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

Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos), taken March 9, 2025, in Georgia, US

I haven't been out in a few days, so have this month-old mockingbird lol. There's something about the composition of this photo that is just really nice. I love the lighting, and the way the mockingbird kind of blends into the background is visually appealing! This specific pair has made a nest in a tree next to my house, so we may get to see babies at the feeders this spring!

Eastern Calligrapher (Toxomerus geminatus), male, taken March 9, 2025, in Georgia, US

Gloomy days that are just slightly cold and a tad misty make for good days to hunt down sleepy flying insects! Although there are less around, those you find are much easier to photograph since they're all bedded down. This guy didn't even flinch when I got all up in his face. He kindly allowed me some side profiles, which show off his cool leg anatomy!

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!

Double-banded Grass-Veneers (Crambus agitatellus), taken June 20, 2024, in Georgia, US

A peek at one of the many tiny white flying things in the average suburban lawn! Most of them are leafhoppers, but many of them are moths as well, especially grass-veneers. This species is particularly beautiful with its brown and black coloration and can be distinguished from others by the paired black bands on the latter half of the wings. You can even see some decent variation between these 3 individuals!

Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina ssp. carolina), juvenile, taken May 25, 2024, in Georgia, US

Literally the most tiny and pathetic thing I have ever seen in my LIFE. Its eyes are too big for its tiny turtle head!!! It was in my front lawn moving Southeast, maybe for spring migration purposes, so I helped it across the road. When I picked it up it let out the most tiny and pathetic squeak of a hiss I have ever heard. Absolutely precious.

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.

Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis), males, taken April 30, 2024, in Georgia, US

These cardinals dressed appropriately for the scenery! The japanese maple is exactly the same color as them, which comes out looking very cool in shots like these. Soon, the maple will be filled back out, and I'll have a nice red background to take pictures on again!