bolha.us

Ele Willoughby, PhDThinking about pollinators, so sharing a favourite. This is a hand-printed lino block print of the charming Hummingbird Clearwing moth (Hermaris thysbe) seeking pollen from cherry blossoms. The olive-headed burgundy moth has transparent wings (though colour can be variable). It beats its wings rapidly to hover above flowers, like a hummingbird, meaning it is often confused with a hummingbird or bee. It has a 5 cm wingspan. 🧵<a href="https://spore.social/tags/linocut" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#linocut</a> <a href="https://spore.social/tags/printmaking" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#printmaking</a> <a href="https://spore.social/tags/moth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#moth</a> <a href="https://spore.social/tags/sciArt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#sciArt</a> <a href="https://spore.social/tags/invertebrate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#invertebrate</a> <a href="https://spore.social/tags/mastoart" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#mastoart</a>

Petra van Cronenburg"A piglet wrapped in an enormous duvet" - I'm just sitting at the interview with this fascinating person, suddenly she cries Yabba dabba doo! - her species won the Guardian <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/Invertebrate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Invertebrate</a> Of The Year contest! 🎉 "They are gloriously independent animals. They don’t need us half as much as we need them." <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/07/guardian-invertebrate-of-the-year-2025-natural-history" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/07/guardian-invertebrate-of-the-year-2025-natural-history</a> Should I ask her what she thinks about the article?<a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/NatureMatchCuts" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NatureMatchCuts</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/tardigrade" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#tardigrade</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/tardigrades" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#tardigrades</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/invertebrateOfTheYear2025" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#invertebrateOfTheYear2025</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/podcast" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#podcast</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/mossPiglet" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#mossPiglet</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/invertebrates" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#invertebrates</a>

Frank AshwoodExcuse the radio silence from me lately, it's been a very intense University teaching semester.On the plus side, I've done LOADS of entomology-related lecturing, which has been great fun! Naturally, I've squeezed in plenty of soil invertebrate content to my lectures, such as this bizarre, not-quite-an-insect, Proturan!Protura are six-legged, wingless, eyeless and lack pigmentation and antennae. Instead, they raise their front pair of legs forwards as they move, which are covered in sensory hairs. This gives them the slightly comical appearance of a villain in Scooby-Do trying to sneak up menacingly behind someone!<a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Invertebrate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Invertebrate</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Macrophotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Macrophotography</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilEcology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SoilEcology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Entomology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Entomology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilFauna" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SoilFauna</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Nature" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Nature</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/NaturePhotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NaturePhotography</a>

Frank AshwoodThis gorgeous creature is the prickly stick insect (Acanthoxyla prasina), one of New Zealand's 23 species of stick insect. Huge thanks to Dr Morgane Merien for pointing this out on a recent University of Canterbury field trip - it's great fun teaching entomology!<a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Invertebrate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Invertebrate</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Entomology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Entomology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Macrophotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Macrophotography</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Nature" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Nature</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/NaturePhotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NaturePhotography</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/insectphotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#insectphotography</a>

Frank AshwoodWe've all been there: You've been hunting a moth all morning, and when you finally land the killing blow, you overcompensate and savage it so violently, you get its wing scales all up in your eyes. Then a human comes along with a camera to immortalise your embarrassment. Typical!<a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Invertebrate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Invertebrate</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Macrophotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Macrophotography</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Arachnology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Arachnology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Aranea" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Aranea</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Spider" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Spider</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Entomology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Entomology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Nature" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Nature</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/NaturePhotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NaturePhotography</a>

Frank AshwoodNow Bug of the Year is over, normal service can resume!Here's an incredibly feathery velvet mite (Chyzeriidae) from New Zealand. These active predators wander the forest floor, looking for springtails to ambush and drink dry using their piercing mouthparts! Beautiful but deadly.<a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Invertebrate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Invertebrate</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Macrophotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Macrophotography</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Entomology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Entomology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Acarology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Acarology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Acari" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Acari</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilEcology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SoilEcology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Mesofauna" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Mesofauna</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Arthropod" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Arthropod</a>

