So Many Gall Parasitoids! They Were All Going To Town On Those Amphibolips Galls, Occasionally Pushing

Non-Biting Midge (Xylotopus par), male, taken February 26, 2025, in Georgia, US

Despite how he looks, this guy is very much alive and flew off shortly after I took these pictures! I swiped him out of the sky and shook him around in my hand to stun him so I could get pictures, hence his totally shocked appearance.

This guy is one of the cousins of the arguably less friendly mosquito! I really enjoy photographing midges, but as I'm not super knowledgeable of them yet, I mostly rely on IDers (THE IDer in the case of this family) on iNat to point me in the right direction. One of the first things I learned is that males of this family can easily be differentiated from females by their long, thin abdomens and big, fuzzy antennae! This is also the case for mosquitos and most other nematoceran flies, though it can be very hard to tell when it comes to groups like crane flies, who can be more reliably sexed by their abdomen!

Spiny Assassin Bug (Sinea spinipes), taken May 5, 2025, in Georgia, US

Spiny, indeed! Look at those legs! The nymphs of this species are mostly black with a yellow abdomen, quite different from the brown camouflage of adults. If you're not looking closely, adults can be overlooked at a brown spot on leaves or part of tree bark. They're quite good at what they do! I usually only find nymphs, so finding this adult hiding in the leaves was a nice treat!

Red-shouldered Bug (Jadera haematoloma), taken April 4, 2025, in Georgia, US

Just a little guy posing for a picture! He seemed to be following the camera as I tried to get different angles. This insect has two adult morphs: long-winged (macropterous) and short-winged (brachypterous). The short-winged morph has, as you could infer, shorter wings that leave part of the abdomen exposed. I've seen both forms in a solitary setting, though this species apparently tends to have higher rates of short-winged adults when they live in groups. Less need for wings when you don't have to go anywhere to find a mate!

I've got you. A very small (chalcidoid) wasp checking out a bunch of aphids...

Busy today, so no nice bugs. However, perhaps you could take a moment to imagine…a very small wasp. Wow. Nice.

White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis), taken February 10, 2025, in Georgia, US

A couple cuties posing at the bird bath! Sparrows just keep growing on me—I love it when they look over their shoulders at me 🥺

Red-headed Ash Borer (Neoclytus acuminatus), taken May 21, 2025, in Georgia, US

Another lifer beetle for me! It shouldn't be surprising, but it feels like everywhere I go I'm finding new longhorn beetles—round-necked ones especially! A lot are just the same colors recycled in different patterns, and I find it a bit funny. This guy was quite pretty and allowed me to take several photos before getting too shifty. I would also be bothered if a giant appeared and started manhandling the leaf I was sitting on, but this individual was brave and waited patiently for me to leave. How generous!

How cute!! I'm glad the males and females have finally reunited for spring! Down here they didn't spend the night, but we have a bunch of feeders so flocks of males were coming through constantly. It wasn't unusual to see 30 or 40 on the ground at once, milling around in a sea of black. It was incredibly loud! We also had the migrating robins visiting in the hundreds, and along with all the year-rounders it was a very very busy winter.

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), juvenile male, taken February 26, 2025, in Georgia, US

The last of the blackbirds are finally making their way out! Instead of hundreds in a day, we are now only seeing 1 or 2 stragglers stop for a snack. Kind of sad to see them go because they're beautiful, but I can also hear the song of other birds now that they're not screaming over them lol, so that's nice! The woods are quiet without them, but that's not such a bad thing.

Crab Spiders (Genus Mecaphesa), taken April 12, 2025, in Georgia, US

Some crab spiders hiding underneath flowers! This is a known undescribed species, currently labeled "black tibia spot" (for obvious reasons) as far as I know. I see them pretty often hanging out, especially on fleabane flowers like this. Crab spiders are ambush predators, and most in the genus Mecaphesa lie in wait on similarly-colored flowers until a prey item (flies, beetles, and perhaps small bees) lands on it. The spider quickly overtakes its prey and hides underneath the petals of the flower to enjoy. A rather boring life for us, but these guys don't seem to mind!

Vetch Looper Moth (Caenurgia chloropha), taken April 2, 2025, in Georgia, US

It's new moth season! I'm seeing lots of inchworms dropping from the trees as well as lots of seasonal moths! It's nice to see something more than renia moths for once lol. This guy was a little skittish, but ultimately let me get some pictures. Most moths are much worse subjects!

Ichneumon Wasp (Limonethe maurator), taken August 17, 2024, in Georgia, US

A lithe wasp for the wasp-likers! I can't wait for it to be wasp season again... The paper wasps are back out, and I swear I saw a spider or great black digger wasp in the leaves the other day, but it flew away before I could get a good look. I also found and lost a damselfly I've never seen before, but I can stop being salty about that when I find another one (hopefully). Regardless, the wasps are coming back, and here is one I look forward to seeing again!