnight hibernation mode. This effectively extends their yearly activity cycle by as much as three months here in Utah, where daytime temperatures still get up to 26°C (80°C), which is perfect for flying, feeding, frolicking, and of course, making more bugs.