Unexpectedly cute observations - what are yours?

[tjeales]

Genus Simaethula all the way

[natemarchessault]

I took this pre-iNat but I’ve always thought this beetle was cute. A lot of anthropomorphizing could be done there…

[susanne-kasimir]

I never thought Collembola could be cute, but I think this one is:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/105217456

[ItsMeLucy]

For fans of fancy facial hair trends of yesteryear, may I present my collection of moths with muttonchops?

[gvbox]

I never thought Collembola could be cute

You ought to look at more springtails then!! Though I may be biased, they’re my favorite animals and I find them some of the cutest arthropods around.
I have quite a few observations of cute collembola, like this Dicyrtomid with “angry eyebrows”:

this dainty little E. atrocincta surfing on a big ocean of a puddle:

and my personal favorite, a “herd” of neanurids all wiggling in the same direction like a flock of sheep: (Youtube video, I don’t think I can embed it)

[That_Bug_Guy]

I found this Spotted Sandpiper to be very endearing.

They seem to arrive at Marita Pond annually, coming during the summer. Most often, they can be seen running across the edge of the pond very quickly. They are absolutely dwarfed by the surrounding ducks and geese.

They also shake their butts!

Observation here:
https://inaturalist.ca/observations/129314248

[coniontises]

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/84597764

These were the size of my fingertip (I’m fond of miniature relatives of large taxa).

[robotpie]

Or even a whole gang of them!

[Joeb]

These two observations I think stand out to me this year, as insect species the majority may not find cute!
I thought this little pair of millinoodles made a cute sight, as did this yellowjacket that landed on me to rest for a while.

[ItsMeLucy]

For me it is when I can see their little grappling hook feet, which I just think are beyond cute (and so functional!).

[susanne-kasimir]

so far they were my first (and only) springtails! But I’m definitely on the lookout! :-)

[ItsMeLucy]

That is a very sweet little bird.

[WildEdges]

Some moths are bizarrely cute. The face on this one just cracks me up.

Two naughty woodmice in one of my nest boxes.

Snails are very cute for such slimy creatures.

and harvestmen are really cute when you get really close. Look at those big eyes

[teellbee]

I think millipedes are adorable

[jasonhernandez74]

Especially when they curl up.

[GothHobbit]

@WildEdges

Some moths are bizarrely cute. The face on this one just cracks me up.

Oh my; he looks like a Muppet!

[pinkymahoney]

The Fire salamander I recently found sitting in the rain was so cute, I now have it’s photo on my phone’s lock screen.

[natemarchessault]

Welcome to the forum, great photo!!

[broacher]

[quote=“vreinkymov, post:96, topic:35644”]
or bees sleeping in flowers"[/quote]

We have tons of bees in our yard and as I was kind of forced off the trails for a month this summer (health stuff) I got to see much more than I expected. And being new to all the iNat stuff, it made me more observant.

And one morning I got out early to do my ‘rounds’ when I spotted a big Bumble snuggled into the bottom of a blossom of one of our Rose of Sharons, totally still.

Was it sick? Dead? I knew that bumbles live on a very tight energy budget. Did this one get overdrawn? Then I looked closer.

There was movement! Unmistakable and slow, expansion and contractions of the abdomen.

Bumble zees!

[Ec0pete]

Lots of insects have fake eyes to scare off predators. Adding a smiley mouth and cute nose tends to spoil the effect I would have thought. At least from a human point of view.