A very cute felt rosy maple moth (Dryocampa rubicunda) from Etsy. The seller is CrazyEchos (I paid for my moth, noy an ad, I just love her moths). Using fairly realistic prop moths when I give talks for moth nights/in the classroom allows for quick teaching without harming/stressing the moths.

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.

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. ⬇️

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! 🙏

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!

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.

Wow, very cool! News to me. www.sciencenews.org/article/wet-...

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

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 ⬇️

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.

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.

My boy Finn helps me with dissertation edits. That hanging paw, that sweet little head, those loud cat snores - everything is going to be okay.

Today I learned the Australian term for "slide" is "slippery dip" which is so whimsical. I absolutely love it. So much better than "slide."

Respect local pollinators, plant native plants! #cryptids #USGS #mothman

My chonky pirate tripod, Finn. This guy knows how to lounge. #cat #blackcat #catsofbluesky

This is fantastic. I also played D&D and did not and currently do not worship Satan, what are the odds?

Me, eating a granola bar in my car at a red light. You, a man old enough to be my father, giving me suggestive cartoon style eyebrow raises. Not interested but: Was it me or the granola bar? Do you prefer the Quaker bar I was eating, or are you a Nature Valley kinda guy? What's with the eyebrows?

Sorry, if I had to see this so does everyone else.

One more rough data point about insects worldwide. Some of the smallest animals prop up the food web and pollinate the world's plants. Without insects we are lost.

The Paleontological Research Institute is at serious risk. And its exceptional fossil collection “can never be replaced.” My story for @science.org. www.science.org/content/arti...

The Urban Chapter of SFS invites you to the 7th Symposium on Urbanization and Stream Ecology (SUSE7)! 📍San Juan, PR 🗓️ May 13th - May 16th, 2025 Visit our meeting website: urbanstreamecology.org/suse7.html Abstracts for poster and oral presentations are being accepted through Feb 28th!

🌎🍳Cooking at the end of the Earth: Meet Olivier Hubert, the chef creating culinary magic at our Antarctic research stations. From midwinter feasts to -20°C BBQs, discover how Olivier keeps our polar teams fuelled... www.bas.ac.uk/media-post/f...

These absolutely stunning bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) were hanging out at a marina in Eleuthera. My first time seeing bull sharks in the wild! What an incredible experience. They were big but not even the biggest that hang out there. #marinebiology #sharks #scicomm #shark #bullshark #bahamas

Wake up babe, a new paper on #mosquitoes just dropped! Wondering about temperature and staggered egg hatching in #Aedes triseriatus? Me too, so I did a few experiments and published a paper on it. Check it out! #entomology #scicomm #ecology

This episode we are joined by another bug hero: Dr Emily Durkin! We talk about her research looking at tiny mites that ride around on fruit flies. Tangents: mosquitoes, hornworms, pets, and jumping spiders! Check out how cute her dog Pfeffer is! Follow Emily here on Blue Sky @miteymle.bsky.social

I love this chonk.

I love ghost crabs. This mildly annoyed specimen all crabs are mildly annoyed) was minding its own business, but we have them on my home beaches in New Jersey. The crabs in NJ, in my experience, have been skittish. Lots of folks on the beach! This guy was on an island we took a boat to get to.

Why not serve one of the cutest groups of insects out there? There are around 20,000 species of bees to choose from! We can thank bees for pollinating the crops we eat, feeding other animals with their honey and bodies, and generally being adorable. Save the native bees! #bees #ecology #scicomm

Carter had a visionary understanding of the climate crisis ahead, which only grows more profound with each passing year, writes @jeffgoodell.bsky.social www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

I had an excellent time at Butterfly Wonderland in Scottsdale, AZ for #EntSoc24. Pic 1: Zebra longwing (Heliconius charitonius) Pic 2: Banded peacock (Papillio palinurus) Pic 3: Blue and white longwing (Heliconius cydno) Pic 4: Spotted tiger glassywing (Tithoria tarricina)

My handsome Mr. Darcy #catsofbluesky

When looking through water found in the purple pitcher plant there were tons of ants and a few wolf spiders. But also the heroes of the pitcher, helping break everything down, the pitcher plant midge and the pitcher plant mosquito. Commensalism at its finest! #entomology #scicomm #ecology

Happy holidays from baby Finn! #cats #catsofbluesky #happyholidays

My absolute nugget of a kitty, Finn. One eye, three legs, full throttle. #cats #piratepets

Cormorant - might be hated by some folk, but I enjoy seeing them :) #bird #UKWildlife #Birdwatching #Nature #wildlife

Kelly and Producer Derek are back from the ESA conference in Pheonix and Kelly shares some stories. Not a bug, but the evolutionary arms race between scorpions and their predators has created a truly terrific terror. Tangents: butterflies,Disney, and vikings. (Image credit: Minden Pictures/Alamy)