I observed this Great Black Digger Wasp (Sphex pensylvanicus) on Saturday:
It’s congener, the Great Golden Digger Wasp (Sphex ichneumoneus) was visiting the same plant and was almost a lifer, too, but iNat reminds me that I had another observation of that species, four years ago.
I’m discovering that one of the downsides to uploading a few observations every day is that I’ll end up with a lifer on, for example, Monday that I wait to share here in case I have something ‘more interesting’ later in the week … and then I wait so long that the week is over. Hmm.
My favorite lifer from the past week is an accidental one – I was taking photos outside a Buddhist temple on a mountain I’ve visited several times before and snapped a couple of quick shots of an Oniscidea species (woodlouse, pillbug, roly-poly … so many English common names for these) as I was leaving.
Although, what I thought was from Oniscidea is actually something quite different – a millipede that looks similar and can also roll itself up into a protective ball, giving me life list firsts from genus (Hyleoglomeris) up to infraclass (Pentazonia).
While this isn’t strictly a lifer for me – I’ve seen female individuals twice before – that same trip also gave me my first encounter with a male Trypoxylus dichotomus, the Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle:
Also, while doing identifications, I learned that I could refine one of my earlier IDs to get a lifer for mud-nesting spider wasps (Tribe Ageniellini). From what I’ve read, they amputate a spider’s legs before carrying it back to their nest, which is what happened to this Oxytate spider it’s carrying:
I’ve always wondered why many Pompilids do that. I thought it might be an insurance thing, to ensure the spider does not escape somehow if the paralyzing venom wears off before the larval wasp has eaten enough to reach pupation stage. Begs the question how long the venom works, is it throughout the entire larval stage of the wasp, or long enough only for the mother wasp to amputate its legs and bury it?
I think it’s to make the spiders easier to carry. I imagine otherwise the dangling legs might tend to impede movement during transport.
I wondered that too, but I think some don’t amputate the legs?
Some Synchlora caterpillars attach bits of flowers to themselves for camouflage!
Here’s one hanging out with a crab spider:
I was finally able to photograph the tiny bees I have been seeing zipping around the Graceful Spurge (Euphorbia hypericifolia)! I wish I could show you how teeny tiny these flowers are so you would have a scale.
They are by far the smallest bees I have ever seen, and while shapewise they remind me of Small Carpenter Bees (Ceratina), I did not find them at all metallic (every one I have seen has been green or green tinged and decidedly metallic and also much larger). Also, these bees appeared to be carrying pollen on the undersides of their abdomens as well as on legs like the Leafcutter (Megachile) bees I have seen. I have a certain excitement because I do not know what they are at all! That might seem weird but it is a little fun not to know and wait to see, like opening a gift.
I am just so glad I finally was able to photograph them, as they move so fast and are quite skittish! I was able to photograph two separate ones, though, and felt quite lucky and barely exhaled the whole time!
My snorkelling-friday brought me a new fish, another blenny:
Microlipophrys canevae
And this Chelander poser, I liked how it came on the ruler and waved to the camera:
I sort of like this observation of Gerald’s second cousin (thrice removed): https://inaturalist.ca/observations/232407432
My first favourite lifer is probably the prettiest bee I have seen so far: Halictus subauratus
The photo doesn’t really do it justice. It was a lot more sparkly in person… :D
Another immediate favourite is this buffalo treehopper (Stictocephala bisonia). It is not native to my area, but it is a very cool insect nonetheless.
@whaichi 's post helped me to figure out who likely left this spider on my window sill
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/229993469
The legless spider I found (see link above) was moving, and they were not spasms like I have seen on an insect right after it was bit by a spider. The spider was flexing its cephalothorax and abdomen and moving its pedipalps. (I found it right-side-up. I rolled it over for photos.)
I’ve recently been able to go out and take lots of cool photos in cool places (while learning a bit more about how to use my new camera) so I’ve gotten a lot of lifers recently:
My favorite is this Crowned Lynx Spider(?):
But I also got to see my first tiger beetles:
As well as these bee flies:
And a few other cool things like this Paratyndaris suturalis(?) jewel beetle:
Euphoria limbalis beetle:
Red-femured Spotted Orbweaver:
Cool stink bugs:
And my first slime mold spores:
Gorgeous photos! Really like the lynx spider photo in particular, but they’re all great.
Really wonderful photos - thank you for sharing them!
I now have some time to upload some photos from my travels in the past few weeks
My favourite lifer from Medellin where those little cuties
I also enjoeyd this lifer a lot, not only because of it´s beauty, but also because it did patiently allow me to take some easy photos
I’ve been participating in a local bioblitz, so I’ve spent a lot of hours in the field over the past four days. After many frustrating encounters where insects did not want their photo taken, this one won my “most cooperative” award for landing on my hiking stick and then patiently waiting as I knelt down and slowly rotated the stick to get photos from different angles.
When I uploaded the observation and discovered it was a lifer, the Wild Indigo Duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae), it had a clear lead for winning my “favorite lifer” award, too. But, yesterday, a surprise contestant would become the upset winner.
Truly a surprise. I noticed this insect on a Ganoderma shelf fungus, so I took some photos, but it seemed rather drab and unremarkable. It was only after I got home and prepared to upload the observation to the iNat website that I had a really good look.
Oh my goodness! A Forked Fungus Beetle (Bolitotherus cornutus), looking like a rhinoceras beetle’s grungy cousin! 
I’ll never pass a shelf fungus again, without taking a closer look.
I can’t pick a single favorite lifer out of a couple of hundred from my recent trip to the Brazil Pantanal, but I have a fondness for this oddball and unfortunate fish.
Snow King Pleco (Pterygoplichthys ambrosettii)
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/233035513
