05/23/2026
I can't wait to get back out there and snag some pics once this rain passes. It's been a busy couple of weeks, in the best way, but it's left me little time to go buggin.
This critter is brought to you by Penny Lane (our fluffy forest cat), who was watching in confusion as a ball of lint skedaddled across the floor. Little did she know, this is sentient lint - a green lacewing larva, also known as a trash bug. If you've ever seen an ant lion out of its conical pit, picture that but less chunky and covered in little lash-like hairs. Those hairs hold the carapaces of their prey to form this eclectic armor. Though it's not always colorful carcasses, sometimes it's moss, or sticks, or bits from a flower. Whatever detritus they can find to make their camo.
While he was adjusting in the third shot and caused some nice ghosting in the stack, you can see his lil face and mandibles at the bottom left side of his pile!
05/06/2026
Not my favorite pic, just a little something while I keep cooking some really cool ones (I'm seriously excited about some of these). Besides, the yellow garden spider deserves some love.
If you have one of these in your yard - just know, it'll spend the rest of its life in the same spot it is now. They don't roam, they don't bite (unless you grab them), and they take care of all sorts of "pests" around your house.
04/19/2026
Can you guess which one is a bee?
The first two photos were from this year, and the following were from 2 and 3 years ago at the same spot. All these bees and wasps and getting a sip of extrafloral nectar on a wild, common elderberry. Some plants offer a sweet treat to attract omnivorous bugs in the hops they keep their fresh green stalks safe and free of pests like aphids and leafhoppers.
