Dan Osipov

Giant Shield Bugs (Pycanum rubens) near their egg casings

Is there a name for a collective of shield bugs?

#bugsky #entomology #macro

Ecitonides colossus, holotype, dorsal habitus.

#NewSpecies!
New myrmecophilous beetle from #brazil just snuck in:

Ecitonides colossus

Treatment: treatment.plazi.org/id/477586F4-...
Publication: doi.org/10.3897/zook...
#ZooKeys #EcitonidesColossus

#FAIRdata
#OA #biodiversity #nature #conservation #entomology #insects #coleoptera #beetles #bugs

Ah, so a local celebrity! Had no idea!

Two woodpeckers siting on a tree

Here is a leucistic acorn woodpecker I saw yesterday. Cellphone photo

Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42. Post the second sentence.

"Larger spots frequently lie near the abdomen tip, perhaps serving as signal."

-- Dragonflies and Damselflies of the World, by KD Djikstra

Springtail riding a newt

Yup

California sky update

Global average temperature maps relative to average 1961-1990 baseline for every year since 1850. Red is above base, blue below.

Global average temperature maps relative to average 1961-1990 baseline for every year since 1850. Red is above baseline, blue below baseline. Notice the trend?

This is fossil fuel driven, friends.

7, even weight distribution, and a place for the thumb when picking up with one hand

Paragomphus alami, mature life male observed and photographed in the wild.

#NewSpecies!
New #dragonfly from #sudan just landed:

Paragomphus alami

Treatment: treatment.plazi.org/id/D282A66D-...
Publication: doi.org/10.3897/zook...
#Zookeys #ParagomphusAlami

#FAIRdata
#openaccess #biology #taxonomy #ecology #biodiversity #nature #conservation #entomology #insects #odonata

2025 was the third hottest year ever.
Trend is worrying and faster than expected a few years ago.

Only when we stop burning coal, oil and gas, temperature will stop rising.

www.ecmwf.int/en/about/med...

Transform Your Macro Skills: Insect Photography Workshop with Top Experts — BugShot Join Clay Bolt, Danae Wolfe, and John Abbott at Black Rock Forest for a 4-day macro workshop. Photograph butterflies, dragonflies, beetles, and more through hands-on field sessions, black lighting, ex...

Registration is open for this year’s domestic BugShot macro photography workshop. I’ve attended a bunch of them, (both domestic and international versions) and have enjoyed every one. The instructors are awesome and I’ve made many friends among fellow attendees. www.bugshot.net/bugshot-new-...

In 2026, Climate Change Is No Longer A Theoretical Risk In 2026, climate change threatens human safety, natural systems & economic stability, as data shows accelerating warming, stronger storms, rising seas and growing losses.

“The data shows a planet warming faster than policy response, storms intensifying alongside rising seas, and economic losses concentrating where resilience is weakest. Climate risk is now a planning variable, rather than a forecast uncertainty.” www.forbes.com/sites/dianne...

The Amazon has more tree species in 2.5 acres than the entire US & Canada combined. The Congo is the only home to all 3 great apes: gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos.
We are losing libraries of life before we even read the books.
#Biodiversity

Ah, thanks!

The lighting is superb on this one. Offcamera flash?

Great White Heron (Ardea herodias ssp. occidentalis)

Apparently this is an endangered Great White Heron. Didn't know when I was photographing it. To more discoveries next year!

#birdphotography #birds #birdsky

Couple years ago it was all crypto 🤷‍♂️

Seems the case, since Covid people realized the futility of predicting the future

Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthamelii)

Magnificent swallowtail butterfly, Iberian Scarce Swallowtail

#butterfly #bugsky #bugpics

Two ancient creatures

Golden-spotted Tiger Beetles (Cosmodela aurulenta) mating

Tiger beetle mating process is quite aggressive - male grabs the female by the thorax with its sharp mandibles. Females are larger, so they often wrestle them off.

Golden-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cosmodela aurulenta)
#bugsky #tigerbeetle #beetle #macrophotography #cicindelidae

Figure with two graphs, "A" labelled "Cumulative number of species" showing a gradual but slighly accelerating rise to near 2 million, and "B", labelled "Number of newly described species" showing 1750 to the present, with peaks around 1920 and 2020, and a giant trough in the second world war.

We are discovering new species at the fastest rate ever.

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Dragonfly perched on a stick

Summer visitor, Orange-winged Dropwing
Trithemis kirbyi

#odonata #bugsky #naturephotography #dragonfly

Grasshopper on a tree

A grasshopper doing its best to blend in with the lichen.

#bugsky #entomology #macrophotography #macro

The clearspot bluewing (Zenithoptera lanei) is a dazzling species that spends most of its time up in the rainforest canopy. These delicate dragonflies only come down to lower perches around noon, allowing us a brief glimpse of their beauty, especially when the sunlight hits their wings just right 👌

Big ant

Giant Forest Ant from the island of Borneo

Dinomyrmex gigas
#bugsky #ants #macrophotography #naturephotography

Or they've gotten too fat for the old suit 🤔

Thank you!