Spotted Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus Conanti), Taken September 10, 2024, In Georgia, US

Red-shouldered Hawks (Buteos lineatus), taken March 2, 2025, in Georgia, US

Unhappy, me thinks!

Today's bug of the day is the common silverfish! I hope you like it I've never drawn a silverfish before so I hope I didn't get any of the major details wrong :]

Still a bit too early in the year for my mothing sheet to be as busy as I'd like, but I've still gotten a handful of interesting visitors

Ichneumonid Wasps(Family Ichneumonidae), Genus Raphia Ornate Tiger Moth(Apantesis ornata), Genus Eteobalea Genus Cameraria, White-lined Sphinx(Hyles lineata) Marbled Oak Dagger(Acronicta marmorata), Leaf Blotch Miner Moths(Family Gracillariidae) Two-spotted Leafhopper(Sophonia orientalis), Zale Moths(Genus Zale)

Red-shouldered Bug (Jadera haematoloma), taken April 4, 2025, in Georgia, US

Just a little guy posing for a picture! He seemed to be following the camera as I tried to get different angles. This insect has two adult morphs: long-winged (macropterous) and short-winged (brachypterous). The short-winged morph has, as you could infer, shorter wings that leave part of the abdomen exposed. I've seen both forms in a solitary setting, though this species apparently tends to have higher rates of short-winged adults when they live in groups. Less need for wings when you don't have to go anywhere to find a mate!

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), male, taken February 25, 2025, in Georgia, US

Bald!!!!! The spring molt has taken him... Every spring all of the cardinals become bald, and it is both pathetic and wonderful. This guy has started a bit early, so he's the odd man out of the bunch until they all follow!

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!

WAUCE BLAST

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Scarlet-bordered Assassin Bug (Rhiginia cruciata), taken April 25, 2025, in Georgia, US

A bit of an interesting lifer! I've been seeing these guys flying around me, but they either would never land or would spook too fast to get a good look. Fortunately, this guy landed right in front of me and politely stood still while I did my best to get pictures as the sun glared onto my camera display and made it impossible to tell if my image was in focus or not (horrific). This species is part of a subfamily referred to as millipede assassin bugs which, as the name would imply, exclusively prey on millipedes. They have evolved to specialize in hunting millipedes, possessing unique venom, mouthparts, and other physical features that allow them an advantage over other predators when hunting them. They're quite interesting, and may be the culprits of some millipede husks you find while digging through leaflitter!

Fragile Forktail (Ischnura posita), male, taken April 24, 2025, in Georgia, US

The fragilist, but not the smallest, of forktails... This species is the third most common damselfly in my area, surpassed only by smoky-winged dancers and turquoise bluets. Despite their small size, they're actually much more amenable to being photographed than the much larger smoky-wingeds. All damselflies are skittish about being photographed, though, so I've been getting a lot of exercise in the form of lunges and squats while chasing these guys around! Sometimes it's not even me scaring them, but other damselflies chasing them off their spot!