These teachers at historically underfunded schools have insect related projects -- Donations at @donorschoose.bsky.social are DOUBLED today! 🍎❗🧪🪲🐛 www.donorschoose.org/donors/searc...

🐝🐝 Bumbles are some of the most at risk bee species in North America. Learn about their life cycle, and how to create habitat in this Oct. 2 webinar: xerces.org/events/secre...

These teachers at historically underfunded schools have insect related projects -- Donations at @donorschoose.bsky.social are DOUBLED today! 🍎❗🧪🪲🐛 www.donorschoose.org/donors/searc...

⚠️❗🍎 🧪Today donations are DOUBLED at historically underfunded schools @donorschoose.bsky.social !! Here's a link to some STEM projects at schools with >1/2 of students from low income households www.donorschoose.org/donors/searc...

New from #SCIMaP - analysis of the White House’s Proposed FY 2026 National Science Foundation Budget. Take-home: Slashing NSF by >50% will lead to ~$11 billion in economic loss and extensive job loss and reduced training opportunities in communities nationwide. Report: osf.io/e8rnc a 🧵

🤔 another study that suggests GenAI is not helping workers. "workslop is AI generated work content that masquerades as good work, but lacks the substance to meaningfully advance a given task." hbr.org/2025/09/ai-g...

Current mood:

Hi! We need lice for our diversity and adaptation project. Specifically, we need lice from zebras, camelids (camels, llamas, alpacas, vicuñas, guanacos) & aardvarks. If you or someone you know might have lice, I'm happy to discuss our inclusive collaboration plans! sites.google.com/nhm.org/anop...

Today in embarrassing news: I tripped on a Roomba and broke my big toe. Look for me in the end of year "2025 Stupidest Emergency Room Visits" list. Here's a new native plant in my garden this year; Salvia azurea. The blue is so blue 😍🐝

Looks like U of Maryland found evidence of body lice in their library. Good news: they are a lot easier to get rid of than head lice; they live primarily in clothing and bedding, so a good wash can solve the problem. (1/3) www.cdc.gov/lice/about/b...

Once again ChatGPT FAILS at producing accurate writing, uses a lot of hyperbole, and needs extensive fact checking. Human writers are better. How many times do we need to confirm this? Sigh. www.science.org/content/blog...

Today's dose of wonder: tiny caterpillars are all around you, right now, making art between the cell layers of leaves. 🐛 🍁 #SciArt

If you need a wizard school series that is Canadian and lovely, check out Ryan's Stealing From Wizards series! 4th book out this fall.

A great #SpotTheInsect challenge!

One of my favorite tiny murderbugs 😀

When you grow your own winter UGG Boots 🥾🪲

I really like this compassionate advice about dealing with head lice. As kids go back to school in the fall, the inevitable will happen. #LiceLiceBaby www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/pa...

This little butterfly has a whopping 229 pairs of chromosomes! That is, I think, the most of any multicellular animal described so far. www.the-scientist.com/an-elusive-b...

A perfect fuzzy boy from today (leafcutter bee, Megachile latimanus)

*Another* piece of research showing declines in other areas of low human impact. “ insect populations... declined by an average 6.6% annually — a 72.4% drop over the 20-year period.” www.npr.org/2025/09/12/n...

Good Morning! How about looking at some cool (weird) bugs fly? FYI Owlflies are very cute 🧪🪲 youtu.be/lD8sKzA_FZU?...

The recent threats to our nation’s HBCUs are disturbing and dangerous. Students should be able to attend classes within institutions of higher learning without the fear of becoming targets of retribution or retaliation.

Need a distraction from current events? I Got U. Apparently pubic lice fluoresce under UV light! Link to research paper: www.cureus.com/articles/413... I need some EntoFriends to head to their collections with a UV light to confirm this 🤔🧪

Things continue to be a LOT so I'm re-skeeting this video of adorable bluebirds 🐦🐛

I'm doing a talk as a @xercessociety.bsky.social ambassador tonight at my local library about Leaving the Leaves and creating pollinator habitat. I'm trying to not let the news get to me and keep plugging away with community service and helping teachers. It's *mostly* working. Mostly.

