I don’t have anything interesting on the property that I live on (or nothing that I have found)
but my favorite observations are probably these
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/38352365 a black-billed gull from a nearby estuary they are critically endangered and I really like them
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/40681203 a moorish idol I found while snorkelling in Rarotonga they are amazing and its Scar from Finding Nemo
4 Likes
Mine’s gotta be the adult eastern milksnake I found under a piece of slate right next to my house. When I say right next to my house I mean the stone is literally abutting the foundation. Pic was taken a few feet away on the porch.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/26458537
This is one of only three milksnakes i’ve ever found, and the only snake i’ve found around my house that wasn’t a garter or watersnake.
I check this stone frequently, and there are often garters under it but the milksnake has yet to return.
7 Likes
OMG it’s as tall as a duck lol
3 Likes
I once wrote to a local naturalist bulletin board to explain that I’d seen what I thought was a ground bird – some fat little thing like a grouse – up in a tree peeling bark from a twig. They explained that I wasn’t hallucinating, but it was a springtime mating kind of thing. Sorry I can’t remember any details now, but that was pretty wild.
Last year, in my yard, I saw a fringed polygala. Just like the above, I thought I was hallucinating.
These finds may not be very exotic in reality, but I think they’re amazing. I’m a beginner, so it’s easy to have a beginner’s mind LOL I still can’t believe I share the neighborhood with a black bear and a flock of turkeys.
7 Likes
Living in a tropical country has its perks, we got a lot of biodiversity even in a little green patch. Some memorable stuff i found includes a cow patterned planthopper nymph, a huntsman spider eating a frog, and this malkoha
6 Likes
Always have a beginner’s mind! It helps you appreciate things!
8 Likes
Cool, I’m going to have to flip a few stones at home now.
3 Likes
Coolest find so far for me is this Euroleon nostras sitting on a wall border of my sleeping room.
Funny thing is, three days later I saw an observation on iNat of the same species, not far away from my town (Vienna) - and at first glance I thought the observer stole my photo to make an own observation. Its crazy how even the antennae and legs are almost in the exact same position!
Looking especially at smaller critters, in the last three years I could find 40 ‘new to iNat’ species in my garden (a small backyard in a metropolitan area). And two additional ones indoors :-)
9 Likes
It does look like almost the same photo. Thanks for sharing!
3 Likes
For me, Stathmopoda auriferella, a new adventive moth for New Zealand, captured with the maiden test of my home made mothtrap. Initial DNA test suggests it could even be a new species! Weirdly, this year I didn’t catch any…
5 Likes
That is exciting. I hope you find it again.
2 Likes
I like the color and can see why you love them.
5 Likes
Opened the kitchen door this morning and there was an American Opossum rummaging in the flowerbed, (not for long once it saw me!), Anna’s Hummingbirds battling in the honeysuckle, and a Northern Mockingbird making its quintessential car alarm noise. Deep breath, turn face to the early morning sunshine, feel grateful for this wonderful wild world.
16 Likes
Yes, exactly!
2 Likes
Saw my first butterfly today in the garden–a cabbage butterfly–but I was so happy to see it. It’s all the little things that count now.
4 Likes
Thanks, that probably is my favorite find that I’ve ever had.
3 Likes
Our balcony faces a courtyard that is not exactly rich in biodiversity. However, we do have bats hunting there, and I always enjoy watching that (still haven’t found out which species, though). Last year, we “raised” Cabbage Whites on our balcony. We didn’t notice the caterpillars until they had completely devoured our Broadleaved Pepperweed. So far, this year, our balcony is extremely popular with Mason Bees. I’m looking forward to the insects that are yet to come - and after reading all the posts in this thread, I will pay even more attention.
5 Likes
My best find was a Worm Slug, which was the first record of the species for Ontario. I’ve since found them in the nearby forest and donated specimens to a local museum. I still see them in the backyard regularly, but so far nobody else has found any in Ontario.
7 Likes