I've been modifying wool dryer balls and it has been extremely therapeutic given everything. I wanted to share these in case others think this coping method might help them. FYI felting involves stabbing the piece repeatedly with serrated needles that make a very satisfying crunch sound.

She will forever be Kitten. 2010-2026 Sleep sweet baby, my dearest Kitten.

I ended up further modifying my tooth fairy habitat. I have plans for a few more improvements but I think they are pretty happy for now.

You do not want shingles!! To add to the shingles experience stories: I had it during my PhD and when it first hit (I was in a meeting with my advisor) my body went into fight or flight mode because the pain was so bad. I'm talking heart racing, can't hold still, pure panic because the pain was...

Look at this stupid face! Stupidest face ever. So cute, it hurts... I hope this shared pain has improved your day.

Inigo: 💭 bugs...👀

I have a new addition to my collection of earrings based on the forms of insect antennae. I started with serrate; then I did pectinate. The latter were my favorite and recently broke so I am recarving them and also did this lamellate set (bottom pair). Loving them!

Trying out an alternative to the usual black tassel that I attach to my bookmarks. I love the color contrast compared to my leafminer bookmark. I absolutely adore this bookmark and I hope to eventually make more. Good, serpentine leaf mines are sometimes hard to find in high concentrations.

Finished a gold version of the chrysomelid beetle. I need to make the back covers but otherwise I'm done with these two. Tortoise beetles will be next.

He despises the pumpkins that we grew in his honor so I need the wreath to keep him sitting amongst them. However, he refuses to NOT chew on the wreath so I give up for now on trying to get a cute photo for the vet clinic's annual calendar. We will do this every year for the rest of his life.

I'm loving the aesthetics of cats and Entomology-themed blankets. Makes me want to curl up with a warm cup of tea and cuddle with this wee-beasty.

FYI: Despite recent info suggesting otherwise, my lab at CU Boulder is in fact accepting grad students fall 2026! Reach out if interested in insect systematics, phylogenetics, life history, insect-plant interactions.

I completed a little embroidered chrysomelid. It turned out so cute! I created a tortoise beetle design that I will try out later. Fall always makes me want to do fiber arts. I still have a new king-sized quilt in the works so there's hefty competition for my creative energy this year.

Opportunity: Arthropod Taxonomic Specialists (10 positions) at the University of Guelph 🪰🐝🪲🕷️🦂

My stained glass storage just upped its game. The sheets are stored in old insect cabinets that are turned on their sides. My newest addition are the retired specimen boxes for housing Odonata specimens that I use for my scrap glass pieces. #stainedglass

Visiting the flea markets today in search of a couple things. (🧵Thread below if you need a/an mental/emotional break)

What would you associate with this container? It has a very specific purpose in my family. When I grew up and moved out on my own I had to find one just like it at an antique store in order for me to store this item(s) in my own home.

A bug that looks like AI but it's actually real: The big-legged bat fly, Megistopoda aranea Gotta love funky dipterans! It's this it or Blepharcerid pupae which always remind me of the original Mickey Mouse caps with ears. 📷 By S. Ware at the Field Museum of Natural History

Here are some of my later blooming iris varieties. Tango Amigo, Cinque Terre, Sunrise Splendor, Black Suited, and Be My Honey.

My columbines this year

Two of my newer varieties bloomed. Tango Amigo and Black Suited bearded irises.

I am considering reserving a booth at Ent Soc in Portland. Let me know if you would like to see some of my work available at the conference.

With all the funding and employment problems, I'm curious how many people are planning on attending Ent Soc 2025. Who all is still currently planning on attending?

Everything is kind of soggy from the rain but here are my currently blooming plants in my yard (minus the irises).

~14 years (gray), 9 years (snowshoe Siamese), and 1 year (cream/pale-orange). 🥰😍🥰😍🥰

How it's going: Watching a wasp come out of an oak gall...

It actually opened when the sun came out for a few minutes. I've been so determined to get this species at my house! Scarlet globemallow (Sphaeralcea coccinea).

