iNaturalist

A striking red spider with a round body perches on a dried leaf. The body has patterning that makes the spider similar in appearance to a strawberry!

We're big fans of spiders over here. This gorgeous red one is the species Araneus alsine, commonly known as the Strawberry Spider. Any guesses why? 👀🍓

📷 ldchambers on iNaturalist
📍 United Kingdom
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

Exciting talk lined up to close the observation phase of #AsiaNatureChallenge with Tony Iwane, Community & Support Coordinator, @inaturalist.bsky.social

📅 October 6th, 2025 (Monday)
🕙 10:00 AM PT | 10:30 PM IST

👉 Enroll here: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Striking pink bell-shaped flowers are growing together out of a stem that has oval-shaped green leaves.

You're looking at the first iNaturalist observation of Fives Heath (Erica sicula) in both Libya and North Africa more generally!

📷 abdulnaser on iNaturalist
📍 Libya
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

A brown raptor takes a stone in its beak.

The bird begins to swallow the stone whole, its beak wide open.

The bird turns and looks directly into the camera as if it knows it's been perceived.

It's common for some birds swallow small rocks, most likely to aid digestion by grinding food already in their stomachs. Here's a Merlin (Falco columbarius) getting caught in the act.

📷 victorb23 on iNaturalist
📍 United States
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

A green and black lizard snacks on what looks like a grub of some kind.

Martinique's Anoles (Anolis roquet) are native to (and only found on) the island of Martinique. Here's one enjoying a snack.

📷 karl_questel on iNaturalist
📍 Martinique
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

A goose swims in a body of water. There is a large plastic skeleton looming behind it.

Happy October! Here's a Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) ... oh, and a large (decorative) skeleton. 🎃💀👻

📷 robin04 on iNaturalist
📍 Canada
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

For some fun contrast: there are almost 580,000 observations of Western Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) worldwide.

A top-down view of disc-shaped, pinkish-purple mushrooms clustered on a log.

A top-down view of disc-shaped, brownish-pink mushrooms clustered on a log.

A view of the underside and gills of this disc-shaped, pinkish-purple mushrooms.

A view of the underside and gills of this disc-shaped, pinkish-purple mushrooms.

There are currently only about 700 iNaturalist observations (across the entire world) of this gorgeous mushroom, Panus strigellus!

📷 guerrante on iNaturalist
📍 Brazil
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

The frog is very cute and visible against the white backdrop of the lily.

This species can change their colors to camouflage more easily ... though this one doesn't seem to be trying too hard.

A small pale brown frog crouches inside a lily.

Ah, to be an Arumlily Reed Frog (Hyperolius horstockii) tucked within a flower.

📷 amywilliams14 on iNaturalist
📍 South Africa
🔗 www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

A striking pale pink shell with ridges and spines is nestled into the wet sand. Bubbles surround the perimeter of the shell.

Sometimes the most spectacular finds happen while beach-combing ... like this Royal Comb Venus (Hysteroconcha dione)!

📷 ocean_in on iNaturalist
📍 Trinidad and Tobago
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

This fall, we are proud to partner with TEDxBoston, @inaturalist.bsky.social, @umassboston.bsky.social, and other local organizations to celebrate and document the incredible variety of wildlife that calls Boston home. Learn more: www.inaturalist.org/.../tedxbost....

Two bugs with yellow, blue, red, and black markings cling to branches.

This bug has a colorful, visually striking pattern and two antennae.

The underside of the bug is yellow, blue, black, red, and orange.

There's truly no shortage of stunning leaf-footed bugs. This species is Pachylis laticornis!

📷 lendebeer on iNaturalist
📍 Venezuela
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

A view of the moss on some tree bark. It's bright green and spiky-looking.

Up close, the moss is bright green and has lots of long tufts.

Even closer, we're able to see lots of details of the moss. It's many shades of green with small brown extrusions all over it.

Swipe to zoom into this Lyell's Bristle-moss (Pulvigera lyellii)! Seen any cool mosses in your area lately? 👀

📷 bagli on iNaturalist
📍 Poland
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

I just passed my 50,000th identification on @inaturalist.bsky.social! Identifying is a huge but often ignored part of the #iNaturalist community and dataset so I wanted to share why and how I identify. 1/14

🧪 #ecology #taxonomy #botany #CommunityScience

A brown and white springtail crouches on the ground.

A brown and white springtail crouches on the ground.

A brown and white springtail crouches on the ground.

