It was very hot yesterday, so hot that after only 15 minutes in an open meadow at 10 am I felt like I was going to collapse, and today it was hotter. I went out early to beat the heat but by the time 9 am came around, when this photo was taken, many insect species were already taking refuge in the shaded parts of plants. It was interesting to poke around a milkweed patch and find bumblebees hiding in the shade among the leaves, almost comatose like they are on a cool morning. Butterflies were scarce but dragonflies and damselflies, like this Amber-winged Spreadwing, were plentiful. They didn't seem to be too bothered by the heat. Later in the afternoon, during the peak of the heat, the only creatures stirring in my backyard were dragonflies.