My irises are starting to go. First 4 varieties are an unknown dark purple variety, Victoria Falls, Immortality, and Concertina.

Floral activity in my yard today. Dogwood, spiderwort, Penstemon, honeysuckle, evening primrose, Apache plume, orange paintbrush, scarlet globemallow, flax, and wallflower.

My gambels are producing a good number of sexual generation Disholcaspis galls. This one has the exit-hole so the wasp is already out doing its thing.

This actually made my morning way more fun and interesting than expected. Makes me want to read "Eats, shoots and leaves" again. Love the ongoing discussions about the crab court system and avoiding (in-) carcinization!

The top 10 flying insect clades rule the skies—but defy the rules. Weak or inverted latitudinal diversity gradients leave biogeographers puzzled. Entomologists? Mildly amused. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Current activity in my yard. IDs in alt text. #nativeplants #nativar

Cutest iNaturalist observation ever! www.inaturalist.org/observations...

Smithsonian (Not normal Fed) is hiring an IPM Entomologist to manage the pest control programs for the National Zoo in Washington DC. Salary Range: $84,601 - $109,975 per year #entomology

Watching my yard wake up and start blooming is helping me manage stress levels. Here are some of my favorite blooms that are currently underway in my yard. Most are newer plants that we want to seed in those areas to create larger areas of habitat. IDs in alt text.

As is clearly demonstrated in the photo, these two cats do not get along. They napped while spooned together for over an hour.

It's easy to overlook how adorable fly "feet" are. But look at those adorable pulvilli! What's your favorite part of the fly? #FlyWeek #Flyday

Loving this little combo. Those paintbrushes are so vivid. Host= Bouteloua gracilis or blue grama grass Hemiparasitic plant = Castilleja integra or orange paintbrush Photo bomb from the left = Prunus besseyi 'P011S' or Pawnee Buttes sandcherry

My obligatory, proud oak parent photos: My lovely gambel oaks are in various stages of breaking bud, leafing out, and lowering catkins. They are all well established now and growing vigorously so I'm excited for this year. I'm still trying to allow my gall wasp populations to grow.

The fernleaf fleabanes (Erigeron compositus) that I planted last year have survived but not all of their parasitic paintbrushes are coming back (so far). This little one is showing off for its first full year in the ground. I hope it's proud of that gigantic(comparatively) flower! #Nativeplants

(Larimer Co., Northern CO, seasonal observations of #NativePlants ) My golden currants (Ribes aureum) are starting to leaf out after breaking bud last week. The Solidago rigida, Agastache foeniculum 📷, and Mentzelia decapetala 📷 that I planted last year have also started sprouting.

Quote post with a picture you took at a National Park. #Nationalparkservice Mesa Verde National Park May 2023.

I need help! I found these in my yard in Colorado. They were stuffed/hidden in a mat of fringed sage. Each is about 8mm wide and 10mm long. They are hard with 5 radiating ridges meeting at a slightly pointed tip. Any help narrowing it down is greatly appreciated!

Amazed at how these wee-beasties somehow trick us into constantly saying things like "you're such a good boy" or "you're so purrrfect" or "I love you so much" despite all of his crimes and offenses. Love that stupid little face. He's way too proud of himself.

Excellent opportunity for aspiring science illustrators!! 👏🏾 😍❤️🎉 I would apply in a heartbeat if I could. Don't delay, deadline is approaching www.esf.edu/clbs/opportu... #scicomm #academicsky #scienceillustration #sciencecommunication

One of my favorite finds last summer was this chrysomelid beetle that was eating all of my Penstemons. I believe this is Kuschelina barberi (Blake). I had not noticed them in previous years but in 2024 they showed up in high numbers, sometimes having hundreds of larvae on a single plant.

Here's an adorable kitty for you all.

Team Beetle-Turtle odd couple face off against their nemeses: Team Lethocerus😮

Have a pretty insect (from 2024). I'm really missing insect activity right now.