#insect appreciation

Corydalus cornutus, North Carolina, US

A pharaoh cicada, mid molt! Molting actually happens way faster with these guys than I thought. I watched the newly emerged nymph climb up to here, then about 30 minutes later it was already to this stage. Another 30 minutes passed and it was already crawling around, with wings almost fully inflated! I expected it to take around 3 hours just for it to get past the "still in the old exoskeleton" stage, which shows me I still have a lot to learn about the molting process of insects. It will most likely take a few more hours for its new exoskeleton to fully harden, though. They are so fascinating 🥹

chickweed geometer moth

The common name for this species is the early mining bee and they're found across Europe during the warmer months.

and one can never have enough autumn butterflies fluttering about 🥰🦋

Wasps have gotten a really bad reputation for being brutal and aggressive when engaging with humans, and it's really not a fair assessment at all! Most Wasps are solitary Wasps who are not aggressive or even particularly defensive of their own nests! I captured some footage of this native Yellow Legged Mud Dauber mom putting the finishing touches on one of the several nesting cells that she would construct in the short month or so that she'll yet live. Even when I see a Wasp, I might exercise some caution, out of habit, but once you know who you're hanging out with, you can let your guard down, most of the time! Most of them are friends!

I love millipedes <3