northerlyy
Wildlife photography of all kinds in no particular chronological order... call me North!All photos posted are taken by me, and everything that appears here is documented on iNaturalist as well.
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Latest Posts by northerlyy
Cixiid Planthopper (Xenoliarus placitus), taken May 25, 2025, in Georgia, US
A beautiful cixiid planthopper posing for me on a leaf! This is the most common species in my area, though I do very rarely find more obscure species. This species very recently was moved to Xenoliarus from Melanoliarus, which caused some confusion for me when I saw the new genus name lol. It can be quite variable in appearance, sometimes having black patterning on the wings ranging from some spots on the tops to completely black. This makes it kind of hard to ID if you're not familiar with it, but if you're looking for them you'll become familiar in no time since they tend to like to land on your stuff!
Asian Oak Weevil (Cyrtepistomus castaneus), taken May 25, 2025, in Georgia, US
A little oak weevil resting in the bend of a leaf! I happened to see this guy through a small gap in the leaf and turned it over to find this cute scene! He may be sleeping, as the weather was quite spotty and poor to travel in, but he could also just be chill like that. C. castaneus was introduced to the US from Japan in the early 1900s and has since spread throughout the Eastern US and SE Canada. They are considered invasive in some states due to native foliage damage brought on by infestations. Their patterning is quite variable—this is actually the first gray one I've ever found. Usually they're a matte brown for me, but they can also be nearly white. Many even have yellow or teal sides, which can faintly be seen in this individual, though not as brightly as some.
Frilly Grass Tubeworm Moth (Acrolophus mycetophagus), taken May 25, 2025, in Georgia, US
A beautiful cheerleader resting gracefully on a leaf... This moth is a puffball! I'm always excited to see new moths, and I was very excited to spot this tubeworm moth from afar! I love how fluffy and extravagant they look, almost like they're wearing a fur scarf. For this species in particular, I really like how the scales on its mid-wing black patterning are raised, though I didn't see that in reference images I looked at to ID it, so it may just be because this individual is young. Regardless, I wish this moth a very good beauty rest—it seems to be working!
does iNaturalist really help research? Or it's just for fun and to help U feel love for the wildlife around U?
Yep! Research Grade observations are called that for a reason, they be and are used by plenty of researchers! There have been papers written on iNaturalist data, species have been described via iNaturalist, and so on. I personally have collected and sent specimens to multiple researchers who have contacted me because of my iNaturalist observations even
Though it is also fun :>
Now that it's spring, wet days bring out salamanders here too, which is a nice bonus lol! And thank you!
It sucks that I can't enjoy thunderstorms that much comparatively to a lot of other people, but as someone who currently lives in a tornado zone and whose hobbies include going outside and walking around looking for bugs, the thing I like most about rain is the immediate aftermath—otherwise it's just, like, a loud, stressful inconvenience to me, sadly
Coppery Leafhoppers (Jikradia olitoria), nymphs, taken May, 2025, in Georgia, US
A small collection of J. olitoria nymphs to showcase how variable they can be, even when found in the same place! Even with all this color, some colorations are still missing—green and brown most notably. Despite their highly variable colors, these nymphs can still be easily IDed due to shared pattern traits and their signature curled posture, which they only share with a few other leafhoppers (in the US and Canada). I feel like a Pokémon collector trying to collect all the forms of this species' nymph when I put them all side by side like this lol!
100% agree lol. I've gotten better over the years, but my astraphobia combined with liking to look at bugs and southeast tornado shenanigans makes storms suck a lot.
You're right that the best part of a storm is directly after when the sun has just started to come back out! A lot of insects that are usually flying out of reach are grounded from the weather and easy to photograph, and some that prefer wet weather are more common after rain. I remember going out the day after hurricane Helene hit last year and finding a ton of bugs I'd never seen before because everything was out of sorts from the unusual weather. It was a nice reward for weathering the storm!
It sucks that I can't enjoy thunderstorms that much comparatively to a lot of other people, but as someone who currently lives in a tornado zone and whose hobbies include going outside and walking around looking for bugs, the thing I like most about rain is the immediate aftermath—otherwise it's just, like, a loud, stressful inconvenience to me, sadly
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), taken May 20, 2025, in Georgia, US
A lovely crow yelling back to their partner who sits a few branches away. These two flew overhead and stayed a while to (I assume) yell about me from the trees. I think they were sandwiched between me on the ground and a hawk circling a little ways off behind them, and they clearly had a lot to say about it! They circled around above me a few times before continuing in the direction they were headed, and after they left the hawk started yelling instead. You can never have quiet in the woods!
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!
Red-banded Leafhopper (Graphocephala coccinea), taken May 21, 2025, in Georgia, US
I've begun seeing G. coccinea about! This leafhopper's patterning is quite variable, often overlapping with the patterning of G. fennahi, the Rhododendron Leafhopper, and making it hard to ID. If the leafhopper has any hint of an isolated stripe on the wing (seen very clearly in this image), it is G. coccinea, as G. fennahi's stripe connects fully to the edge of the wing. It can also be helpful to check if the leafhopper is feeding on the plant it sits on and documenting what the plant is, as G. fennahi is only known to feed on rhododendron species while G. coccinea is far less picky and feeds from a wide variety of herbaceous plants!
