Happy #InverteFest2022!
Most of my #iNaturalist observations, and much of my #Photography, are of #Insects, especially #FlowerVisitors/"#Pollinators". (Not all who visit, pollinate. Some are hunting!)
In the spirit of the season, I'll share some fave #Macro #Photos.
My most frequently observed #Species is #Bombus impatiens, the Eastern bumble #Bee.
Wow that got the most likes of any of my pachy posts so far, and quickly! So let's keep it going.
Most of my observations are from my own garden in Brooklyn, NYC. #Harmonia axyridis, multi-colored lady #Beetle (#Coleoptera), is the 2nd most common species. This one is infected with a recently described host-specific #Fungus: Hesperomyces harmoniae.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/120246696
#InverteFest2022 #iNaturalist #Macro #Photography #Insects #FlowerVisitors #Pollinators #Photos #InverteFest
A beautiful native #Bee is #Augochlora pura, pure green #SweatBee. Like most of our #Bees, they are tiny!
This is one of my favorites. Aside from its beauty, its one of at least 5 bee species that nest in my yard. These nest in rotting wood, provided by logs I place in my #Garden for this purpose.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/116978932
#InverteFest2022 #iNaturalist #Macro #Photography #Insects #FlowerVisitors #Pollinators #Photos #InverteFest
#Eristalis transversa, transverse-banded #FlowerFly (#Syrphidae) is my "spark bug". When I first noticed it in my #Brooklyn backyard in 2009, I thought it was a bee! When I learned it was a #Fly (#Diptera, "two-winged"), I was hooked.
When I saw how many different insects my #NativePlants attracted, I devoted my entire #Garden to #WildlifeHabitat #Gardening.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/98277733
#InverteFest2022 #iNaturalist #Macro #Photography #Insects #FlowerVisitors #Pollinators #Photos #InverteFest
#Colletes thoracicus, rufous-chested #CellophaneBee (#Colletidae) is another #Bee species making its home in my #Garden. Ground-nesters, each generation lives just one year. I've tracked this population since 2008, 14 generations!
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/41200694
#InverteFest2022 #iNaturalist #Macro #Photography #Insects #FlowerVisitors #Pollinators #Photos #InverteFest
This year, my most commonly observed species was the spotted #Lanternfly (#Lycorma delicatula, #Fulgoridae), an introduced #PlantHopper (#Fulgoroidea, #Hemiptera). Spreading rapidly since its 2015 introduction in #Pennsylvania, it's now the 3rd most commonly observed #Insect in #NYC on #iNaturalist.
The red blobs are antennae, the black eyes just above those.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/134627271
#InverteFest2022 #InverteFest #Macro #Photography #Photos #Insects
Our largest #bee, the Eastern carpenter #Bee (#Xylocopa verginica ssp. virginica) is well-known to those in proximity to outdoor wooden structures. Females carve out long tunnels underneath protected wood, e.g. porch rails, eaves.
Males emerge first in Spring. Territorial, they will fly right at you! Harmless to us.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/129009312
#InverteFest2022 #InverteFest #Macro #Photography #Photos #Insects #iNaturalist #FlowerVisitors #Pollinators #Apidae #Bees #Anthophila #Hymenoptera
Virginia Carpenter Bee from Beverly Square East, New York, United States on July 30, 2022 at 01:39 PM by Chris Kreussling (Flatbush Gardener). Xylocopa virginica ssp. virginica on Vernonia noveboracensis in my front yard, 2022-07-30
Another of my favorite species is our largest #Wasp, Eastern cicada killer, #Sphecius speciosus. Ground-nesters, females dig out impressive mounds of dirt, often the only evidence of their presence.
Males of this species also emerge before females in the Spring. Territorial, they will also fly right at you! Again, harmless; males have no stingers.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/126702296
#InverteFest2022 #InverteFest #Macro #Photography #Photos #Insects #iNaturalist #FlowerVisitors #Pollinators #Hymenoptera
@xris Love the wasps, hate what they do to our backyard every year. We had maybe 4 of these the 1st year we moved here. "Awww, look at those guys! and LOOK at them drag a stunned cicada into the hole!"
But the next year there were 20 of them. Turned the yard into a mud hole. Alas, the year after that, we had to take counter-measures. Sigh
Flatbush Gardener 🌈
KatM
Derekodon
Ulrike
KP McFarland