<unnamed>

Public Key

npub12tfdcaana2a2w3fkwyl0f7hsdp5f87v4anl8wzknm8ug3jmda3vsakknnn

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs995kuw7e74w48g5m8z0h5ltcxs6ynlx27elnhptfan7ygedk7ckgprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0d4hhxarj9ecxjmntagtg8u

Publishing to

relay.momostr.pink

Last Notes

2026-07-05 15:06:09 UTC

I was flipping rocks today and came across more of the bright red springtails. I think they were under 90% of my landscape rocks today. I took these at higher magnification, and to my surprise, I seemed to get great depth of field. These guys are so tiny, but I took these at over 5x. There were a couple of the even tinier translucent white entomobryiods but I didn't really capture them. They actually spring!
#Nature #Photography #Arthropods #Insects #Collembola #SriLanka #Springtail #Macro
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/867/933/112/876/871/original/38d81983cf56694e.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/867/933/348/075/862/original/26f971b15690f0b6.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/867/933/564/199/700/original/650791f45f050e75.jpg

2026-07-03 15:35:07 UTC

- reply

Slightly zoomed in monochrome version with contrast adjusted. Still not happy with it. My focal plane is off slightly, but the color is bad and the black and white is all wrong from the bounced flash.
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/856/770/110/419/318/original/cd83c051e4f487e4.jpg

2026-07-03 15:02:47 UTC

This tiny skipper has been on the wall by my door for hours. So I decided to take a photo.
#Insects #Butterfly #Nature #Photography #SriLanka #Skipper #Zizina #Azure
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/856/629/758/049/742/original/3d9e709eb5a3eec5.jpg

2026-06-30 15:31:35 UTC

Just another lousy photo.
#Arthropods #Macro #SriLanka #Gastropods
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/839/761/279/140/092/original/1267758ebdb64114.jpg

2026-06-29 15:19:53 UTC

I'll start off with some ants today. I'm not sure, but guessing ghost ants. They seem different than the ghost ants I normally see around here. As a super cool bonus though, there was a leucistic girl running around with them. I've not come across this in ants before. Is this common?
#Nature #Photography #SriLanka #Formicidae #Ants #Insects #Arthropods
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/834/047/250/831/282/original/537417f943d8d6c5.jpg

2026-06-14 14:44:15 UTC

- reply

Face: check
Petioles: check
Texture: check
Location: Colombo Sri Lanka
You never said anything about it being in focus....
Sorry, I had too. I'm glad these things drive other people crazy too. Folks just got to know I can't put a species name of most braconids from photos alone. Especially blurry phone photos...
#badPhotography #SriLanka #Tetramorium
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/748/968/297/558/245/original/6cc1227c7487c36f.jpg

2026-06-14 14:34:42 UTC

A beetle mite with its own pet mite riding on its back. This thing is miniscule. I think I took this at nearly 4.5x. There were a few of these in the soil near one of the pill louse I just posted.
#Nature #Photography #Mites #Orbatid #Galumnidae #Arthropods
#SriLanka #SoilFauna #Soil
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/748/930/466/578/086/original/df2a74b85dde85bf.jpg

2026-06-14 14:14:55 UTC

- reply

Two other individuals I believe all of the same species. They are both rolly pollied... I love the second image that shows how perfectly the roll up.
#Nature #Photography #Arthropods #Crustation #SriLanka #Armadillidae #SoilFauna #Soil #Macro
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/748/841/914/884/831/original/a597768f075efbd6.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/748/845/093/097/562/original/f02b7a8e8d33f7c4.jpg

2026-06-14 13:50:59 UTC

A portrait of a tiny tropical pill woodlouse.
#Nature #Photography #Arthropods #Crustation #SriLanka #Armadillidae #SoilFauna #Soil
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/748/740/671/489/028/original/60b4709e3c61b628.jpg

2026-06-07 17:33:01 UTC

Another Ant Mimic Jumping Spider and another Asian Weaver Ant which it mimics. This is the female jumping spider. Under normal lighting, their color matches very closely too.
#Ants #Spiders #Insects #Mimicry #Nature #Photography #SriLanka #SalticidSunday #Salticidae #Formicidae
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/709/990/589/648/086/original/83287b6cfaae71dd.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/709/993/855/297/835/original/fa7854e7ba62c354.jpg

2026-06-06 15:26:03 UTC

Having an off day... or week kinda. But, this thing is cute. I need to shove my camera in the dirt more. I actually shook the dirt off this leaf to find this springtail
Borrowing a flash head from a friend and made a simple and compact bounce diffuser. I like a lot of the results from today, but not amazing for shiny stuff. I'm a bit envious of some of the macro photographers that are happy with a diffuser they bought off the internet.
#Photography #Nature #Collembola #Ptenothrix #Springtail
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/703/823/257/079/447/original/adcec447bdb1472f.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/703/823/695/857/500/original/085c0462f385624d.jpg

2026-05-16 16:21:21 UTC

- reply

in Sri Lanka, they are just black. Unfortunate

2026-05-16 15:47:00 UTC

- reply

I love one of it's common names too. The ensign wasp. It's like a flag girl. Their search flights and mannerisms are very interesting and unique too. Jet black, dazzling blue eyes... Such an important and beautiful creature.

