Zabulon Skipper (Lon Zabulon), Male, Taken May 14, 2025, In Georgia, US

Today's bug of the day is the common silverfish! I hope you like it I've never drawn a silverfish before so I hope I didn't get any of the major details wrong :]

Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum), taken May 27, 2024, in Georgia, US

Behold, the Georgia state bird! Quite pretty, but also will throw all of your woodchips/mulch onto the sidewalk to get to the tasty bugs inside. I suppose they're living up to their name by giving the landscape a thrashing...

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!

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), male, taken May 9, 2025, in Georgia, US

Looking quite sharp in more than one way! This guy must have just finished his spring molt—those feathers are spotless! I'm still seeing some bald and semi-bald cardinals running around, so the molt is still underway, but they, too, shall be fresh and beautiful like this guy afterwards!

Green Stink Bug (Chinavia hilaris), nymph, taken September 9, 2024, in Georgia, US

He is the exact same color as this leaf and I love it... A lot of the colorful insects I see aren't on their preferred substrate, so it's hard to get an idea of how well their camouflage works until you see them in their element. If I didn't know what to look for, this guy might just look like a spot of discoloration on a leaf caused by a fungus or parasitic insect, and that's super neat!

Spine-headed Bugs (Acanthocephala terminalis), taken August 18, 2024, in Georgia, US

Two nymphs at different stages of life sharing a leaf! I believe there were actually three individuals on this same plant, but the third didn't fit into the frame so it got its own picture. This area is frequented by the adult forms of this species, especially when flowers are blooming, so it makes sense that there would be plenty of babies too!

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!

A reminder: if you were taught that mosquitoes in general are useless to the environment and could be eliminated “without consequence”, then you were taught incorrectly. People still regularly comment this silly notion on my posts with absolute confidence. Our goal is reducing risk to humans, NOT eliminating the dangerous animal altogether.

You don’t have to like irritating, gross, or dangerous animals (most people do not), but if you are ever arguing for the extinction of an entire animal species try to remember the natural world is unfathomably complex in ways none of us can predict.

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!

Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura), taken March 27, 2025, in Georgia, US

Look at this wonderful vulture couple who were dining in on some scrumptious, long-dead raccoon! I'd been seeing vultures flying in and out of the area for the past few days, but never connected it to a carcass because rarely anything large dies here. I have no idea why the raccoon died—it was on the bank of the creek, a few feet from the water. I happened to glance over before attempting to parkour across the creek and spotted one of the vultures eating. I quickly turned right back around and (purposefully) walked to my house to switch my lenses and was able to catch them both together. They're my first vulture photos!