Common Watersnake (Nerodia sipedon), juvenile, taken May 22, 2025, in Georgia, US
My first (and hopefully not last) snake of the year: a tiny watersnake! This guy couldn't have been very old. I would actually guess based on his size that he was very recently born! The little creek I found him in will provide a great place to begin life, full of small fish, salamander larvae, and invertebrates for this baby to eat until he's large enough to eat bigger prey and swim long distances.
Unlike most other snakes, N. sipedon is ovoviviparous, meaning eggs develop and hatch inside the mother before being laid, and the mother gives birth directly to baby snakes! Upon being born, these babies are immediately independent and soon leave the mother, who can give birth to—in extreme cases—up to 30 babies!
Ebony Jewelwings (Calopteryx maculata), female (top) & male (bottom), taken May 22, 2025, in Georgia, US
A beautiful pair of ebony jewelwings that were fluttering around each other! I wouldn't put it past them to be flirting lol. These pictures are a great side by side comparison of the sexual dimorphism of the species. Females are a dark metallic blue/green with a bold white spot on the apex of each of their four wings, while males are a brilliant metallic green with solid black wings. There are also slight morphological differences, but those are very hard to see unless you have a camera or the insect is very still, which jewelwings are not. I've just learned to remember that white spot = female!
Went out somewhere new yesterday and was lucky enough to bump into both forms of Maevia expansa male! Top images are the "tufted" morph and bottom are the "gray" morph.
They look absolutely nothing alike, and both males even use different courtship rituals to attract females! Like I've said before, the easiest way to differentiate this species from the much more common M. inclemens is to look for the bold white markings around the eyes of M. expansa, which are displayed in the pictures I have provided. The white is very bright and obvious, which makes distinction very easy, especially since jumpers love to look at you head-on!
Jumping Spider (Maevia expansa), female, taken May 8, 2025, in Georgia, US
A curious jumper making her way along a twig! She was not very happy with me but ultimately cooperated enough to get a single good picture. Like the Dimorphic Jumping Spider (Maevia inclemens), this spider's males have two different morphs: a "gray" morph that is gray with black stripes and bright orange palps and a "tufted" morph that is black with white legs and 3 black tufts of hairs above its eyes. The males of the species look nothing alike, which may cause them to be misidentified. This species can be differentiated from M. inclemens by the presence of white patterning on the head of the female and around the eyes of the males. You can also use locality, as they have currently only been found in Georgia and once in Tennessee.
Large Lace-border Moth (Scopula limboundata) (Top) and Dot-lined Wave (Idaea tacturata) (Bottom), taken May 20, 2025, in Georgia, US
At a glance, two quite similar looking moths! When put next to each other or under the experienced eye, though, they can be quite easily differentiated. S. limboundata has a creamy overall coloration, while I. tacturata is more white and brown. I. tacturata is also noticeably smaller when they're not cropped to be the same size lol. They do, however, have the same general pattern, even with the same dark dots on each of their wings! You can see, though, that I. tacturata has dots down its abdomen that S. limboundata lacks. Regardless of their similarities and differences, both are very striking moths!
Really really love the additions to this—they're all very correct lol.
Most prey animals, especially birds, have a notable field of binocular vision. Binocular vision offers both enhanced vision quality and depth perception, which is why most predators have a larger field of binocular vision than prey animals. Predators need to know exactly where their prey is in relation to them and need to be able to accurately assess the state of the prey which requires depth perception and detailed sight. Prey animals need a large range of monocular vision to scan for movement and a small range of binocular vision to better assess the possible threat once it's detected.
One of the coolest things to remember is that because prey animals have eyes on the side of their head, they are looking at you when they're in profile, not facing you! Hot tip for artists and animal lovers!
Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), taken May 20, 2025, in Georgia, US
This offended squirrel is staring down at me after I scared him away from his foraging spot! I didn't want to, but he was directly in my path, as squirrels often are. He did make for a cute picture before he parkoured up and away through the trees, though. Squirrels get too much of a bad rep. They're called "tree rats" for being annoyances but, in reality, they are just silly little guys. I absolutely love it when they visit the feeders, even when they jump onto them to stuff their faces!
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos), juvenile, taken May 9, 2025, in Georgia, US
A young mockingbird eating like an absolute weirdo from the woodpecker feeder! This newly-independent teen could barely fit on the feeder ledge and kept almost falling off. Apparently the taste was worth it, though, because it kept trying! I can tell this is a juvenile because it's smaller and leaner than its parents, and they also never eat from this feeder due to the inconvenience. They prefer the easy to access barn feeders that are accessible to everyone, but this little guy hasn't figured out the tech yet—or maybe they haven't figured out his!
