Lesser Anglewings (Microcentrum Retinerve), Nymphs, Taken May 2, 2025, In Georgia, US

American Pelecinid Wasp (Pelecinus polyturator), taken July 29, 2024, in Georgia, US

My beautiful skinny queen.. How must it be to have such a perfect figure? For such an elegant looking insect, you'd think they'd be agile, but I've had these guys just. come at my face. They have collided with me, though they're not alone in that. Too many wasps have crashed into my face. How would you feel if you turned around and immediately received a face full of WASP?

Still a bit too early in the year for my mothing sheet to be as busy as I'd like, but I've still gotten a handful of interesting visitors

Ichneumonid Wasps(Family Ichneumonidae), Genus Raphia Ornate Tiger Moth(Apantesis ornata), Genus Eteobalea Genus Cameraria, White-lined Sphinx(Hyles lineata) Marbled Oak Dagger(Acronicta marmorata), Leaf Blotch Miner Moths(Family Gracillariidae) Two-spotted Leafhopper(Sophonia orientalis), Zale Moths(Genus Zale)

Versute Sharpshooters (Graphocephala versuta), taken October 15, 2023, in Georgia, US

Some beautiful "red morph" versute sharpshooters looking all snug in some leaves! These photos were taken in their favorite little patch of plants—tall with long, tightly packed leaves for good protection and lots of surface area. I always find lots of G. versuta in there, though I often find G. coccinea (Red-banded Leafhopper) and many other assorted species of leafhoppers in the patch as well!

Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus), taken March 2, 2025, in Georgia, US

Super fucking shaky footage of one of the regular RS hawk ripping apart a squirrel nest after being chased there by another RS. So mad I had my camera on the wrong mode because this would have been such a nice video if not for the EARTHQUAKE.

At about 1:15 there's some action when the other hawk returns for another attack! They moved further up into the trees, falling through the branches before briefly scattering when a Red-tailed Hawk swooped in to break up the fight! They're probably fighting for a spot to nest this spring, but this area is already used by a pair of RT hawks, so I'm unsure how that's going to pan out. The RT's don't nest close to my house, but I do still see them soaring over and through the woods daily, so they'd definitely see a RS pair using their territory.

Previously there was a RS pair here, but they were forced to move locations when their nest tree was cut down (very salty at my neighbors for that one). Since then, the RT's have slowly been moving further and further into the area, though it's pretty wooded so it's not the best area for them and is legitimately defensible for a RS pair. I know there's been at least one juvenile RS overwintering here without trouble, possibly two seeing as they're now fighting, so we'll see how it pans out! Hopefully one of the two RS's will be successful!

A reminder: if you were taught that mosquitoes in general are useless to the environment and could be eliminated “without consequence”, then you were taught incorrectly. People still regularly comment this silly notion on my posts with absolute confidence. Our goal is reducing risk to humans, NOT eliminating the dangerous animal altogether.

You don’t have to like irritating, gross, or dangerous animals (most people do not), but if you are ever arguing for the extinction of an entire animal species try to remember the natural world is unfathomably complex in ways none of us can predict.

Zabulon Skipper (Lon zabulon), male, taken May 14, 2025, in Georgia, US

My first skipper of the year, proudly showing his colors in the sunlight! Unlike most butterflies, this species displays very noticeable sexual dimorphism, males having bright orange/yellow blotches on their wings while females are mostly brown with some white spotting. They can often be seen perched on leaves, spreading their wings in the sunlight like little orange flowers!

society has ingrained in all of us that bugs are bad and evil and scary and they Bite You for no reason and Sting You For Fun and I would like to challenge every single person that reads this to try to step back and challenge those thoughts. CHALLENGE that knee-jerk reaction to kill every bug you see. REALIZE that killing it doesn't have to be the answer. it's fine to not want bugs in your home. but I see so many people whose FIRST choice is to kill it, even though it'd be easy to just cup it and toss it outside. why?

one of the greatest things that got me over my extremely intense arachnophobia was knowledge. learning more about the thing I was afraid of made me realize, "oh, they're just little guys trying to get by too" and I stopped killing every spider I saw.

and it's like. no, that wasp didn't sting you for fun. it stung you because it felt scared or defensive. no, the spider in your shower isn't trying to kill you. spiders need water to live too.

you don't deem a scared dog/cat evil for biting you, do you? then why are we demonizing insects and spiders for feeling scared? they are so, so small and we are so large. they don't know anything about us, they're just trying to live life. they didn't know they built their web in a bad spot. they didn't know they built their nest next to your door. please, show some kindness to these tiny creatures. I understand you can't let infestations happen or wasps build in your walls, but whenever possible, try to put bugs in a cup and take them outside. yes, even wasps. even black widows. if you want tips for safely capturing bugs, I'm always around to ask.

also, to those who say things like, "x bug eats other pest bug, so they're okay" why? why does something have to benefit you to deserve to live? shouldn't all creatures have a chance at life, even if they're ugly, even if they don't benefit you, even if they do something you don't like? what gives you the right to decide to take the life of any animal just because ahhh it looked scary? please. all I ask is you try to be kinder. it's okay to be scared, it's not okay to pointlessly kill things.

White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis), taken April 27, 2024, in Georgia, US

Probably my second favorite set of bird photos I've ever taken! I love how white-throated sparrows look, and this guy just posed so perfectly. I haven't been able to replicate these photos since I got them because all of the birds are so shy, but I'm still trying. Maybe I'll get lucky with a brave bird soon...

Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Corthylio calendula), taken February 10, 2025, in Georgia, US

The "king" part of this bird's name has certainly gone to their heads. I've seen these little guys pick on some pretty big birds, with notable success. It pays to be little and mean in the bird world!