Yeah, we could use some rain, but it’s doing pretty well.
Engineer by day | Nature & landscape photographer | Birds, bugs, spiders | Friend of animals that scare people | Be decent & kind | she / her | IG heyjencross 📸www.jencrossphoto.com
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Yeah, we could use some rain, but it’s doing pretty well.
Thanks, stalking purple flowers worked out!
Sippin' skipper. A Peck's Skipper fueling up. I love how the curly flower bit (technical term) offsets the skipper. Peck's Skipper (Polites peckius) #inverts
Hammer-jawed Jumping Spider waving hello! (Zygoballus rufipes) PA #inverts
I dunno. Setting aside the cankles and hand bruises it is weird we haven’t seen him in front of the press in a few days. The distant photos of him slack-jawed and shuffling to the car don’t help. Maybe I’m wishcasting.
lol, same
Also, wanting to connect with normal people and not wanting to hang out in a Nazi bar seems like a reasonable reason for choosing BlueSky over other social media networks.
A-freakin-men!
(And I'm talking about normal governance stuff, taxes, schools, roads, healthcare, the reliability of the power grid, etc.)
That can be said about both parties. Part of me thinks this fever won't break until the right wakes up and says, "huh, yeah, I don't like this."
How do you know they're sleeping? They aren't eating and there is nothing eating them. If disturbed, their antennae perk up and they start moving around.
Many times you'll find them chomped on to something to avoid falling, but sometimes you find them in a flower with antennae sagging like they ran out of gas. That's how I found the bee in the post above. Nomad Bee on left, Two-spotted Longhorn Bee on right
The beetle eats pollen and nectar so it probably didn't mind being stepped on. Bees come with the territory.
Nice!
In the realm of spiders lil crabbers is little. The body is about lady bug sized.
I'm a middle age swing state Dem who doesn't know and really care about all the slivers in the Democratic Party. I think he's pretty cool. Go NYC! (And hey DNC, stop listening to all the gd consultants and talk to actual people. We want charismatic candidates that can throw a rhetorical punch.)
Probably 🤣
Yeah, they zoom away so quickly! A cloud passed by this afternoon and cooled things down a little bit and this guy was not moving. I was a little worried about him, but the antennae came up and 👍 just taking a little break. What luck!
This is a bit of a spike the football photo for me. These bees are so skittish my best photo before today is a wide angle shot. So, it's been a multi-year quest for a great portrait. (I love this photo too.) 😁 (Melissodes denticulatus) PA
Alright, you all have to stop and appreciate this stunning little dude. The blue eyes, fuzzy sideburns, and cute little bee feet. These longhorn bees are typically energetic and skittish, but Mr. Handsome must've been napping. A great opportunity for a nice portrait. (Melissodes denticulatus) PA
Bone petite lol
The crab spider is a Xysticus sp. ground crab spider. They are so derpy looking to me that they cross over into being adorable.
A while back after some terrible shooting I posted, "this is a choice, we allow this to happen." And got, "no, it's too late.. blah, blah, blah." No, it's a choice. If we Americans wanted to live without being awash in guns we could choose that. It sucks that so many people are ok with the cost.
I watched a bumblebee pretty much step on a crab spider and lil crabbers was like, "nope, too much for me." Poor lil crabbers. Hopefully, something right-sized comes along soon.
Yeah, @ericheupel.bsky.social it’s a lady beetle larva. Don’t know which species.
Also, for the wasp phobics, I just had two good looking paper wasps nope out on me in a row. If you’re afraid of bugs, try to get a nice picture of one. They’re afraid of you too!
Some more fun fall flowers. If you’re shooting macro on a day like this, one thing you can do is turn yourself into a cloud and lean over the subject to put it in shadow. That gets rid of the hard highlights you get from direct sun.
Handsome!
Omg guys!! That dang fox posed for me tonight!!!! #wildlife #fox
There are lots of flies that look like bees, over 6,000 species worldwide. It's a nice disguise to help dissuade hungry birds from eating them. There are fossils from this family preserved in 44 million year old amber, so flies must've started evolving to look like bees a very long time ago.
Maybe I can submit some photos for the cover of the next edition of Bees of the World
lol
My first thought when I saw this insect was, "oh, what a cute fuzzy little bee." But it's not a bee, it's a fabulous bee mimicking fly, a male Orange-legged Drone Fly. (Eristalis flavipes) PA #InverteFest
Most of the flowers in bloom right now are yellow so I staked out some purple ones to see if anyone interesting would show up. A Peck's Skipper came by to sip some nectar. (Polites peckius) #InverteFest
Little green sweat bee foraging on some goldenrod. (Agapostemon sp.?) #Invertefest
They’re in the same infraorder, so they’re somewhat related.
Thanks Glen!
A river otter family on a sandy beach 🧵 #mammals #otters
Snoots the Flower Weevil saying hi for #InverteFest (Odontocorynus sp.)
I dunno, her abdomen was maybe the size of my fingernail? (I always overestimate so take it with a grain of salt.) She was a very healthy looking spider.
Eh, he probably wouldn’t find you very attractive either. 😄
It’s more than that - the CDC monitors data and info for potential public health threats and was trusted a trusted source for public health guidance and information. RFK is a survival of the fittest eugenicist who never should have been put in charge of public health.
The CDC quietly did lots of work that keeps everyone safe. RFK ruining it is something that can negatively impact the health of millions of people. It’s both tragic and scary. www.advocate.com/politics/dem...
Love these spiders! One of my favorites.
Pretty excited about this. woot!
I haven’t seen a pink crab spider yet. I need to find somewhere that has pink flowers. (My yard is shaded so it’s not good for most flowers.)
