We all have favorites, but on the other hand some taxa are particularly annoying: take mosquitoes for example. Does anyone have a least favorite taxa to see while you’re out making observations?
All the curled up millipedes under logs and rocks that look like snails at a first glance. Always get disappointed by those.
Mosses, you spend half a day on one thing for it never be identified.
Would take mosquitoes instead, love those guys, need more species.
Humans mostly. I like to feel alone outdoors and not have to worry about if I look weird or have a stick in my hair or something.
Ticks
Cleg / Deer Flies. Nasty little suckers (literally), with psychedelic eyes. By the time I see them, it’s usually too late…
+1 for Homo sapiens, especially the juveniles, especially if they’ve aware that they’re being observed and exhibit behaviours designed to increase peer standing.
Reynoutria japonica, Japanese knotweed. Nobody likes to see a hyper-invasive plant when they’re iNatting, but with knotweed I’m also worried about spreading little root fragments on my shoes and starting a new unkillable knotweed clump somewhere else.
horseflies and humans
Robinia pseudoacacia and Ailanthus altissima: these invasive trees are absolutely everywhere in my country, even in remote places with little to no human disturbance. They’re a very conspicuous reminder of how compromised local habitats are.
Rubus ulmifolius: an annoying obstacle in my explorations.
Homo sapiens: same as above but 100 times as much.
The obvious winner here is Homo sapiens but other than that it has to be the tropical fire ant; Solenopsis geminata. Invasive in my area and most of the Southeastern U.S. and a literal pain. Stand in one spot too long and you’re suddenly swarmed. They’re stings don’t hurt too bad individually but 50 of them? Ouch.
Chiggers. Nothing itches worse than a chigger bite, and you don’t realize you’ve encountered any until it’s too late.
Yeah but the question was which ones do you least want to see!
I’m the same…I have unfortunately never seen a chigger before they’ve gotten me and never know about them until 2 days later when it is too late to do anything unfortunately. They are the worst, so I almost wish I could see them just so I could get the heck out of there!
Ticks, definitely. I get sad when I see invasive stuff but I try to see it as an opportunity to document how bad something is. I’m not crazy about seeing humans, or humans seeing me, though I am a fan of a good funny manmade object/not harmful human evidence. Like a funny sign or something.
Cockroaches. I turned a corner today in a building that I know they inhabit, but honestly, to see one looking at me always makes me shudder.
The taxa that have overlapping characteristics in the dichotomous keys with the specimen you are trying to identify falling right smack in the intersection (Ludwigia, I am talking about you)
Snakes and dead animals. I am not a big fan of snakes and also seeing dead creatures makes me kind of sad.
Asian lady beetles. I have more observations of them than the next 3 most observed species for me combined. They get in my house and I try not to photograph them unless theres absolutely nothing else around to photograph haha.
Argentine Ants (because I know that I’m unlikely to see any native ants there) and any tax that I know is unidentifiable from pics).
Squished slugs and snails on the sidewalk, and any invasive species, like Himalayan blackberry, scotch broom, chocolate arion, Asian lady beetles, etc.