Coppery Leafhopper (Jikradia olitoria), nymph, taken May 18, 2025, in Georgia, US
Some out of focus images of my son because I love him so much.. I saw him again yesterday on the same plant, so he must like it where he is lol. Even after seeing tons of these guys, I still can't get over how cute they are, especially as nymphs! Their large, charismatic eyes, bright colors, and little dances have captivated me, I fear.
Flatid Planthopper (Family Flatidae), nymph, taken May 18, 2025, in Georgia, US
A little planthopper nymph on a blackberry stem! I'm not very good with IDing flatid planthopper nymphs, as most of them look generally the same. That's alright, though, because this nymph is cute regardless! I'm not sure how people get nice group photos of them—I only ever find nymphs alone. Maybe one day I'll be blessed with a giant cluster in an easy to photograph location. That's the dream...
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis), taken May 9, 2025, in Georgia, US
A lovely catbird getting a snack! This guy looked quite youthful, but I doubt he's a product of this spring. He was far too put together to be a juvenile, and you can tell he doesn't have a baby face. Perhaps this is his first nesting season!
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!
Buffalo Treehopper (Stictocephala militaris), nymph, taken May 14, 2025, in Georgia, US
What a wicked-looking treehopper nymph! I see lots of these guys when they're very small, but this is my first time seeing a large nymph of this species, and I was certainly not disappointed! He was an excellent subject as well, sitting completely still even as I manhandled the vine he was sitting on for a better angle. The adults of this genus, like most treehoppers, look unrecognizable next to their nymphs. All of the spikes disappear, and what is left is a smooth, teardrop-shaped green hopper with clear wings and two red horns on either side of its head, kind of like a buffalo as the name would imply!
the leafhoppers are back 🥰
Erythronerua acuticephala
Erythroneura calycula
Erythroneura infuscata
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater), juvenile, being fed by a Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), taken May 9, 2025, in Georgia, US
A fat cowbird chick being fed by its song sparrow foster parent! It seems as though our only song sparrow pair were chosen by the cowbirds as fosters this spring. Luckily, song sparrows are known to attempt to nest up to four times in a season, so they have plenty of chances left to raise their own brood! Once this baby cowbird becomes independent, it will meet with other baby cowbirds and begin its life as a young adult! For now, though, it's content to take handouts from mom and dad!
I feel as though the concept is much more common knowledge now, but to those who come across this and don't know: cowbirds are nest parasites, meaning they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds so they don't have to raise their babies themselves. They do this because building a nest and caring for young is extremely costly for females and may result in a lower chick yield than creating more eggs (up to 40) and laying them in an array of host nests does. The cowbird chick often hatches before the host nest's chicks, grows faster, becomes larger, and is louder, leading to the host chicks being neglected and often dying before fledging. While this is sad, bird parents have evolved to account for the possibility of being parasitized and will often nest multiple times in a season to ensure they have at least one healthy brood of their own chicks! Many bird species are also extremely good at recognizing cowbird eggs and can either eject them from the nest or destroy them before they hatch. Nest parasites are one of many natural population control agents that ensure native bird populations remain stable, so they are not a bad thing if the parasite is native, which cowbirds are in the US!
Asian Lady Beetles (Harmonia axyridis), taken May 14, 2025, in Georgia, US
A couple colorful ladybugs soaking up the afternoon sun! I typically don't find adults in such close proximity unless they're mating, so seeing these two just sitting quietly together was very cute. Neither are red, either, which was a very welcome sight amongst the sea of red ladybugs I find every day. They both look like quite young adults, so it's possible they were still drying off from emerging from their pupae. They likely moved on fairly quickly, though, since the boardwalk is currently teeming with larvae, meaning it's hard to sit undisturbed for long!
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), juvenile, taken May 9, 2025, in Georgia, US
A disheveled young cardinal stopping for a few sips! Someone had been in the bath prior and made it absolutely filthy with dirt, but this guy didn't really seem to mind. The bath water is replaced daily, but it tends to get dirty pretty fast if there are lots of baths in a day. The birds could just go to the koi pond literally 5 feet away, but I guess it's too scary for everyone but the song sparrows!
Vesper Bluet (Enallagma vesperum), male, taken May 5, 2025, in Georgia, US
I am here once again with a new damselfly! I've actually seen a couple of these since taking this first photo, but none were as nice looking. Like many bluets, females can be differentiated from males by their thicker abdomen that lacks an elongated black segment on the end. As you can see, the last segment on this male's abdomen is black which would signify his sex if he were the same color as a female. Luckily, the males and females of this species are very easy to tell apart, males being bright yellow and females being blue!
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), juvenile, take May 9, 2025, in Georgia, US
A little guy! I've been seeing this young fellow flying around the bird feeders for a few days and was finally able to get some good shots of him. I never see him with any parents, so I have no way of telling if he's a nest parasite or was raised by the local starlings, though the previous year the starlings raised their own babies, so I assume they did this spring as well. He's looking lively and healthy and eats on his own, so he's well on his way to becoming a strong adult!