Spine-headed Bugs (Acanthocephala Terminalis), Taken August 18, 2024, In Georgia, US

Spiny Assassin Bug (Sinea spinipes), taken May 5, 2025, in Georgia, US

Spiny, indeed! Look at those legs! The nymphs of this species are mostly black with a yellow abdomen, quite different from the brown camouflage of adults. If you're not looking closely, adults can be overlooked at a brown spot on leaves or part of tree bark. They're quite good at what they do! I usually only find nymphs, so finding this adult hiding in the leaves was a nice treat!

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.

American Robin (Turdus migratorius), male, taken February 24, 2025, in Georgia, US

A drinker, I fear... The robins were incredibly bold today, though that isn't unusual for them! This guy allowed me to take some nice pictures and a short video of him before he took off. With the sound on, you can hear the cacophony that is 20 birds screaming and my pond waterfall all layered on top of one another. Be grateful the blackbirds hadn't arrived yet—they're deafening.

Fowler's Toad (Anaxyrus fowleri), taken September 2, 2024, in Georgia, US

Just a polite toad. Fowler's toads the most common Anuran I see in my area, but I always enjoy coming across them regardless. They breed like crazy in my koi pond every summer, and it's always fun to see the tiny froglets emerging from the water!

Cuckoo Wasp (Family Chrysididae), taken May 5, 2025, in Georgia, US

I fear my photography career has peaked with this one. I don't think I've ever seen anything so cute in my life. This little lady was simply just sleeping on the stem of a leaf, completely unaware of the fact that I was frantically taking as many pictures of her as possible. In the end, she put out a single antenna to sense me better but never ended up moving, so I'd say my attempt to not disturb her was successful! I had no idea cuckoos slept like this—it's adorable!!! One billion more, please!!

Taurus Mason Bee (Osmia taurus), taken March 18, 2025, in Georgia, US

Hard at work...admiring a rock? I'm honestly not sure what these guys are doing, possibly removing fine sediment from the rocks? There are dozens flying along the stones on the edge of my creek banks. The best guess I have is that they're collecting fine sand or dirt to do their "mason" work with. They're quite shy, but if I sit still enough, they'll come check out the rocks near me!

Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia), taken April 24, 2025, in Georgia, US

What I believe is my first butterfly of the year, at least that I've been able to photograph! I saw what I think was a Blue Morpho in early, early spring, before almost anything was awake, but it flew off before I could get a picture. Since then, it's been some skippers and a few Tiger Swallowtails, but never when I have my camera on me! This guy was touched down because of a storm. I went out right after the rain, when many flying insects are still reluctant to fly, and was able to get a couple decent pictures!

Non-Biting Midge (Xylotopus par), male, taken February 26, 2025, in Georgia, US

Despite how he looks, this guy is very much alive and flew off shortly after I took these pictures! I swiped him out of the sky and shook him around in my hand to stun him so I could get pictures, hence his totally shocked appearance.

This guy is one of the cousins of the arguably less friendly mosquito! I really enjoy photographing midges, but as I'm not super knowledgeable of them yet, I mostly rely on IDers (THE IDer in the case of this family) on iNat to point me in the right direction. One of the first things I learned is that males of this family can easily be differentiated from females by their long, thin abdomens and big, fuzzy antennae! This is also the case for mosquitos and most other nematoceran flies, though it can be very hard to tell when it comes to groups like crane flies, who can be more reliably sexed by their abdomen!

Ichneumon Wasp (Limonethe maurator), taken August 17, 2024, in Georgia, US

A lithe wasp for the wasp-likers! I can't wait for it to be wasp season again... The paper wasps are back out, and I swear I saw a spider or great black digger wasp in the leaves the other day, but it flew away before I could get a good look. I also found and lost a damselfly I've never seen before, but I can stop being salty about that when I find another one (hopefully). Regardless, the wasps are coming back, and here is one I look forward to seeing again!

Cooper's Hawk (Astur cooperii), taken February 13, 2025, in Georgia, US

He is assessing the situation after catching a lovely robin lunch! I saw him come in quick through the trees to land before he was spotted, and no watchful birds (blue jays, starlings, mockingbirds, etc.) were around to raise the alarm for everyone dining at the feeders. He swooped in fast and made a quick kill, then flew off after, perhaps to make it on time to a lunch date with a mate :)