I'm a bug person, I hear you. I haven't seen a jaguar on any of my trips to Ecuador, but have found insect species that haven't been recorded in a long, long time and even a new species.
Bring a big old cardboard box. 😊 It would be amazing to see a tiger in the wild, even if it didn't look my way.
One of the things with jungle, and specially when you find a tiger is, that you will wait a very long time to get a head on shot, and the tiger really doesn't care about what you want! So here's one who sat like this the whole time! #Caturday #Photography #Mammals #Forest #Safari
Yeah, you've never really experienced mosquitos until you experience many many many mosquitos. Go bats!
Oh, nice!!!! Wow!
“Hey, look out over the water - that’s an interesting looking b—“ 😲 #birds #mammals 🌿
Um, probably? I'm not sure all spiders eat their mates. BUT in looking it up for this species I did learn the spider in the first pic has egg sacs above her (cone shaped and covered in brown papery silk). So that's cool.
You definitely have them there, but you'd probably need to grab one to get it to stab you. I've met many and they just sit there. They're ambush predators and way, way, way more interested in small insects than people. They're also smaller than this one appears, I get close to show details.
When I first started learning macro photography I had Labyrinth Orbweaver living in my yard and, learning more about the fascinating web, I felt honored to host her. Here she is with a suitor visiting from above. (Metepeira labyrinthea) PA
Labyrinth Orbweaver hanging out in her web. She builds a messy tangle with a hide in the middle and an orb web to capture prey on one side (orb web = typical spirally spider web). She holds lines attached to the orb web to sense when prey has been snared. Cool spider engineering. #InverteFest
Yeah, the top observer has 500+ observations. It's a good time of year. Lots of bees and butterflies with Monarch Butterfly as the top species observed.
She is so big the flower was sagging. Glad I took the time to get a nice composition, she's a star. 😊
Holy smokes! #InverteFest on @inaturalist.bsky.social has over 20,000 observations of almost 4,600 species from over 1,300 participants. I'd call that an amazing success!
Found a couple of baby jumping spiders today. This one might be an Emerald Jumping Spider. If you look closely, you can see some pollen grains on the spider to give you an idea of size. Just a tiny little friend. #InverteFest
There were lots of predators lurking among the flowers today. This critter is an assassin bug. Check out the stabby snoot! Like crab spiders and ambush bugs, assassins bugs lie in wait for unsuspecting prey. You can often find them on goldenrod. (Sinea sp.) PA #InverteFest
No
I watched a honey bee land on a flower with one those little spiders today and the spider said “nah”. I guess a bee might be a bit too much.
🚨BEBE ALERT🚨 Do we have a second brood of bebe Steller's Jays? Yes. Yes we do! 💙
Yeah, I was thinking, "what's going on with that skipper? ...oh.."
Thanks!
Thanks!
Lady crab spider, ruler of the flower patch. I spotted her eating a skipper on my way down the trail today. On the way back, I checked and she had repositioned herself to wait for another snack. An absolute unit, she looked like a very successful spider. (Misumenoides sp.) PA #InverteFest
I found her today so I'll have to go back and check for kiddos.
Oak Treehopper watching over her eggs. These insects don't harm the oak tree, they just leave some twig scars. If you happen to find babies, the mom will typically be there protecting them. (Platycotis vittata) PA #InverteFest
From a thread where @thebarbarienne.bsky.social talks about #LearningToPaint - like here, if you want to use my photos for reference, feel free. Always nice to see people making stuff.
Some nice late summer blooms.
They do!
That green when they’ve just emerged… It’s so beautiful.
Get away from my nest, human!
Thanks! I thought it was an assassin bug nymph at first.
This walking parade float is a lady beetle nymph. The white fronds are wax and it's probable they help defend the nymph from predators like birds. Who wants a mouth full of wax? #InverteFest (Tribe Scymnini?) Cuyabeno Reserve, Ecuador
The creation of Earth itself. #photography
There are lots of strategies insects use to dissuade predators from eating them and for the Helmeted Squash Bug nymph it is spiky armor. #InverteFest (Euthochtha galeator) PA
Thanks!
I’m so frustrated. I mean, I’m going to vote D because there is no other option right now, but this milquetoast opposition won’t inspire anyone to head to the polls. What a disaster.
New burrowing owl sound for me today-- kids screaming at each other! I wish the video were better but my mirror was blocking them. Anyway, enjoy! 🪶
Kids… lol
What is the nugget that they're fighting over?
Awesome!
A hover fly samples pollen from wild bergamot. This photo is about a month old, but I love it, so resharing for #invertefest
I read this, stood up, and stepped on Chase's tail. Treats helped heal the insult (it's why he was under my feet to begin with).
Hi! Yeah, it's been a bit busy at work plus family stuff plus working on painting skills = a little social media break. The collapse of the CDC has me pretty grumpy tonight.
is there a word that mashes up mediocre and evil?
Yeah, with the cooler temps in late afternoon, I think she was napping.
DARK-EYED JUNCO ... greets the morning in Southcentral Alaska. These and many other songbirds are currently migrating south out of Alaska to winter in warmer climes. #birds #nature #wildlife #photography
A bumble friend just hanging out on some goldenrod for #InverteFest
A little something to brighten your timeline #bloomscrolling #invertefest 🌸🐝🌸
lol
Ugh, well that's terrible.
Also, if your pharmacy doesn’t have the vaccine, check with your doctor’s office. My doc said some places might not even carry the vaccine and health insurance might not cover it.
They literally are just shipping so maybe in a week or two.
Like, I wouldn’t trust a Kennedy hire or appointee so whoever runs the country next will have to rebuild it all and re-establish trust in the institutions.
