Colin Purrington
@colinpurrington.bsky.social
π€ 2524
π₯ 532
π 2237
Nature pics and science. Swarthmore, PA, USA.
https://colinpurrington.com
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Colin Purrington
Karolina Heyduk
2 days ago
π₯π₯π₯
add a skeleton here at some point
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Bob McIntosh
about 3 hours ago
willow catkin
#wildflowerhour
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Houdini fly (Cacoxenus indagator) lurking near Osmia nests at my insect hotel. This introduced species has made it down to Salem, Oregon, on the west coast and D.C. on the east coast. Please report on iNaturalist if you see them. πΏ
#diptera
#flies
#insects
www.inaturalist.org/observations...
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Houdini Fly (Cacoxenus indagator)
Houdini Fly from Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA on April 24, 2026 at 02:20 PM by Colin Purrington
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/354647090
about 4 hours ago
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The first wasp to emerge from my cache of eastern redbud seeds I collected in 2025 was a male chalcid, possibly Eupelmus pulchriceps. πΏ
#inaturalist
#insects
#wasp
#chalcidoidea
#cercis
#entomology
www.inaturalist.org/observations...
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Eupelmus pulchriceps
Eupelmus pulchriceps from Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA on April 19, 2026 at 06:53 PM by Colin Purrington. Emerged from redbud pods collected in 2025.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/354257203
about 4 hours ago
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Managed to get temperature readings of my cat without her seeing the laser and going berserk.
about 4 hours ago
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πΎ Dr. Liz Anna Kozik πΎ
5 days ago
quick, look at an Andrena vs Colletes comparison before it becomes irrelevant, until like July. Colletes are big spring guys and only show up rarely later in the year.
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Michael R Photography πΏ
5 days ago
Mornings in the
#bog
. It's like its own little utopia. It's hard to imagine a more cool place to be. The pitcher plant bogs of North Florida are otherworldly. From a recent foggy morning.
#photography
#landscape
#ECK
#bogs
#pitcherplants
#Sarracenia
#fog
#bogplants
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Mike Pingleton
5 days ago
Iβm flying home from Phoenix today after spending a few days in northern Mexico. Hereβs a sidewinder rattlesnake (Crotalus cerastes) observed in the light of morning at El Pinacate and Gran Altar Desert Natl Park. These are sandy habitat specialists as the photo suggests.
#herps
#snakes
πΏ
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Jen Cross
12 days ago
Just a lil guy defending his mushroom. We found a log covered in mushrooms and spotted some small hammerhead flies on it. Turns out these are feisty fruit flies and the males are serious about defending their patch. One of our coolest finds so far!
#invert
(Zygothrica sp.) Intag Refugio, Ecuador
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Simeon SchmauΓ
12 days ago
The Total Solar Eclipse from Artemis II This image sequence was captured by a modified GoPro on the solar array of the Orion spacecraft while the Artemis II mission flew around the farside of the moon. Credit: NASA/Simeon SchmauΓ ππ§ͺ
#Artemis
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Matt Bertone
12 days ago
Most surprising find @ bee aggregation '26 were lots of thick-headed
#flies
emerging! They're parasitoids of adult bees, grabbing them mid-air to inject eggs into the abdomen. Eww but cool! (I guess not if you're a bee π) Here's one on a flower:
flic.kr/p/2ocMhfV
#Conopidae
:
#Zodion
NC, USA
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Thomas Shahan
about 2 years ago
!!! initially thought they were an oribatid beetle mite... then freaked out upon taking a few photos - realizing they were BAEUS - a *tiny* (~600Β΅m) parasitic wasp! Lost them after trying to stop lens down for a bit more depth of field! Underneath a log, NE Oklahoma
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iNaturalist
13 days ago
Larvae can also detect each other's light and synchronize their glow with neighbors, turning a cave ceiling into one coordinated trap. Nature always finds a way ... and sometimes that way is very, very pretty.
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iNaturalist
13 days ago
Behold Arachnocampa luminosa, aka the New Zealand glowworm. The larval forms use their blue-green bioluminescence to lure prey into silk snares (meanwhile, the adults take the form of tiny gnats).
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Jen Cross
13 days ago
We found this amazing earwig at a bug light last night. This one is a male, they typically have larger pincers. There is not much info available about the genus so I'm not sure why he has those strange protrusions from his abdomen. (Ancistrogaster sp.) Intag Refugio, Ecuador
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If you tried Tougher Than Tom's Mosquito TNT and were denied a refund, I highly recommend leaving a review on Trustpilot. People who complain on the site tend to get their money back. Tougher Than Tom is based in Austin, Texas.
