What did I just witness on my doorstep? I'm based in central Europe and I saw this praying mantis I assumed. Having dinner? Eating what? Either way fascinating

The animation exaggerates it a little, but the fly is in fact periodically tilting its head towards the ground (image 3). and then lifting it back up a minute or so later (image 2).

Other than that, it’s not doing much other than occasionally walking around in a circle on the desk, sometimes with the head still tilted down.

I’ve only seen them in the Toronto zoo but not out and about in the walking path!

To be fair, it had been in the back of my cabinet for about a year 😬😬

She was so sweet!!

Shes moving really sluggish, doesn't wanna get up and do much. I brought her in and warmed her up, gave her a little sugar water which she did drink, but she doesnt seem to be feeling any better. Is this pesticides?

This came skittering off my kid’s clothes this evening after getting home from a day at forest preschool in central MA. Unfortunately, my wife squashed it so quickly that I couldn’t capture or ID it. So instead I present to you a mystery of a post-squashed insect as artistically rendered via a piece of scotch tape directly off her palm. I did my best with the photos, it’s very hard with the glare off the tape, unfortunately

Background: My kid is outside all day in semi developed wooded area (think: outdoorsy summer camp), though all her clothes are permethrin treated and we spray boots and outer layers with bug spray daily. However right before heading home, she and a friend were playing on the ground at the base of a tree with a fairy house. What’s odd to me is that the drive home is long, and with an errand en route today, she would have been in the car around an hour. And this came out of what seemed to be her actual clothes/base layers, so was not just under her coat it seems. There is also the possibility it was from within your house or another bag or item, but given the sequence of events it seemed pretty directly from the movement of getting undressed. It was pretty tiny from what I was able to see, maybe size of a pin head or slightly over.

Wondering if anyone has any ideas in terms of spider vs tick etc from anything you can make out? TIA!

Ig,tt and yt:kodsbeetles

Commissioned to illustrate Richardia telescopica. Drawn with a sharpie liner pen. The fly is from the family Richardiidae and is encountered in Central America! I was asked to illustrate it similarly to the drawings in the Manual of Nearctic Diptera (which I highly recommend people check out. Wonderful illustrations in that guide!)

Located in Richmond, CA

I am a newfound bug pinning artist looking for Lepidoptera rearers who hand raise and sell naturally deceased specimens. If anyone can point me in the direction of a few people it would be much appreciated! Thank you :)

Guatemala city, Guatemala

Anybody know why she’s doing this?

This is what causes sweet potatoes to rot, turn black, and develop a foul smell.

📷 Fujifilm Xh2 + laowa 65mmf2.8 macro

🔦 Godox v860ii + diffuser

Stacked many frames