!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seth's Lazer-Focused, Long-Winded, Lively List of Lab Lessons (BEL)

I don't know what the bug is, but the flower might be grape hyacinth:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscari_botryoides

This flower is a popular "ornamental" and persists around old homesteads.

I agree about the flower being grape hyacinth. It can spread a bit in the UK, not sure of uses other than being a pretty flower...

You've got the same problem I have with my phone camera - it always focusses on distant objects rather than what I want it to...Saying that I'm wondering if it is some sort of oil beetle? Looks a bit like the ones I see here.
Kyle photographed one at the labs here and Jan White identified it a bit further down that boot thread. They're cool bugs to have. I call them the cuckoos of the insect world as they hitch rides on bumblebees back to their nests and then steal the food the bees bring back. Around here they are a sign of a healthy bee population.

All is quiet on the homestead today. I slept in ‘til almost 10 this morning (I haven’t switched to an early schedule quite yet), had some banana bread that someone made (I recommend toasting it and adding a little butter), and then set off to some aspirations of being a fine woodworker (Not quite there… yet). We each get a cubby in the FPH and in an effort to maximize efficient use of my space I decided that subdividing it would be the best option. I spent an unnecessary amount of time planning, and the execution was… let’s just say that highschool ag mechanics was my only saving grace. It remains incomplete, but I’m gonna keep the spirit of sleeping on a fail and waking to a win when I try again. (A special thanks to Stephen for helping me locate some more vital tools for future use.) Updates to come. Two more thoughts: Does anyone know of a use for tree pollen? I see an onslaught of the stuff coming and it has me wondering if there might be some other use for the stuff (I’ve heard of it being used as flash powder, and people do eat bee pollen…). There is a really nice e- bike that was donated to the lab with all wheel drive and it looks like it would be pretty great to try out and get around on, the only problem is that it needs a new charger. Apparently the company that made it was not very helpful. Here's hoping it’s not proprietary and someone reading this will recognize it.

Seth