Asian Lady Beetles (Harmonia Axyridis), Taken May 14, 2025, In Georgia, US

Putnam's Jumping Spider (Phidippus putnami), juvenile female, taken May 7, 2024, in Georgia, US

I always love it when jumping spiders stare at the camera. I have so many pictures of their big, shiny eyes looking up at me. This little girl was a great model! Very cute!

Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater), juvenile, taken May 27, 2024, in Georgia, US

Fledgeling season is so fun when there's a bird bath because you get to see baby birds have pool parties! This particular individual injured its leg in some way and lived exclusively at our feeders for weeks, eating seeds off the ground and begging for handouts from any adult bird who got close lol. Surprisingly, it didn't get picked off and its leg ended up healing, so we got to see it reach adulthood with its siblings!

False Mealworm Beetle (Alobates pensylvanicus), taken March 18, 2025, in Georgia, US

A little beetle, as a treat. Look at this wonderful individual! I found him sheltering under pine bark I was peeling up, and I must have woken him up because he was very slow to start. It took me poking at him a few times (to check for life) before he decided he hated that, actually, and slowly lumbered underneath the log!

Tersa Sphinx (Xylophanes tersa), taken August 25, 2024, in Georgia, US

This is about the only sphinx moth I can ID from memory, which is kind of sad, but I don't see many of them so I have no reason to become better at ID! I happened to look down while perusing the grasses at the edge of a creek and saw this guy hanging about. This species is gorgeous, and I especially love the orange stripes on its shoulders. Hopefully I find more this year, though larger moths tend to elude me!

Coppery Leafhopper (Jikradia olitoria), nymph, taken April 12, 2025, in Georgia, US

A teeny leafhopper nymph on a flower stem! My favorite leafhopper species is finally returning for the year! I can't wait for these nymphs to grow larger and gain their bright colors. The ones in this area tend to be orange and green, though nymphs of this species are highly variable, also coming in yellow, tan, brown, black, red, and white. All young nymphs look like this individual, being very dark brown and, in later instars, gain their unique colors!

Eastery Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), taken January 23, 2025, in Georgia, US

Just a little guy trying to stay warm. This picture shows off its soft underbelly quite nicely—it looks so comfortable! With how cold it is right now and the regular presence of several hawks in the backyard, there are few squirrels visiting the feeders. I never thought I'd say it, but I actually kind of miss them!

Jumping Spider (Maevia expansa), female, taken May 8, 2025, in Georgia, US

A curious jumper making her way along a twig! She was not very happy with me but ultimately cooperated enough to get a single good picture. Like the Dimorphic Jumping Spider (Maevia inclemens), this spider's males have two different morphs: a "gray" morph that is gray with black stripes and bright orange palps and a "tufted" morph that is black with white legs and 3 black tufts of hairs above its eyes. The males of the species look nothing alike, which may cause them to be misidentified. This species can be differentiated from M. inclemens by the presence of white patterning on the head of the female and around the eyes of the males. You can also use locality, as they have currently only been found in Georgia and once in Tennessee.

Eastern Subterranean Termites (Reticulitermes flavipes), taken February 26, 2025, in Georgia, US

Where there is wood, there is termites. This area of the woods with tons of dead pines is a buffet for them, so of course I found a ton of them lol. It's always interesting to watch them shy away from the light when exposed!

Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens), male, taken March 28, 2025, in Georgia, US

Because of the massive amounts of pollen in the air, birds are now much harder to photograph... I'm way too sniffly and loud to allow them to relax, so nobody really shows when I'm outside (except robins, of course). This guy was willing to take the risk, though! Downies tend to be really bold, though, so that isn't really a surprise!

House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus), male, taken January 11, 2025, in Georgia, US

Nothing exciting, but I can't help but find this guy charming. His red feathers are dull and thus unattractive to a female, but I find the dull coloration nicer to look at than the bright red of other males. He's probably young and hasn't had the time to get super red. Hopefully he does soon—he needs to pick up chicks in the spring!!