Globular springtails 4ever. (This one is possibly in the Genus Ptenothrix!)

📷 sparkn on iNaturalist
📍 China
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

A jumping spider with a red thorax and a beige abdomen clings to a branch.

This jumping spider — Nilakantha cockerelli — is native to (and only found in) the Greater Antilles!

📷 fpaz20 on iNaturalist
📍 Dominican Republic
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

Leaf or slug? (Spoiler alert, it's a slug — possibly the species Athoracophorus bitentaculatus!)

📷 bmacro on iNaturalist
📍 New Zealand
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

A slender yellowish-white fish with very large eyes and a mouth full of fish eggs floats vertically in the water.

Yellowhead Jawfish (Opistognathus aurifrons) carry their eggs in their mouths until they hatch! 👁️👄👁️

📷 melodie_caussat on iNaturalist
📍 Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

Red, round lumps stand out amongst the plant's pale green, narrow leaves.

The underside of the galls are greenish-yellow.

Those colorful lumps on this plant aren't fruits — they're galls, created by a species of gall midge called Austroacacidiplosis botrycephalae. Seen any galls near you lately? 👀

📷 karenretra on iNaturalist
📍 Australia
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

A yellow and black striped moth rests on a deep green fern.

This striking moth — Amana angulifera — hadn't been seen in about 150 years, but in 2018, an iNaturalist community member found one. Since then, there have been another 11 sightings!

📷 aniruddha_singhamahapatra on iNaturalist
📍 India
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

The mantle of a clam is on display. It is pale greenish-beige with black striations, and has a bright blue outer rim. The rest of the clam is covered in scruffy algae and blends in with the reef.

Who else is mesmerized by the patterns on this Fluted Giant Clam (Tridacna squamosa)? Nature is so whimsical.

📷 momaz on iNaturalist
📍 New Caledonia
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

📷 on iNaturalist:
1. Mushroom Gall Wasp (Heteroecus sanctaeclarae) by— cynestor
2. Pittosporum Twig-gall Fly (Phytoliriomyza pittosporocaulis) by nathanael_green
3. Cypress Flower Gall Midge (Taxodiomyia cupressi) by seangolden

Two white cup-shaped growths sprout from a leaf.

Just some of the insects that can induce galls include gall wasps, gall flies, aphids, scale insects, gall midges, and weevils ... but the list goes on. People estimate that there are over 210,000 gall insect species alone, many of which we likely have yet to formally describe.

This gall looks like something you'd imagine a mythical fairy-like creature living in. It's shaped like a mushroom and has a small hole in the front.

The stem of a plant has a couple round growths with small holes in them.

'Tis the season to search for lumps on plants, aka galls! These growths are created in response to other organisms — often insects, fungi, or bacteria — injecting their chemicals into the plant. 🧵⤵️

Join the gall celebrations: tr.ee/ziMCEH

This orchid has a bell-shaped yellow petal that looks a little like a cartoony shoe.

This orchid has a bell-shaped yellow petal that looks a little like a cartoony shoe.

This stunning slipper orchid (Selenipedium palmifolium) currently has been documented less than 25 times on iNaturalist!

📷 marie973 on iNaturalist
📍 French Guiana
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

A dark brown female scorpion carries lots of tiny baby scorpions on her back. The babies are a lighter brown with orange-ish colored legs.

Whee, baby scorpions! Female Slender Brown Scorpions (Centruroides gracilis) typically have litters of 25–35, which ride on the adult's back and go through their first molt after eight days.

📷 mjvillacorta on iNaturalist
📍 Belize
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

A pointer and index finger holds up a very small piece of bark with two tiny, flower-shaped fungi growing on it. The fungi are a fraction of the size of the person's fingernail.

A pointer and index finger holds up a very small piece of bark with two tiny, flower-shaped fungi growing on it. The fungi are a fraction of the size of the person's fingernail.

A pointer and index finger holds up a very small piece of bark with two tiny, flower-shaped fungi growing on it. The fungi are a fraction of the size of the person's fingernail.

TINY FUNGUS. Absolutely magical. Specifically, Cannonball Fungus (Sphaerobolus stellatus).

📷 ezatars on iNaturalist
📍 Latvia
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

A great-tailed grackle perches on a sign that says "hide your things."

10. Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) by zizzerus on iNaturalist

A peregrine falcon sits on top of a sign that says "early bird" in the middle of a city.

9. Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) by shaneoneal on iNaturalist