Frank AshwoodOnly 24 hours left to vote for the Giant Springtails to win Bug of the Year!If I haven't convinced you yet, perhaps this photo I took of one DEFENSIVELY BLEEDING will win you over. So metal.We need every vote we can get, so please vote now: <a href="https://www.bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-2025/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-2025/</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Invertebrate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Invertebrate</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/TeamGiantSpringtail" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TeamGiantSpringtail</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/BugoftheYear2025" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#BugoftheYear2025</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/BugoftheYear" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#BugoftheYear</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Entomology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Entomology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Collembola" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Collembola</a>

Frank AshwoodOnly four days left in the Bug of the Year 2025 contest! If every single one of my followers on here votes giant springtail RIGHT NOW, we'll easily beat the winner's votes last year! Let's make it happen - we can't lose to the velvet worm in the last leg!<a href="https://www.bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-2025/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-2025/</a><a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/TeamGiantSpringtail" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TeamGiantSpringtail</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/BugoftheYear" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#BugoftheYear</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Macrophotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Macrophotography</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Enotomology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Enotomology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Invertebrate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Invertebrate</a>

Frank Ashwood*DOOMSCROLLING CHECKPOINT*Okay just stop. Breathe. Take your mind off the rapid collapse of US Democracy for just a few moments. I'll help you. Here's some baby giant springtails, aren't they cute? They don't understand human politics, they just eat fungi and logs and go to sleep. That must be nice for them.Okay, off you go. Come back if you need to.<a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Invertebrate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Invertebrate</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoiBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SoiBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilEcology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SoilEcology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Macrophotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Macrophotography</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Collembola" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Collembola</a>

Guerric HachéThis tiny creature is a pseudoscorpion, which is a separate clade of arachnids alongside spiders, scorpions, and so on. These are tiny animals - I believe this one was less than 3mm across. They're rare to find, so it's always exciting to see one! <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/pseudoscorpiones?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#pseudoscorpiones</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/pseudoscorpions?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#pseudoscorpions</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/arachnid?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#arachnid</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/arthropod?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#arthropod</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/invertebrate?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#invertebrate</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/wildlife?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#wildlife</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/inaturalist?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#inaturalist</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/macro?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#macro</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/macrophotography?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#macrophotography</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/wildlifephotography?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#wildlifephotography</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/vancouver?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#vancouver</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/britishcolumbia?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#britishcolumbia</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/canada?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#canada</a>

Frank AshwoodLess than 3 weeks left till <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/BugoftheYear2025" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#BugoftheYear2025</a> is over!I'll go back to posting photos of other lovely soil invertebrates when voting closes on 17th Feb... but until then it's gonna step up a notch!Just look at this little face and go vote Giant Springtail: <a href="https://www.bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-2025/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-2025/</a><a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Invertebrate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Invertebrate</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Collembola" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Collembola</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Entomology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Entomology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Macrophotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Macrophotography</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Aotearoa" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Aotearoa</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/NewZealand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NewZealand</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/TeamGiantSpringtail" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TeamGiantSpringtail</a>

Frank AshwoodSup dawg, I heard you like springtails. So I put a springtail on your springtail so you can look at a springtail while looking at a springtail.Don't let the competition walk all over giant springtails like this cheeky blighter, vote today: <a href="https://bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/2025-bug-of-the-year-nominees/giant-springtail/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/2025-bug-of-the-year-nominees/giant-springtail/</a><a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Entomology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Entomology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Macrophotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Macrophotography</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/TeamGiantSpringtail" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TeamGiantSpringtail</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/BugoftheYear2025" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#BugoftheYear2025</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/BotY" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#BotY</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilEcology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SoilEcology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Invertebrate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Invertebrate</a>

Frank Ashwood*Whispers* Hey, wanna see a cool millipede?This is a 'pincushion' millipede (Polyxenida), a soft-bodied order that lack the chemical defences and hard exoskeleton of other millipedes. Instead they rely on tufts of detachable bristles to deter predators, by jamming their attacker's limbs and mouthparts!<a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Macrophotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Macrophotography</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Macro" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Macro</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilEcology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SoilEcology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Entomology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Entomology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Isopod" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Isopod</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Invertebrate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Invertebrate</a>

Sunguramy :nb_lily:Caecidotea antricola An aquatic cave isopod!<a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/cave" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#cave</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/entomology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#entomology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/invertebrate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#invertebrate</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/isopod" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#isopod</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/aquatics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#aquatics</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/crustacean" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#crustacean</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/nature" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#nature</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/speleology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#speleology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/speleobiology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#speleobiology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/biology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#biology</a>

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