May I request you to post the inat links, so that I can favourite this one - I have fallen in love with Rosalia’s despite discovering that the one we have Rosalia lateritia is a major Oak pest.
Locally, we have a saying everyday is a Sunday, and if it isn’t its a Monday. So technically 28 to 31 weeks are still possible :-)
Oh my gosh, wow wow , thank you for sharing.
The picture with the thumb actually makes it look very very cool.
My observation was this one: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/122026224
I heard from my sister living there that this year was an exceptionally good year for them and a lot of people saw them for the first time (including her, she ran into one a week or so later, also within the city limits of Vienna) - so I guess I wasn’t really as lucky as I thought to spot one - just lucky to be at the right place at the right time!
Indeed, just checking and there’s 100 observations in 2022 within the city limits of Vienna: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?d1=2022-01-01&place_id=10471&subview=map&taxon_id=56228 (and 78 obserervations before 2022, so more than half of all inaturalist observations happened this year). I have no idea why.
While this little critter wasn’t a new species per se, it’s a first time seeing one of these Green Treefrogs at this particular stage of life. It was amazing to me.
Thursday Sept 15th. I am away from NYC, visiting Southern California, San Diego North County. Finding several really entertaining new things that I have not seen during previous visits:
Stripe-eyed Lagoon Fly, a drone fly
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/135189423
Golden-Spined Cereus, a cool-looking cactus which mostly lives in Baja California.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/135062977
Brachymeria, a chalcid wasp. I never saw a chalcid wasp before, but I had heard about them.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/135180726
Rufous, Allen’s and Allied Hummingbirds, Genus Selasphorus – very small and quite red in color.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/134949115
Light Brown Apple Moth, an introduced species with a fold in the wing.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/134915442
Grey House Spider, an introduced species. Plump and cute.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/135319086
Hands-down this Brown Wasp Mantidfly. I’m not sure I had any other options, but it would take a doozy to beat this one.
That is an amazing looking insect! Had to look it up to make sure it’s not one of those AI creations
Oh, mantisfly is still on my wishlist!
You might want to add this to the plant fasciation project:
[Fascinating Fasciation] https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/fascinating-fasciation
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/135314450
Gosh, snakes always make a big thrill. This is small snake is a “lifer” because of the evidence of a recently caught meal (swelling behind the jaws).
Yay! A couple more San Diego North County lifers today, both insects:
True Cochineal Bug. I have known about cochineal since I was a child, but I have never seen the insect until now. The outside is white, but the inside of the insect is a strong red in color.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/135437076
Eastern Sycamore Lace Bug. I thought I observed this one a few years ago when I was with finatic (BJ Stacey) in this same park. But I can’t find any observations of this, even under a different species name!
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/135434368
My four year old found what we think might be a glass snail (Oxychilus sp.) shell in the backyard today. Species number 220-something from our yard!
On Thursday I saw this ladybird Novius cardinalis, introduced from Australia to feed on Icerya purchasi (which it did).
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/135185940
And yesterday, while trying to find it again for a better photo, I saw its larva
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/135445995
I have meanwhile found an article with photos, so it is this species. :-)
Okay, so this really isn’t from this week, more like 8 days ago, but I figured it’s close enough.
An American toad, my lifer toad.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/134625984
A ferruginous carpenter ant, my lifer of the species.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/134625985
As an avid aquarist, it was pretty cool to see water purslane in the wild.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/134625926
An oil beetle.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/134625923
Some Arion slugs.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/134625904
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/134625906
No exciting plant lifers for me in several weeks, so sometimes while observing plants I also try and take some insect pictures lately - if some insect is gracious enough to hold still at least. I hate spiders so I’m surprising myself here but I kinda liked this Phidippus mystaceus - and it’s also only the 3rd observation in the state:
I don’t have a camera just a phone, but I have a clip-on macro lens - almost wish I would have tried to use it, but this being a spider I tried to keep as much distance as possible - and probably for good reason since it’s a “jumping spider” and I figure might have jumped on my clip-on lens had I attempted to get close to it
Only 11 to choose from this week. I’ll nominate this goofy fly that I have only a tentative family ID. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/134825348
On Sunday Sept 18th. Some more extremely cool lifers from San Diego North County:
Cactus Weevil Cactophagus spinolae, a big all-black very handsome weevil.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/135570276
Coyote Brush Stem Gall Moth
(https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/55517)
Red Bush Monkeyflower, very pretty indeed.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/135570942
Green Lynx Spider, I have always wanted to see one of these.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/135571581
Lorquin’s Admiral, a shockingly great new butterfly for me.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/135573272
Iridopsis gracilaria – a nice pale grey moth in the Ashram gardens
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/135600860
…
And today Monday Sept 19th quite near the hotel I noticed Spanish Clover, which was new to me!
Spanish Clover, Acmispon americanus (https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/57049)
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/135732998
And washed up on the beach at Cardiff State Park, I observed a new-to-me seaweed:
Banded Fanweed, Zonaria farlowii
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/135731570
Also in the same area I observed a different small seaweed that was not only new to me, but which must either be quite uncommon, or must be overlooked a lot, or maybe both, because so far it only has a total of 24 observations here on iNat:
Nienburgia andersoniana
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/135714421
I also observed another seaweed that was new to me, Devil Weed, Sargassum horneri, an invasive species from Japan and Korea.
…
And today is yet another sunny California day – Tuesday Sept 20th.
I observed what I think was a Western Giant Swallowtail Papilio rumiko
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/135847590
My lifer observation from this week past would have to be the humpback whales I saw at the Gold Coast.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/135429676
Not a true lifer per se but my first observation of a Northern flicker. We have two that live in our neighborhood but every time I noticed the iconic white rump I didn’t have my camera. Finally spotted one while I had it out, and had a brief moment of panic when I thought it had flown away, but I ended up getting these, which are, in my opinion, some of the best bird photographs I’ve ever taken.