Latest Posts by northerlyy - Page 6

Red-banded Leafroller Moth (Argyrotaenia velutinana), taken February 27, 2025, in Georgia, US

What an ornate moth! I always find it interesting how intricate the patterns of moths can be despite their small size. This guy was maybe as long as my fingernail, and yet he has the most gorgeous coloration!

Domestic Cat (Felis catus), taken March 11, 2025, in Georgia, US

Random cat that lives in my neighborhood, probably a neighbor's. We have a few outdoor cats and strays that we see occasionally. This is the newest one. I almost poured water on it the night before because it was hiding in the shadows when I dumped aquarium water from my water change off the back deck! I apologized and clearly there's no hard feelings because it seemed very relaxed around me when I saw it again! Despite it roaming free, it's a really pretty cat!

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum), taken March 9, 2025, in Georgia, US

A small flock of waxwings visited a couple days ago! They're very skittish, so it's hard to get any decent pictures, but even from far away they make nice subjects. When they stop by they usually ransack the holly tree in the yard, but the robins have already picked it clean, so they combed over the leftover seeds from the tulip trees and whatever else they could find instead. Late birds earn no berry snacks!

Wait a minute. Stink Bugs don't have a larva stage. They're just born as little guys and slowly get bigger as they get older??? 🥺

Wait a minute. Stink Bugs don't have a larva stage. They're just born as little guys and slowly get bigger as they get older??? 🥺

i'm trying to write about The Wonders Of Nature again and it's like...such a Big thing that has a strangle hold on peoples brains its hard to articulate it powerfully enough to break down that barrier.

Essentially trying to say, "There is so much stuff in the natural world that is so beautiful and so cool it puts anything your imagination could come up with to shame. And I don't just mean in a remote jungle reserve somewhere, I mean where YOU live. HOME."

but it's just hard to convey the Intensity of it. cause im not exaggerating when I say that the coolness and fantastic beauty of the world so far exceeds the access most people have to information and experience of it, that starting to learn can provoke this kind of defensive reaction or even like. automatic dismissal or blindness to these experiences when they DO happen.

At least it happened to me. I remember when i was a kid a purple passionflower grew in our yard and i automatically assumed it was someone's weird garden plant that had escaped, rather than a wild plant that was growing naturally in its habitat.

it just kind of breaks the logic of the world I guess? why, in a world where purple passionflower grows by itself, would the landscape be a razed, sterilized wasteland of turfgrass maintained by homeowners that destroy every unfamiliar weed like theyre fighting off a zombie apocalypse

Black Rat (Rattus rattus), juvenile, taken March 9, 2025, in Georgia, US

The warming weather has brought with it new additions to the rat family living under the feeders, for better or for worse! I only saw one adult and two babies, though there were almost certainly more with how much rats reproduce. This little guy was very brave and came out pretty far to find fallen peanuts, so I was able to snap a shot of his cute face!

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis), taken March 9, 2025, in Georgia, US

Despite how common they seem to be for many other people, this is the first time I've ever seen a junco! It approached me from behind and I only realized it was there because I happened to see it out of the corner of my eye. I barely got a look before it flew off, so I had no idea what it was, only that it wasn't a bird I'd seen before. It took me another 10 minutes before I even saw it again, then another 5 or so for it to end up behind me where it started. In the end, I was able to get a good picture!

iNaturalist New User Guide: FAQ

[If you haven’t joined iNaturalist, you should! It’s a great way to learn about the wildlife around you and contribute to citizen science]

This guide will be consistently updated as I write more posts/receive more questions. This is intended to be a basic jumping off point, with some links to more detailed guides(when I write them). If there is something you would like a more in-depth answer on, feel free to contact me directly!

Account Basics

Do I need to be a biologist/naturalist/professional or have experience with wildlife to join iNaturalist?

Nope! iNaturalist is for everybody, and is in fact founded on the principle that you do not need to be a professional researcher in order to contribute to science

Do I have to make an account under my real name? 

Also no. You will see a lot of people on iNaturalist doing this, but it isn’t required. Do as much as you are comfortable with

Posting Observations

[More in-depth guide TBA]

What is required to post an observation? 

In order for an observation to be eligible to become Research Grade, it needs to include three things: media(a photo or audio recording), location, and date. You CAN post an observation without these things, but it will be considered Casual.

What does Research Grade/Casual/Needs ID mean?

