Sawfly (Genus Dolerus), taken March 7, 2025, in Georgia, US
'Tis the season for sawflies! I've only seen two so far, but more are certainly to come. This guy was quite striking, being bright red! Until now, I've only seen black sawflies in person, so I actually thought this was some kind of blood bee (Genus Sphecodes) until I put it into iNat lol! However, if you look closer, you can tell that the body is almost fully red, the antennae are not elbowed, and the head isn't really bee-shaped. What a cool find! Here's to hoping I see more!
Common Watersnake (Nerodia sipedon), juvenile, taken September 2, 2024, in Georgia, US
I found this little guy while flipping rocks in my creek looking for salamanders! I'm obsessed with how the water makes his face look angry while he's submerged, but he's adorable and friendly looking when he pokes his head out. I don't see enough snakes! Literature says they're all around me, but clearly they don't want to be friends because they never show themselves!!
Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum), taken May 27, 2024, in Georgia, US
Behold, the Georgia state bird! Quite pretty, but also will throw all of your woodchips/mulch onto the sidewalk to get to the tasty bugs inside. I suppose they're living up to their name by giving the landscape a thrashing...
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis), taken April 30, 2025, in Georgia, US
My friend pointed out to me that catbirds have soulless, black eyes, and now I see it every time I look at them. I can't deny that this guy looks like he's committed crimes. Either that or his children that are actively screaming at him as this photo is taken have sucked the soul out of him. Is he telling me that he doesn't care about the horrific things he's done, or is he silently pleading for reprieve from parenthood? I don't think I could help him either way!
Pine Flower Weevil (Cimberis pilosa), taken April 1, 2025, in Georgia, US
Liftoff!! While I was photographing birds, this guy landed on my hand and spent a few minutes with me. I actually took him into my house to grab my macro lens and got it on just in time to catch him leaving! You can see that he's covered in pine pollen, as his name would imply. He's likely off to the next pine tree!
Orchard Orbweaver (Leucauge venusta), juvenile, taken March 18, 2025, in Georgia, US
Behold, a spider belly! In even the smallest orchard orbweaver, the orange smiley on their abdomen is visible. This is diagnostic for the species, along with 3 stripes that run down their cephalothorax, one down the center and 2 on the margins, but that isn't visible here. Those markings allow you to differentiate the species from Joro Spiders, which look extremely similar as juveniles. A smiliar species, the Mabel Orchard Orbweaver (Leucauge argyrobapta), is often confused with this one but can be distinguished (if not by range) by its blue hues and larger, more yellow smiley. This is only the case for some individuals, though, as females of the species are nearly identical and males can only be distinguished by the shape of their palps. Both are beautiful regardless!
Southern Sprite (Nehalennia integricollis), teneral female, taken May 1, 2025, in Georgia, US
A delicate damsel! I'm extremely excited to have gotten some good pictures of this species, as they're pretty rare in my area. I've only seen one previously, a male last summer. Males of this species can be identified by their bright blue eyes and tail tips which contrast their otherwise green and white body. Females look very similar when fully adult but can be differentiated, having dark blue eyes, duller bodies, and a much smaller blue spot on the tail (white tail spot on the individual in the photo). Now that I'm actually actively looking for damselflies when I go out, I hope I'll see more new faces!
Downy Woodpeckers (Dryobates pubescens), males (1 & 3) and female (2), taken February 10, 2025, in Georgia, US
Their youthful looks and shiny eyes captivate me... They just make such good photos lol! There's so many of them here that I honestly don't know how often I'm photographing the same individual. The male here is the same one, but once they leave the feeder it's impossible to keep track!
Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis), male, taken February 27, 2025, in Georgia, US
A beautiful drinker!! This lovely male bluebird came to the bird bath for a few sips and stayed long enough for me to get some nice photos! His blue stands out against the tan and green background so nicely. In the video, he gets spooked at the end by a robin who flew away noisily overhead!
American Robin (Turdus migratorius), male, taken March 7, 2025, in Georgia, US
Possibly the most polite looking robin, ever? This guy looks like he's getting his yearbook photo taken! Robins are insanely photogenic. I don't think I'll ever get tired of photographing them simply because they always look great!
White-jawed Jumping Spider (Hentzia mitrata), female, taken April 22, 2025, in Georgia, US
A cute female jumper who thinks she's hiding from me! I absolutely adore this species—they're my little locals. I'm seeing lots of adult males about, so they're preparing to breed soon! Juveniles of this genus are usually unable to be IDed to species until they begin to gain their adult colors. H. mitrata juveniles retain their white legs while H. palmarum (Common Hentz Jumping Spider) and most others in the genus develop brown front legs and brown or black patterning as opposed to orange.
Wildlife photography of all kinds in no particular chronological order... call me North!All photos posted are taken by me, and everything that appears here is documented on iNaturalist as well.
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