Insects and birds are closely linked; 96% of your fave North American terrestrial birds fuel their nestlings with bugs. Check out this video for a peaceful moment of nature. youtu.be/shVA_OHOsbg?...

Y'all are AWESOME!! This project has been funded, and kiddos and teachers will have fully charged hearing devices ❤️❤️❤️

Deranged and I love it, this would be perfect for my design students

Leave the Leaves! You've heard leaf litter is important for many overwintering pollinators. What's the data? A great webinar about how important leaves are in suburban habitats from @xercessociety.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEwO...

Another shirt design for the company I work for, Planter! You all already know how passionate I am about leaving the leaves, so when one of my coworkers recommended I make a shirt highlighting some creatures that rely on leaves, I jumped on it.

The world is a lot right now so perhaps you also need an adorable tuxedo kitty with a tiny soul patch. In a tub. ❤️

This is the best explanation of the weird new ant paper.

This is just B A N A N A S. Hymenopteran genetics, amirite? www.science.org/content/arti...

OMG this holds sewing needles! 😍🦋

Talked to the neighborhood kids about summer singing insects; caused inadvertent hilarity when I had to explain that the tinkling ground cricket was not ..... uh, relieving itself 💦 Kids are the best 😆 songsofinsects.com/crickets/tin...

Thrilled to say my latest for Highlights Kids Magazine is out; the October edition includes my article on carnivorous sundews. (1/2)

Hey entomologists! Read to find out how an extension publication was been de-listed from Google because of (supposed) OnlyFans copyright infringement

Her work had such an impact on me as a new graduate student. Why wasn't I being taught about any of these amazing science women? Oh. That's why.

Perhaps you also need a very fuzzy bumble at this moment 🐝

*Today* would be a fantastic time to call or write your congress critter. Not everyone finds writing easy, so you might cannibalize this excellent statement for your talking points.

Results from a survey of members of 14 different US scientific societies in ecology, evolution, and marine science. Survey Says: 🤬

One of my favorite things to bring to events is larval ladybugs -- so many people don't know that beloved ladybugs are the final form of weird little predator graboids 🐞 #FriendButNotFriendShaped

Our local school bond failed for the THIRD year in a row. My neighbor that teaches elementary school has to buy all her own paper, and has no access to a copy machine. She teaches in a trailer; ~30% of kids are in non-permanent teaching structures (manufactured trailers with window AC units)

A great #SpotTheInsect challenge!

Your Monday morning astonishing artifact is the Malia "bee" pendant. (Spoiler alert: they may be wasps.) 🏺🧪

🚨 Major shake-up in NSF funding for K-12 STEM ed: Caps proposals at $750K max for 3 years. Prior cap used to be $5M up to 5 years for some programs. Archives several existing programs (DRK-12, AISL, CSforAll, TD, parts of ECR:Core). Combines into broad program with much lower expected # of awards.

Greetings, chordate comrades. #InverteFest is upon us. tl;dr: Over the last 7 days every April, August, and December, we invite you to show the internet your coolest bugs & slugs. Go find critters, post your art, write wikipedia pages, do whatever you like to celebrate invertebrates with us!

Grasshopper and Sunflower. Woodblock print by Shibata Zeshin, c. 1877. Minneapolis Institute of Art.🌻🌱 #SundayYellow #SciArt #Inverts

Who wants a job like mine? If so you may be in luck! 🥳 Virginia Tech is hiring an Insect Identification Laboratory Manager: careers.pageuppeople.com/968/cw/en-us... Follow the link for info and to apply.

It's my birthday today, and I'd love it if you could donate any amount to @msu-entomology.bsky.social to help fund weekend insect programs. 🐛🪲 😀🎂