100% Agree Lol. I've Gotten Better Over The Years, But My Astraphobia Combined With Liking To Look At

Eastern Subterranean Termites (Reticulitermes flavipes), taken February 26, 2025, in Georgia, US

Where there is wood, there is termites. This area of the woods with tons of dead pines is a buffet for them, so of course I found a ton of them lol. It's always interesting to watch them shy away from the light when exposed!

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!

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum), taken March 9, 2025, in Georgia, US

A small flock of waxwings visited a couple days ago! They're very skittish, so it's hard to get any decent pictures, but even from far away they make nice subjects. When they stop by they usually ransack the holly tree in the yard, but the robins have already picked it clean, so they combed over the leftover seeds from the tulip trees and whatever else they could find instead. Late birds earn no berry snacks!

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...

Four-banded Stink Bug Wasp (Bicyrtes quadrifasciatus), female, taken August 3, 2024, in Georgia, US

Digging a hole in the sand! There were a few different species of sand wasps flying around this area, but most ran before I could get to them. I missed this lady initially storing her prey, but I did get her filling in the hole! She posed very prettily at the end, maybe showing off her hard work!

Bristle Millipede (Genus Polyxenus), taken March 21, 2025, in Georgia, US

A tiny, spiky millipede! Despite this guy's small size, this is actually the largest bristle millipede I've seen. Usually I find juveniles, which just look like fluffy balls due to them having less segments. On this guy, however, you can see the individual rows of bristles lining each segment!

Red-shouldered Bug (Jadera haematoloma), taken April 4, 2025, in Georgia, US

Just a little guy posing for a picture! He seemed to be following the camera as I tried to get different angles. This insect has two adult morphs: long-winged (macropterous) and short-winged (brachypterous). The short-winged morph has, as you could infer, shorter wings that leave part of the abdomen exposed. I've seen both forms in a solitary setting, though this species apparently tends to have higher rates of short-winged adults when they live in groups. Less need for wings when you don't have to go anywhere to find a mate!

European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), taken February 10, 2025, in Georgia, US

The starlings are getting pretty for spring!! I can't wait to see their full gloss come in—they're such gorgeous birds. I'm definitely a big fan of this in-between with both winter spots and a subtle colorful sheen, though!

Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis), taken April 27, 2024, in Georgia, US

Some of my proudest bird pictures (so far)! This was the first time I took out my current camera to test it on the birds, and this catbird and a white-throated sparrow got really close for some water! When I tell you I scrambled to get the bird in focus, I fucking scrambled. It worked out in the end!

Jumping Spider (Admestina wheeleri), male, taken July 17, 2024, in New Hampshire, US

His task? Uncertain, but he's doing something! This genus nests in crevices in tree bark, but I'm not sure if he's trying to create a nest, deposit sperm, or a secret third task.

The picture was taken after the video while I followed him on his journey around this tree for at least 10 minutes before I decided he wasn't of interest any more. He wandered away from where he made this possible nest in a seemingly random direction, kind of just meandering along the tree, and it has me wondering if he decided the spot he chose wasn't suitable for a nest. Regardless, this genus is known to be quite illusive, so I wanted to document the behavior in a video in case it was of interest. Who knows!