Research Grade(RG) means that an eligible observation has at least 2 identifications, and 2/3rds of those identifications agree on a species. As stated above, in order to be eligible for research grade, an observation needs to include media, date, and location. Research grade observations are, as the name implies, able to be used in research by relevant professionals. 

Needs ID means that an observation is eligible to become research grade, but does not yet have a 2/3rds consensus on species

Casual means that an observation is not able to be used in research. There are three main reasons an observation will be marked Casual. One, it is missing media/date/location. Two, it is a captive observation. Three, the user has opted out of community ID. 

What is a captive observation? 

An observation is marked captive when the organism depicted is owned and cared for by humans with no intention of release. Common examples are pets, garden plants, and zoo animals. Captive does not apply to feral domesticated species, wildlife taken to rehab centers, invasive species, or plants that have spread beyond gardens into unmaintained land. Captive observations are not eligible to become RG. 

I want to contribute to research, but I don’t want to post my exact location

iNaturalist allows you to set the location visibility on each observation to obscured, which displays the observations location as a 400 km^2 bounding box. You can also choose to assign locations manually instead of via image metadata, and thus set the “confidence interval” fairly large, such as encompassing your entire city. 

Can I post dead things? 

Yes. Several projects actually utilize iNaturalist to keep track of species mortality causes. You do not have to censor anything, but some users will upload a cover image that states “Dead Observation”. This is a matter of individual user’s comfort levels. 

I don’t know what it is, what do I put in the initial ID box when submitting?

ID it to the level you’re confident about. You shouldn’t leave it at “unknown” unless you are 100% unsure of what kind of lifeform it is. Initial IDs can be as general as “birds” “mammals” “plants” and so on. These generic categories help put your observation in the sights of more experienced identifiers. While some users do dedicate time to sorting observations marked “unknown”, they are much less likely to be seen. 

Identifications

[More in-depth guide TBA]

Someone left an ID on my observation, should I agree with them?

If you have reasons to be confident that their ID is correct, yes. Otherwise, just leave it. Erroneous agrees can lead to incorrect RG status. 

Someone disagreed with my ID and I don’t know why

Ask! Most identifiers are happy to explain their reasoning for an identification, and you don’t have to agree with them, you can simply let your own ID stand and allow other identifiers to chime in. 

It’s been a while and nobody has contributed an ID to my observation

Unfortunately that happens, especially in taxonomic groups where less experts are active on iNaturalist. A few ways you can attempt to remedy this are submitting the observation to projects or tagging identifiers in the observation(a good place to start is the “top identifiers” leaderboard that will show up in the bottom right corner in desktop). And you can also consider researching that organism yourself! 

Community Etiquette 

Do I need to speak formally? 

No, but you should treat it like a polite public conversation

Can I swear?

I wouldn’t recommend it, you’ll probably get suspended 

Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla), taken March 7, 2025, in Georgia, US

Hanging around! As spring has begun to arrive, tons of these guys have just spawned in from who knows where. I sometimes see 3 or 4 on the feeders at once fighting over the best spot to eat! They're very small and kind of hard to photograph, but they make it easier by being very bold. Birds that come right to you are always a pleasure to photograph!

White-jawed Jumping Spider (Hentzia mitrata), juvenile male, taken March 9, 2025, in Georgia, US

I love this small baby man with his bald patch on his head... It's a little too early for it to be jumping spider season, but I'm still occasionally seeing juveniles out and about. As April comes in, the magnolia greens will begin reaching adulthood and breeding! Mitrata waits until a little later in the year, but that just means I get to see the awkward teens for longer!

House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus), male, taken March 7, 2025, in Georgia, US

The house finches are coloring up for the spring! This guy is sporting some very deep reds, much deeper than they usually get here. He's going all out for the ladies!

American Robin (Turdus migratorius), male, taken March 7, 2025, in Georgia, US

Possibly the most polite looking robin, ever? This guy looks like he's getting his yearbook photo taken! Robins are insanely photogenic. I don't think I'll ever get tired of photographing them simply because they always look great!

Sawfly (Genus Dolerus), taken March 7, 2025, in Georgia, US

'Tis the season for sawflies! I've only seen two so far, but more are certainly to come. This guy was quite striking, being bright red! Until now, I've only seen black sawflies in person, so I actually thought this was some kind of blood bee (Genus Sphecodes) until I put it into iNat lol! However, if you look closer, you can tell that the body is almost fully red, the antennae are not elbowed, and the head isn't really bee-shaped. What a cool find! Here's to hoping I see more!

Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens), female, taken March 7, 2025, in Georgia, US

A woodpecker sitting like a perching bird for once in its life... These guys are so funny to watch, especially when they sit on the feeder perches and look around them, flinging their whole body in every direction to get all the best angles. It's quite impressive, honestly, even if they look ridiculous doing it!

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura), taken March 7, 2025, in Georgia, US

Just a nervous guy looking for seeds under the feeders. Surprisingly, he was one of few who didn't take off when I initially went outside to find my spot, so I was actually able to get decent dove pictures for once. Most of them involved him peeking his head above the rocks to look at me like in the second photo, though!

Red-shouldered Hawks (Buteo lineatus), adult (top) and juvenile (bottom), taken March 7, 2025, in Georgia, US

More hawk news... It seems as though one of the juveniles was able to chase the other out of this area and has staked a claim on the woods here. I've been seeing the red-tailed hawks less, and today the victorious juvenile showed up with a partner who already has adult plumage! I haven't seen adults here in at least a couple years, so this is a good sign that these two will be nesting this spring. It's fairly unusual for a hawk without adult plumage to be breeding, but definitely not unheard of and can still result in a successful brood!

The adult hawk was not happy with me taking pictures and flew to a further branch when I went outside. As usual, the juvenile was much more tolerant of my presence (likely used to my dumb ass at this point) and let me get closer before the adult called for it. It then joined the adult in a tree where they began calling together. Hopefully they nest somewhere close enough that I can monitor their progress. I'd love to see their babies once they fledge!

Orchard Orbweaver (Leucauge venusta), female, taken April 28, 2024, in Georgia, US

A lovely young lady! I believe she's still subadult because she isn't very dark yet, but she's still beautiful! Orchard Orbweavers can be identified by the orange smiley face on the ventral (under) side of their abdomen, which you can see a bit of in this image. They're one of the most common orbweavers in my area—absolutely all over grasses and shrubs during the spring!

Cambarid Crayfishes (Genus Cambarus), taken June 30, 2024, in Georgia, US

Assorted crayfish faces! These are both most likely Variable Crayfishes (Cambarus latimanus), though I do not know anything about crayfish ID so I don't want to assume anything lol. As it warms up I plan to spend more time catching salamanders and crayfish, though it can be a bit painstaking if they're smart. Once i got them into the container I was using for photos, I had to use a stick to gently push them to the edge to get my macro lens close enough. They behaved well, but it took forever!

Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus), taken July 19, 2024, in New Hampshire, US

Looking down at me from above... Though these birds would never get very close, I still find the few pictures I got of them wonderful. This one in particular is very nice! The fact that he perched right in a gap in the branches so he could look at me was pretty fortunate, since it turned into a really cool picture!

Fine-backed Red Paper Wasp (Polistes carolina), taken November 4, 2024, in Georgia, US

Sleeby!! A beautiful paper wasp drowsing on a yellowing leaf on a cool November evening. She barely reacted to my presence, likely due to the incoming cold. She was gone the next day, so she likely set out once the sun warmed her up the next morning!

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.

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.

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!

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!

Red-shouldered Hawks (Buteos lineatus), taken March 2, 2025, in Georgia, US

Unhappy, me thinks!

Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis), male, taken February 27, 2025, in Georgia, US

A beautiful drinker!! This lovely male bluebird came to the bird bath for a few sips and stayed long enough for me to get some nice photos! His blue stands out against the tan and green background so nicely. In the video, he gets spooked at the end by a robin who flew away noisily overhead!

Eastern Subterranean Termites (Reticulitermes flavipes), taken February 26, 2025, in Georgia, US

Where there is wood, there is termites. This area of the woods with tons of dead pines is a buffet for them, so of course I found a ton of them lol. It's always interesting to watch them shy away from the light when exposed!

Conifer Bark Beetles (Boros unicolor), larvae, taken February 26, 2025, in Georgia, US

I spent like two hours running around peeling the bark off of fallen pine trunks and found tons of these bad boys. I had no idea that they existed or what they were until I found them, but they're kind of epic! They remind me of if a beetle and an earwig had a child, but a termite became involved somewhere along the way. Just a weird mixture of morphological traits, though they're perfectly adapted for life under pine bark!

You can see the individual in the video almost snag the smaller insect as a snack. I came across one shortly after this eating a potworm!