California Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon ensatus) California Giant Salamander in July 2024 by Dan Osipov

Nice! I've seen adults there, one has to assume hatching were nearby
www.inaturalist.org/observations...

Flies seems like a right group for the naming. Could name other mayflies for crypto - here one day, gone the next.

@artwolfe.bsky.social

Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore The definitive photographic guide to the amazing avifauna of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. Boasting an incredible diversity of habitats, ranging from lush…

My latest bird book is just out.
2 years of work but rewarding.
"Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore"
www.bloomsbury.com/uk/birds-of-...

The first article of the new Journal of Lost Species is out: journaloflostspecies.org/index.php/jl...

Macrophotography: Photographing Our Smallest Organisms Bring the tiny wonders of Anza-Borrego into focus!

Hey SoCal folks - on 3/21-22 @mhedin.bsky.social and I are teaching a 2-day macro workshop in Anza-Borrego Desert! We'll have Saturday class time to cover composition, equipment, lighting, etc., then field time Saturday afternoon, blacklighting that night, and reconvene for a morning bug-walk. 📷🐙🌿

Awesome lighting

Planthopper nymph?

First thing, pilgrim. You're new. And you look it. Here's 200 drakes. Go get yourself a decent weapon. Or armor. Or a spell.

First two ring true

Protect Our Public Lands from Oil and Gas Drilling! Almost 2 Million Acres, Including Mount Diablo State Park, Targeted by Federal Oil and Gas Drilling Lease Expansion Plan Earlier this month, the Trump administration released plans to open nearly 2 m...

Protect Our Public Lands from Oil and Gas Drilling! Write a letter to your rep here: actionnetwork.org/letters/prot...

Winning insect images revealed in RES Photography Competition 2025 View the Insect Week galleries

🥈 Our 2nd place winner in the #InsectWeek Photography Competition is Dara Ojo (IG: explorewithdara) with a striking image captures a leafhopper overtaken by a green Metarhizium fungus, revealing the dramatic and often unseen interactions that shape tiny ecosystems.

Read more & view the galleries 🔽

Giant Shield Bugs (Pycanum rubens) near their egg casings

Is there a name for a collective of shield bugs?

#bugsky #entomology #macro

Ecitonides colossus, holotype, dorsal habitus.

#NewSpecies!
New myrmecophilous beetle from #brazil just snuck in:

Ecitonides colossus

Treatment: treatment.plazi.org/id/477586F4-...
Publication: doi.org/10.3897/zook...
#ZooKeys #EcitonidesColossus

#FAIRdata
#OA #biodiversity #nature #conservation #entomology #insects #coleoptera #beetles #bugs

Ah, so a local celebrity! Had no idea!

Two woodpeckers siting on a tree

Here is a leucistic acorn woodpecker I saw yesterday. Cellphone photo

Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42. Post the second sentence.

"Larger spots frequently lie near the abdomen tip, perhaps serving as signal."

-- Dragonflies and Damselflies of the World, by KD Djikstra

Springtail riding a newt

Yup

California sky update

Global average temperature maps relative to average 1961-1990 baseline for every year since 1850. Red is above base, blue below.

Global average temperature maps relative to average 1961-1990 baseline for every year since 1850. Red is above baseline, blue below baseline. Notice the trend?

This is fossil fuel driven, friends.

7, even weight distribution, and a place for the thumb when picking up with one hand

Paragomphus alami, mature life male observed and photographed in the wild.

#NewSpecies!
New #dragonfly from #sudan just landed:

Paragomphus alami

Treatment: treatment.plazi.org/id/D282A66D-...
Publication: doi.org/10.3897/zook...
#Zookeys #ParagomphusAlami

#FAIRdata
#openaccess #biology #taxonomy #ecology #biodiversity #nature #conservation #entomology #insects #odonata

2025 was the third hottest year ever.
Trend is worrying and faster than expected a few years ago.

Only when we stop burning coal, oil and gas, temperature will stop rising.

www.ecmwf.int/en/about/med...

Transform Your Macro Skills: Insect Photography Workshop with Top Experts — BugShot Join Clay Bolt, Danae Wolfe, and John Abbott at Black Rock Forest for a 4-day macro workshop. Photograph butterflies, dragonflies, beetles, and more through hands-on field sessions, black lighting, ex...

Registration is open for this year’s domestic BugShot macro photography workshop. I’ve attended a bunch of them, (both domestic and international versions) and have enjoyed every one. The instructors are awesome and I’ve made many friends among fellow attendees. www.bugshot.net/bugshot-new-...

In 2026, Climate Change Is No Longer A Theoretical Risk In 2026, climate change threatens human safety, natural systems & economic stability, as data shows accelerating warming, stronger storms, rising seas and growing losses.

“The data shows a planet warming faster than policy response, storms intensifying alongside rising seas, and economic losses concentrating where resilience is weakest. Climate risk is now a planning variable, rather than a forecast uncertainty.” www.forbes.com/sites/dianne...

The Amazon has more tree species in 2.5 acres than the entire US & Canada combined. The Congo is the only home to all 3 great apes: gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos.
We are losing libraries of life before we even read the books.
#Biodiversity

Ah, thanks!

The lighting is superb on this one. Offcamera flash?