From last weekend:

a cherry slug sawfly that I found on a plum tree. I suppose a plum is close enough to a cherry.

it's amazing how glassy they look (or like a cola-flavored gummy?)

From this weekend:

There hasn't been a single Johnson's jumping spider that hasn't made me feel a bit judged, this one included.

At first I thought "what a weird ootheca"
but no, not a mantis egg case but silkworm cocoon.

Ceanothus silk moth, Hyalophora euryalus.

Wasp sippies, featuring what must be a 1/16 teaspoon (at most) spoon.

#insects

From last weekend: a masked bee (Hylaeus spp.) resting in a thistle flowerhead.

#bees #insects

Since plants don't have flight all they are left with is fight.

Fight in this case might be flipping the bird at a rodent that had chewed apart the walnut that you're sprouting from (very rude), and trying a hand at growing fresh roots when the opportunity presents itself.

I've heard some people say that invasive species aren't all too bad if the local wildlife learn how to use it.

Even though I've seen pollinators visit it I'm not fully convinced about star thistles though. Something that crowds everything out this much can't be kind to the local ecosystem when other human influences are already straining it.

I've been aggressively guarding a figwort patch from deer after they demolished it last year. A few weeks back, I noticed tiny green caterpillars on them. All except one disappeared, and that one disappeared too.

I think I might have found it again - as a teeny (less than 1cm) pupa with clearly adult bug eyes. Maybe it's getting close to eclosing?

When a meeting runs half an hour over with no signs of stopping so you see if you can get inat to correctly identify your drawings

(yes I'm reusing various shipment slips and whatnot to doodle on)