#psa
#scam
#mosquitoes
#austin
#texas
www.trustpilot.com/review/tough...
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https://www.trustpilot.com/review/tougherthantom.com
14 days ago
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Matt Bertone
15 days ago
First, one of the
#bee
spp. making burrows: a mining bee! These cuties have a long depression on each side of the face lined w/hair ("facial fovea"). There were also cellophane bees (Colletidae) & sweat bees (Halictidae). All are not aggressive & quite shy.
#Andrenidae
:
#Andrena
North Carolina, USA
add a skeleton here at some point
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Sarah HΓΆrst
15 days ago
I block on sight any account posting AI pictures as if they are real. I may start blocking folks who repost those kinds of posts, particularly if a bunch of people in the replies have already pointed it out. Space pictures are amazing. They donβt fucking need AI.
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Thomas Shahan
16 days ago
this Synemosyna was LOVING these little yellow flies - even got one while it was mating! two more showed up while I was shootingβ¦ πͺ°ID help appreciated - Iβve got them at an unconfident βNematoceraβ on iNat:
www.inaturalist.org/observations...
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Ainsley S
16 days ago
always always repost β¨ONYCHOPHORAβ¨
add a skeleton here at some point
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Adrian Smith
17 days ago
New today: Bees That Come Out of the Ground?!
youtu.be/jje1LPrsHbc
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Bees That Come Out of the Ground?!
YouTube video by Ant Lab
https://youtu.be/jje1LPrsHbc
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Alex Wild
20 days ago
The beautiful Myrmecia fulvipes, from Victoria, Australia.
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@stephenbheard.bsky.social
How does birch syrup compare to maple syrup? I havenβt tried the former but I am curious.
21 days ago
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Colin Purrington
Juliet Turner
23 days ago
a female Hairy-footed Flower Bee visiting Oxfordshireβs county flower - the Snakeβs Head Fritillary π
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Brian βοΈππ
25 days ago
Artemis ii
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Ian Andrews
25 days ago
Norellisoma flavicorne, the Grey Mantis Dung Fly...a small, Meadowsweet-associated dung fly with impressive raptorial bristles on the forelegs. A common species on beds of Meadowsweet around the
@ldvnnr.bsky.social
.
@dipteristsforum.bsky.social
@ynuorg.bsky.social
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@ibycter.bsky.social
Am curious, why do mosquitoes sometimes die during oviposition if they are in dense colonies? Stumbled onto that observation via a BugGuide pic of yours from 2005.
www.bugguide.net/node/view/38...
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Eggs en masse - Culex quinquefasciatus
An online resource devoted to NorthΒ American insects, spiders and their kin, offering identification, images, andΒ information.
https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/38172
25 days ago
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Jen Cross
29 days ago
Fun fact: you can tell male from female Blue-footed Boobies by the size of their pupils. The male has a pinpoint pupil while the femaleβs pupil is larger with an irregular edge. Here a male tries to woo a lady by bringing her a small stick and showing her his feet. πͺΆ
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βDie dicke Katze passt nicht durch die kleine TΓΌr.β A little gem from the folks at Seedlang.
#language
#german
#deutsch
#katzen
#cats
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27 days ago
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Veeloxxy Bites
27 days ago
Ascodipteron euryale is a newly described species of wingless, endoparasitic fly. The female fly burrows into the base of the ears on a bat and form a cyst where she will spend the rest of her life. π§ͺ
zookeys.pensoft.net/article/1835...
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Alex Wild
27 days ago
I love it when a native pollinator garden comes together! A visitor to our lantana this evening, the lined sphinx Hyles lineata.
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If you notice a pesticide company making false claims, you can submit details, photos, and MP4s of online ads to the EPA using this form. I've learned from FOIA dumps that EPA lawyers do, indeed, collect these complaints for possible enforcement action.
#pesticides
#epa
echo.epa.gov/report-envir...
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Report Environmental Violations | ECHO | US EPA
https://echo.epa.gov/report-environmental-violations
27 days ago
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Instructions for making mosquito-killing buckets. Cheap, effective, and won't harm butterflies, fireflies, pets, or birds like pyrethroid sprays do. Spring is a great time to set them out.
#mosquitoes
colinpurrington.com/2024/08/bti-...
