Lol, I didn't even realize that another #aphid was photobombing this shot of the little yellow flowers when I took it.

With a complete lack of freezing weather this winter, #Portland is going to have a lot of opportunistic insects munching on our plants.

#MacroMonday #BloomScrolling #MacroPhotography #OMSystemTG7

I will start by posting a #Macro shot of the #Magnolia bud, since it is not apparent from the overview that there was an adorable little #Aphid on it.

Any other of the flowers/branches/cones you'd like to see a close-up shot of?

#MacroMonday #BloomScrolling #MacroPhotography #OMSystemTG7

Note - #AsianLadyBeetles, another #InvasiveSpecies, actually feeds on Hemlock Woolly Adelgid! A reason to shoo the beetles outside if they are in your house!

#Maine [and #NewEngland] - Help Track a #Hemlock Pest

February 26, 2026

"#HemlockWoollyAdelgid (#HWA) is an #aphid-like invasive insect that feeds on and can kill hemlock trees in Maine. To find HWA, look:

- On hemlock trees. In North America, HWA is found only on hemlock trees.
- On the undersides of hemlock twigs. At this time of year, HWA is covered in white tufts of wax and is easy to see. Look for discrete 'woolly' masses.
At fallen twigs on top of the snow, as this will give you a picture of what is happening high in the crown. Unless you are in an area where HWA is commonly found (such as southern coastal towns), please let us know if you find it.

Unless you are in an area where HWA is commonly found (such as southern coastal towns), please let us know if you find it. "

Wikipedia: "Accidentally introduced to North America from Japan, HWA was first found in the eastern United States near Richmond, #Virginia, in 1951. The pest is now found from northern #Georgia to coastal# Maine and southwestern Nova Scotia as well as areas of western #Michigan near the eastern #LakeMichigan shoreline. As of 2015, HWA has affected 90% of the geographic range of #EasternHemlock in North America."

Read more [includes photos for identification]:
https://www.maine.gov/dacf/about/news/news.shtml?id=13343953

#SolarPunkSunday #HemlockTrees #SaveTheTrees #Forestry
#Stewardship #InvasiveSpecies
#InvasiveSpeciesWeek #NaturalPestControl
#NewEngland #EasternCanada
#Massachusetts #EasternSeaboard #MaineDepartmentOfAgricultureConservationAndForestry

News: Newsroom: Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry

Yet another AI service doing (basically) the exact same thing. How original. Bold. Truly groundbreaking. Sigh. 😔

#Aphid is an #AI control system that allows humans to power digital Clones to conduct business on their behalf. https://aphid.com

#zeitgeist

Aphid | We Invented The Clone

Aphid is an automation network that allows you to save time and earn money from digital AI workers you control.

Aphid
中国国家留学基金委和英国埃克塞特大学合作奖学金(博士生项目) There is still time to apply for this China Scholarship Council PhD opportunity. www.exeter.ac.uk/study/pg-res... Interested students please email at the email in the advertisement below. Thanks for circulating! #Drosophila #Aphid #AcademicChatter #AcademicSky

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:x6bajgevb6y6m5w6zplsbr35/post/3m4b2urnsnk2y

Wang et al. report that overexpression of Bt toxin Cyt2Aa fused with gut-binding peptides in #wheat enhances #aphid resistance, underscoring the critical role of modified Bt toxins to suppress #plant #pests.

🌾https://doi.org/10.1111/jipb.70038

@WileyEcology
#PlantSci #agriculture #JIPB #botany

PhD studentship for interested chinese nationals funded by the China Scholarship Council! Come work with us to investigate how innate immunity works in an important agricultural pest, and disentangle how the immune system evolves. 🇬🇧🇨🇳 For more info, see: bit.ly/4ntrsEe #Drosophila #Aphid #Immunity