Here's a fabulous arachnid for the feed tonight, a Giant Velvet Mite. Their bright colors appear to be aposematic, warning potential predators of their unpleasant taste and smell. (Dinothrombium sp.) Portal, AZ 2025 #Arachtober

An IT worker for the nat'l parks drove to a bridge & called a friend to talk him down. A Medicaid researcher killed herself after repeating "I’m not enough" to her family. A Social Security worker, whose data was under siege by DOGE, died at her cubicle. www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

First salamanders of the year today with @olbrooks.bsky.social. It. Is. Time.

I'm a big fan of big trees. This big ol' Northern Red Oak lives in an old-growth stand in northeast Ohio. This tree has many features characteristic of old, forest-grown trees: a long, slightly wobbly trunk, a buttressed base, and a few large branches clustered at the tippy top.

I feel like dusky salamanders are the gull equivalent of the salamander world. It's complicated and you have to be reaaaally into it to get.

Trying to understand dusky salamanders and just...wat.

In areas with fire-adapted ecosystems, there is going to be smoke one way or another. We can help choose when and how communities experience that inevitable smoke. I know people really don't like smoke and I know it has health impacts, but there simply isn't a "no smoke ever" option.

It's officially scream loudly into the void time.

One of my favorite insects. Just love these tiny dudes.

This is my first winter here in western Virginia. We received 2 inches of snow last night. You would have thought the world ended this morning based on the reactions in the city's Facebook group.

It's the eve of Thanksgiving! Who else is just anxiously sitting in their hometown with dread building for tomorrow? Just me?

There are few things as fine in the woods as a clump of Turkey Tail. This is definitely one of my favorite #fungi.

The largest clump of Downy Rattlesnake-Master (Goodyera pubescens) I've yet to come across! This is probably the most common orchid species in the east. While flowers typically take the spotlight when talking about orchids, this species' evergreen leaves steal the show. #orchid

If you're going to make an algorithm-based discover feed, at least make it good.

This year, the fall colors lasted only a week or so in western Virginia. Here is a view from the Blue Ridge Parkway during the peak.

It's fire season across much of the East. Wildfires in New York, New Jersey, West Virginia, and others have been getting news attention. Many people are shocked, but wildfires are a common thing in the East! Most times they're small and don't get any attention, making it seem like they don't happen.

Well, here I am, on yet another new platform. May I offer a newt to the algorithm?