Dr. Kelly I. Zimmerman

My nosy roly poly (Armadillidium nasatum) is munching on a piece of carrot. Peep that baby in the left corner popping up from underneath the carrot. I've got a pretty large colony now in the lab. I feed them vegetable scraps & fish flakes. My students think they are pretty cute. I agree. ❤️

Do my cats have full names? Yes. Yes, they do. At the vet it's their full names plus Zimmerman at the end. They are fancy. They are perfect. They are cozy on a chilly Saturday.

#cat #catsofbluesky #caturday #aww #cats #kitty #cute

We've all had days like ol' Chucky D.

Photos of my National Moth Week T-shirt, a cicada emerging, the promo for the event, a few field guides I recommend for identifying moths, and an adorable felt moth (Antheraea polyphemus) for demonstration purposes. The moth was made by CrazyEchos on Etsy (she has many moths, all adorable).

I had an excellent time last night as a guest speaker at National Moth Week at a local park.

While we didn't see any moths, we did get the honor of watching this beautiful cicada emerge. The weather was beautiful and the community was out to appreciate all the bugs. ⬇️

A crab spider with bright yellow/green prosoma and legs and a light brown opisthosoma sits on a leaf

PhD position open with Dr. Jutta Schneider and @mherberstein.bsky.social in Hamburg, on sub-social behavior in crab spiders 🕷️ It even includes field work in Australia! Application deadline is 15 July, more info at the link:
www.uni-hamburg.de/en/stellenan...

A very cute leaf cutter bee. Testing out my new macro lens!

🎊Fully funded PhD position on cooperative sustainability🌳

Are you curious about
🧒 developmental,
🌍 cross-cultural
🦧 species comparative
research on cooperative sustainability?

All info here or dm me with questions!
career2.successfactors.eu/sfcareer/job...
Please share! 🙏

Pale green planthopper nymph, standing nearly upright with an extremely long snoot like a chainsaw, with orange eyes and false pupils peering

I don't even know what to say about this guy, just drink him in 💚
(some planthopper nymph. I love him)

I had the absolute joy to be the science consultant on this and the other two volumes of Jackson's Wilder Adventures. Out now everywhere you get books!

Need a science consultant for your next book, show, movie, etc? Let's chat!

They will stay together for days. In the literature, there's a species that was recorded hanging out like this for 79 days! Not mating the entire time, but will do so repeatedly. He's also there to keep other males away in order to insure his paternity. Completely unfazed by me handling them.

I interrupted this pair of walking sticks in the Bahamas. You can see the male hitching a ride on the much bigger female. Hello, sexual dimorphism!

ESA Mid-Atlantic conference at @longwoodgardens.bsky.social Poster presented, flowers admired.

Wet fingers always wrinkle in the same way Pruney fingertips aren't swollen sponges — the wrinkles actually come from blood vessels constricting and pulling skin inward.

Wow, very cool! News to me.

www.sciencenews.org/article/wet-...

121. Why Mosquitoes are super cool (feat. Dr. Kelly Zimmerman) Podcast Episode · Lil Dudes Insect Academy · 05/21/2025 · 55m

A big thank you to Bradon, of Lil Dudes Insect Academy, for having me on to chat about mosquitoes, why I think they are amazing, and the process of getting a Ph.D. Here's a link to the pod on Apple, but it's also on Spotify, YouTube and wherever you get podcasts!

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1...

I had a total blast being on the wonderful podcast "Plants Always Win." Please check them out for all of your plant fun facts (and bug facts for my episode)! I'd love to come back on, any time. ❤️🌺🐝

I love a vintage field guide, taxonomic key, or entomological academic work!

I love the inevitable opera of the summer bug chorus. #entomology #entomologymemes #cicadas

Their adult form is called a froghopper, named for their amazing jumping ability. Some species can really get some air, jumping 70 cm (28 in) vertically. We did an episode on spittlebugs on @bugsneedheroes.bsky.social if you're looking to learn more.

While most plant feeders feed on the sugar rich phloem, these little guys feed on xylem. It's still sugary but the excess water allows them to excrete this foamy bubble house. Most are only 1 -2 juveniles hiding out, but the foam covers can get up to a foot long and contain about 100 little guys. ⬇️

Ah, Nature's little bubble blower, the spittlebug. Inside that frothy foam sits a juvenile or several juvenile spittlebugs (Superfamily Cercopoidea).

These tiny insects hide in “spit” to stay cool, moist, and safe from predators. More info ⬇️

Haha Thank you! I can't believe the attention that comment received.

Dissertation defended! Doctor Zimmerman, finally! 😍🎉

My friend Jenn does awesome plant embroidery in her shop Ember and Thread @emberandthread.bsky.social

Thanks to a pattern from StitchGothica.com she embroidered this beautiful set of bugs I can't wait to hang somewhere.

#entomology #embroidery

This is so incredibly wholesome.

What matter as an entomologist.

This is part of a sentence for my dissertation "flies that utilize vertebrates as oviposition sites." I think this might be why no one wants to talk to me at parties.

Most powerful punch in the world Discover topics like animals, ocean, crazy how nature do dat, and the magic of the internet at Imgur, a community powered entertainment destination. Lift your spirits with funny jokes, trending memes,...

The absolute power of a mantis shrimp punch! We converted this on our podcast Bugs Need Heroes @bugsneedheroes.bsky.social

imgur.com/gallery/eOiG...

Give me your dumbest fly memes.