#bug nerd

this is not a drill!!!

I think they're flea jumping spiders.

The larger one I'm assuming is a female, and the smaller one the male.

The male wants to mate, the female wants to eat.

Which are you choosing?

I’m gonna choose Xylocopa californica, the California carpenter bee.

bug i learned about this week i think youd enjoy is the red velvet ant! (Dasymutilla occidentalis) ( also known as eastern velvet ant n cow killer) idk where you're from but theyre native 2 a decent chunk of the west USA. They earn the name "cow killer" because of the immensely painful sting they have, which people say is strong enough to kill a cow.

Despite the red velvet ant's common name they aren't ants at all, they're actually flightless wasps, (The males of the species have no stinger and dark translucent wings) and like other wasps live very solitary lives.

Painted lady (Vanessa cardui) is the most widespread of all butterfly species. It's on every continent except Antarctica and South America. Probably the most interesting thing about this species is the fact that they can migrate all year round but don't do it regularly every year. Here is the banger; some evidence was found showing that these butterflies crossed the ocean!

Spotted one of these beauties pollinating my Jasmine bush, a White lined Sphinx moth...

I had no idea they pollinated at night, though moths like these are more diurnal or crepuscular. So my mind is kinda fucking blown right now lol.

I was on the porch and saw like a big moth flutter around the jasmine bush, so I went over to check it out and hello big beautiful moth totally acting like a humming bird after midnight. Pretty fucking magical.

I didn't get a picture, because my phone was dead, but that fine, because I often just hold still and enjoy magical moments like this without bothering with my phone. So I used an internet pic.

And, it was especially nice, because I had just read a bit about "glimmers" on a random mental heath FB post. I think glimmers is an awesome concept, they happen to me frequently, so it was nice to be greeted by a midnight glimmer.

I'm also a deep believer in faeries and fae folk, so this random encounter with a the moth felt magical and very fae.

Additionally, I a HUGE bug nerd, so it was double lucky and a double glimmer.

So, on one hand my mind was exploding because super cool moth and on the other my mind was wispering...*it's a faerie..*

This all happend because I was supposed to be going to bed, but was giving my old lady cat cuddles (her name is Goblin) until my phone died. Then went outside and was giving Miss Kitty (a stray that adopted us and is currently enjoying the summer nights) some cuddles when I spotted the moth.

(Heterocampa Biundata)

Caterpillars feed on the leaves of a variety of deciduous trees like apple, willow, birch, and hickory as well as on woody shrubs. The Moss like coloration pattern on the adults makes it easy for them to blend into their environment (they’re typically found on the North American East Coast)