The reddish critter is a live aphid. squish it. The tan critter is also an aphid, but the good news is that it has been parasitized by a very small helpful wasp -- a non-stinging kind when it comes to people. So, keep all such tan aphids. It's bio-control in action!

You did what? Are you nuts? I plant dill, fennel, parsley and carrots to attract them. My gosh, you can always buy herbs at the store, OR DO AS I DO AND PLANT EXTRA for butterflies. Remember plants can be bought at the grocery store, but butterflies can't. I can't believe that you would intentionally kill them.

Maureen, I can't tell you how inspiring and uplifting it is to see your photos! I could do with a big helping of them every day! You have an eye for composition and a way with capturing these little critters that is truly a gift! Some of your photos are definitely worthy of submission to magazines. Have you thought about submitting them with Birds n Blooms, or Florida Gardening, or other publications? Florida Audubon used to have a great little mag, but I don't know if they are still putting it out or not. However, I'm sure there are mags out there that would be interested in your work. In the meantime, we are the lucky recipients of some very fine images of birds and wildlife. I adore that dragonfly picture...just the entire thing. And you have caught a wonderfully clear and beautiful photo of an eastern 5-lined skink. (One of my favorite reptiles!) It even manages to show how irridescent their bright blue tails are in the sunlight! And the last photo of the swallowtail is fantastic! What are he and the gulf frit on? Ageratum? ALL of these pictures are marvelous! Thank you again for taking the time to share them with us. You've jump started my morning and made me remember to open up my eyes to what's outside my door! Marcia

I'm not sure what it is. Univ of Calif has a webpage on tomato pests. (see link below) http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/selectnewpest.tomatoes.html Looks like it might be an aphid, but I'm not really sure. I haven't seen any of these on my tomatoes here in Cupertino yet, so hopefully it's not a big problem. If it is aphids, I usually just spray them with a strong stream of water from the hose to get rid of them. Here is a link that might be useful: Univ of Calif tomato diseases/pests