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Bti honeypot traps for killing mosquito larvae Β» Colin Purrington's blog
An easy way to kill thousands of mosquitoes each summer is to set out a container of water, add a handful of leaves or hay, then drop in 1/4 of a Mosquito Dunk, a compressed, shelf-stable form of Baci...
https://colinpurrington.com/2024/08/bti-honeypot-traps/
27 days ago
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Aussie Moths
27 days ago
Phazaca interrupta - the Plain Roll-moth A new moth for our Perth Hills garden last night and definitely one of the more unusual ones weβve seen. This moth concertinas its wings while at rest, giving it this unusual resting posture.
#teammoth
#ausinverts
#wildoz
#Lepidoptera
#inaturalist
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George McGavin
28 days ago
It's small but very beautiful. The plumed bagworm (male) Epichnopterix plumella.
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I've been trying to persuade local residents to adopt mosquito-control measures that don't involve fogging yards with pyrethroids, so I did a photo shoot of some of the devices I use: 4 autocidal gravid ovitraps (kills pregnant females), 2 containers with Mosquito Dunks (kills larvae).
#mosquitoes
29 days ago
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Alex Wenninger
about 1 year ago
Seed-feeding chalcids are always a favorite to rear out; getting a whole adult wasp out of a tiny seed is nearly magical! This tiny rose seed chalcid (Megastigmus nigrovariegatus) emerged this week from a wild rose seed (Rosa acicularis) collected last month. π π§ͺ
#chalcidoidea
#entomology
#Alaska
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Whenever I'm at my desk this little bundle of joy jumps up and pins down my right hand. Very difficult to use the mouse and keyboard but I just can't tell her to move. And if I stop petting her with my free hand she looks up at me wondering why. Productivity way down.
#cat
#cats
#caturday
30 days ago
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Can confirm: the metal bristles on grill brushes break off and can lodge on food.
#psa
#grilling
#health
www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2026...
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Nexgrill Recalls Over 10.2 Million Metal Wire Bristle Grill Brushes Due to Ingestion Hazard; Sold at Home Depot
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled grill brushes and contact Nexgrill for a full refund to be issued as a gift card. Consumers will be provided with a registration code as part of th...
https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2026/Nexgrill-Recalls-Over-10-2-Million-Metal-Wire-Bristle-Grill-Brushes-Due-to-Ingestion-Hazard-Sold-at-Home-Depot?utm_campaign=&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=20260327
about 1 month ago
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Action shot of me clearing my gutters yesterday. One year I was lazy and didn't get to it until June and discovered thousands of mosquito larvae. It's an ideal habitat for them.
#mosquitoes
about 1 month ago
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I made carbonnade flamande yesterday so had a few tall cans of Belgian beer sitting around. Loved the label so am using them to hold stems for tunnel-nesting bees and wasps. Can't wait to spam everyone with photographs of the visitors.
#bees
#wasps
#beer
about 1 month ago
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New at my insect hotel this spring are rose canes, offered vertically and protected from rain by the eave of the garage. Hoping to attract bees and wasps that excavate nesting tunnels in pithy stems.
#bees
#wasps
#hymenoptera
#roses
#insects
about 1 month ago
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Matthew Herron
about 1 month ago
Why there was a shovel stuck in the mud offshore I do not know, but this spotted sandpiper took good advantage to catch the rising midges (flies? mosquitoes? what am I, a biologist?). I didn't know what was going on until I looked at the photos. Everglades NP, FL.
#birds
#wildlifephotography
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Tom Astle
about 1 month ago
Antlion (I think Brachynemurus sp.), Anza-Borrego Desert, CA. These lovely insects resemble dragonflies/damselflies, but are in another order, Neuroptera, with lacewings & owlflies. Larvae & adults are predators. Larvae of this genus live in sand, but don't make the little pitfall traps.
#BugSky
πΏπ
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Southern Minnesota Museum of Natural History
about 1 month ago
Titanus giganteus is the world's largest beetle! They can grow up to 7 inches long and are native to tropical forests in South America.
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iNaturalist
about 1 month ago
Tiny but one of a kind β scalepod (Idahoa scapigera) is the sole species in its genus, standing barely 10 cm tall. Easy to walk right past, hard to forget once you spot it. π· grant-bowler on iNaturalist π Canada π:
www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay
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Nicholas Galley
about 1 month ago
Black oil beetle depositing up to a thousand eggs in each of two or three burrows.
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Sue
about 1 month ago
A moth having a good drink at the water bowl. Water = Life β€οΈ Overall, very quiet in the garden overnight. Warmer temps again this week, up in the 80's F again.
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Cri πππππβ½π·
about 1 month ago
1. 344 hummingbird pics just this morning - you've been *warned* 2. Rufous ARE amazing, but y'all! LOOK AT THIS MR. ANNA'S π
#birds
#becurious
πͺΆ
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