behold, the ritual welcoming of the forbidden potato

a surreal and unexpected distraction, just for an hour or so I felt it and heard it, but didn't have a clue. the news is so full. I don't like who NASA has partnered with, but I still feel the wonder.

Gall of the week is caused by the fungus Taphrina tosquinetii on alder, Alnus glutinosa. Photographer unknown.

One of the better pieces of advice I got when I was younger is that if you’re having a bad day, go to bed.

it's 2026. 1. why don't we have automated shower systems? something like a drive thru car wash, but for humans. 2. why can't I get copies of xrays online, with all my other test results? I have to submit a record request, and get them on a DVD?!

Graphis scripta, secret writing lichen

a shitty chronic problem with my dominant arm has finally blossomed into a full blown thing. mobility minimal, pain medium. I have health insurance, but getting thru the churn of referrals and approvals means I haven't actually seen a doc.

Los Angeles, CA - Bit of a false alarm; crowd isn’t marching yet though they are assembled in the street currently. Making speeches still.

I don’t think we should have ceded control quite so quickly and without so much as a fight.

oh and learn a bit of the language of your immigration community. phone translation apps are great, but being able to exchange greetings/simple small talk is powerful.

- financial support: for families of those who've been kidnapped. gas cards & dashcams for community patrollers -behind the scenes: answering helplines, data collection & mapping etc find your local orgs, see what they need. it's a bulwark against the chaos & it's given me a tiny measure of peace

get involved in local community orgs. if you can get out in the streets, that's great. but there's room for every ability and risk level. - accompanying people to court, Dr's appts, etc - food pantries/food delivery (most food banks collect too much personal info)

We had whistles. They had guns.

going ever further afield from the original quote post to mention the strange population of Brazilian stingless bees in Palo Alto. not sure I'd ever heard of their defense mechanisms!

Aaaaaaand we’re on to Day 5 of #birbfest2026, the king eider! #SciArt #birbfest

going ever further afield from the original quote post to mention the strange population of Brazilian stingless bees in Palo Alto. not sure I'd ever heard of their defense mechanisms!

went to a vigil last night and NO ONE knew that she had a wife, and that her wife was there. some news articles said partner.. but nothing more. how could a woman possibly have a wife?! we can't write about that!

#BirbFest2026 drawings are a deeply wonderful part of Bluesky right now. birb scrolling > doom scrolling

"yes, my forehead is dusty. and my feet. I will not be answering any further questions at this time." Ko looking 100% innocent. #catsofbluesky cc: @petrathepostdoc.bsky.social (one of my lil monsters!)

I quit my job at #iNaturalist, the product I co-founded. If you'd like me to keep working on natural history software, support me on Patreon: patreon.com/kueda. FWIW, I'm building an iNat backup tool and an app for viewing geologic maps. Or, if you think you'd like to hire me, get in touch!

Centaurs have six limbs & are therefore insects. Discuss.

Consider your sign to stop and stare at logs a little more often because just LOOK at this glorious velvet mite! (Third photo is where it was spotted.) 📷 jeremyhegge on iNaturalist 📍 Australia 🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations... #ObservationOfTheDay

"yes, my forehead is dusty. and my feet. I will not be answering any further questions at this time." Ko looking 100% innocent. #catsofbluesky cc: @petrathepostdoc.bsky.social (one of my lil monsters!)

Yay, our new species is out! Only two Xanthephialtes species were known to exist from before, now we've added a third from Uganda. Please welcome: Xanthephialtes iida sp. nov! 🧪🐣🥳 Named after Emil's wife. In @zookeys.pensoft.net with @ilarisaaksjarvi.bsky.social, me, Emil, Kari, Simon.

D is for Dichotomosiphon (it's the algae)

at the rate we're goin, 2026 will be longer than 2020. which is an accomplishment, because it's still 2020

the reason people sometimes act madder at democrats than republicans when republicans do impossibly evil shit is the same reason why, if you hired an exterminator to handle a roach infestation and he showed up to feed and play with them instead, your first instinct wouldn’t be to yell at the roaches

I feel like I haven’t even been properly lied to about the purposes of this war

I did not eat the black eyed peas, I did not eat the grapes. I howled into the rain at approx 12 am (because everyone's clock was different) slithered home at 3:30am (the party still going) here's to another year. it'll be better, I think? if not, we'll somehow make our way through.

a. look at @mossworm.bsky.social art, it's fabulous b. there are not only ground tyrants -- there are TIT TYRANTS bird names just keep on winning

ME: (first day practicing Bug Law) May it please the Court— BUG JUDGE: (sternly) Bug Court.

#Caturday 🐱: Min Zhen 閔貞 (China, 1730–after 1791) Black #Cat (n.d.; Qing dynasty, 18th c.) Hanging scroll; ink on paper Painting: 78.5 x 38.5 cm. (30 7/8 x 15 3/16 in.) Princeton University Art Museum y1947-65 artmuseum.princeton.edu/art/collecti... #CatsInArt #ChineseArt

I'm once again politely asking Bluesky developers to allow us to attach multiple photos and videos in one post.

A spectacular Ghost Slug (Selenochlamys ysbryda) found by my daughter in N Cardiff - within a mile of the home of the late Bill Symondson who first described the species, along with Ben Rowson of @amgueddfacymru.bsky.social It is one of the few species with a Welsh scientific name (ysbryd = spirit)

This micromoth from Ecuador (Struthoscelis semiotarsa) is the epitome of 'kawaii'. Large head with emerald green eyes, long antennae, short forelimbs, fancy hindlimbs, and fluff. It also moved in a very cute way. It cannot use the hindlegs for walking, so it drags them behind like a dragon's tail.

the comparisons between the Barbra Streisand effect and Bari Weiss' bs are fairly apt. but it's got this song stuck in my head AGAIN

this photo should be embroidered on a scapular

we're about to get a fuck ton of rain, and I've discovered that my yard is totally saturated. neighbors have a water filtration unit that's in disrepair. the resulting leak had zero impact on their land. rain is due tomorrow and I have no idea what to do. was going to be a bad storm but now..

me, shimmying into position to take pictures of bugs

14. Spiny oakworm moth. This saturniid moth comes from a different part of the world to me, but it's fluffy and colourful and I just think it's neat. #SciArt #ArtAdventCalendar

the critter in action, around xmas 2015. the tree is tied to a stool in hopes of keeping wires of out sight. clearly that worked! miss that clever, smart-ass cat.

railroad worms on a date

😸 British entomology. v.2 London, Printed for the author, 1823-40. [Source]

look at these folks (bug variety)! #bugsky #mothsmatter

me, shimmying into position to take pictures of bugs

the days are short, the sun is weak. send help, show me your bugs!! I think clearwing moths are incredibly charismatic, but I guess they freak out some folks. snowberry clearwing, central VA, fall 2023 #bugsky #moths #lepidoptera #mothsmatter #pollinators

the days are short, the sun is weak. send help, show me your bugs!! I think clearwing moths are incredibly charismatic, but I guess they freak out some folks. snowberry clearwing, central VA, fall 2023 #bugsky #moths #lepidoptera #mothsmatter #pollinators

saving this here so I remember it in the morning

hey #bugsky, how many of your bug photos are accessible on your device? search 'bugs' - 2953 search 'insects' - 2972