2026-05-16 15:44:04 UTC

- reply

I was actually trying to find info on this the other day. The only tool I had at hand was Google so I came up empty. These walls are huge for egg parasitoids too so do they eat most of all the eggs?
Being in a country that doesn't care about copyright, I have a hard time not just stealing papers so I can read about these things.

2026-05-01 15:57:12 UTC

Happy FlyDay!
#sri #lanka #fruit #fly #mango #tephritidae #bactrocera #diptera #Photography #Nature #FlyDay #FlydayFriday #Insects
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/500/115/081/351/262/original/47f448ecd961789d.jpg

2026-04-25 09:05:33 UTC

I found this winged queen surrounded by dozens of workers at the base of a tree. I wish I would have stayed and watched how this played out. Some workers were threatening while others seemed to be feeding her. After one ant nipped at her, another nipped at that ant. Did the established colony take in this young queen? When I returned a short time later, they were gone? So many questions...
#Formicidae #SriLanka #Ants #Insects #InsectInteraction #Oecophylla #smaragdina #Photography #Nature
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/464/461/316/657/967/original/f5de062d2dadf3a1.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/464/490/898/071/973/original/7bb4b1e6285e5865.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/464/505/937/119/526/original/227cef7a90d273cd.jpg

2026-03-15 16:42:54 UTC

- reply

This one is better. Definitely different. Or not... Destroyer??? Hmm...
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/234/183/744/812/401/original/f67836a1b325a7d0.jpg

2026-03-15 06:56:52 UTC

Since its what mastadon seems to care about, here's an ant. I thought it was a destroyer ant when I was taking its picture, but it is actually a sneaking ant which is closely related. Please correct me if I'm wrong on the ID. This one was on a guava leaf. My flash is dying so I can't get consistent enough light to stack and I've reverted to my thinner diffuser... Taken at ~1:3.5x
#Nature #Photography #Macro #Insects #Ants #Formicidae #Myrmicine #Cardiocondyla #SriLanka
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/231/827/906/311/346/original/633f8967d5a1075a.jpg

2026-03-14 18:56:05 UTC

A super tiny parasitoid wasp investigating some possible host scale insects.
#nature #Photography #Wasp #Insects #Parasitoid #Chalcid #SriLanka #InsectInteraction
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/228/711/988/142/428/original/3e087b87afb09df4.jpg

2026-03-08 15:57:04 UTC

- reply

On another founding nest that was finished just a couple days ago, a minor takes a moment for some well earned self care. The initial nest is complete, mealy bugs are close at hand, and there aren't any concerning threats at the moment. They seem to have gotten used to my camera being there all the time. Near by, the jumping spiders that mimic these ants welcome a new nest in their tree. The male spider is supposed to look like one ant carrying another. The female just looks like an ant.
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/194/340/392/836/630/original/9e9bc7d7169909bd.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/194/343/331/222/967/original/9617bc5e66246431.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/194/357/133/183/327/original/e6c09bc2189108a5.jpg

2026-03-08 15:47:35 UTC

- reply

Here we see several minors working together to start a new nest for the colony. I don't believe this is a founding colony, but it's possible as no majors were near it. Either way, you can see these ladies stitching the first two leaves of their new nest together using the silk exuded from their larvae. Interestingly, they didn't seem alarmed by my presence or show any of their usual threatening posture. They just stuck to the job at hand.
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/194/288/838/294/958/original/38205f6cd31992ea.jpg

2026-03-08 15:33:41 UTC

Spring in #SriLanka brings one of my biggest joys of the island. May I present to you the weaver ants. First, we have a huge queen. Many have green gasters, but this one is solid orange. She has a good start to her brood. These will eventually be her workers that will build her a nest and feed her. You will often find a few founding queens together on one leaf. One of the few species I know of that seem to do better with multiple queens.
#SalticidSunday #Formicidae #Ants #Photography #Nature
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/194/246/991/917/771/original/810931d29905064e.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/116/194/244/726/056/968/original/dca2ae6a8fe443d5.jpg

2026-01-16 12:20:42 UTC

Happy #Flyday
I have fallen off the face of the earth again. Work gets in the way of life... I took this photo at Occoquan Bay on a frigid December day. Its easier to take thier photos when they are too cold to move. Despite the below freezing temps, I saw half a dozen species of arthropods. I'll try to post more...
#Cluster #Fly #FlydayFriday #Pollenia #Photography #Virginia #Nature #Insects #Diptera
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/115/904/714/651/137/476/original/b88c4a674a89a3b2.jpg

2025-09-02 14:19:39 UTC

Shhh! I'm hiding. This beetle is trying to hide with its hitch hiking friends.
#Nature #Photography #Two-horned #Powder-post #Beetle #Lichenophanes #bicornis #Oklahoma
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/115/135/118/973/662/978/original/34bb860b690877c6.jpg

2025-07-28 23:47:51 UTC

The whorl of pink carpels of this hollyhock really caught my eye. It's a beautiful spiral with a nice dusting of pollen. The bees were all over them.
#SouthDakota #BloomScrolling #Photography #Flowers
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/114/933/496/658/940/220/original/6b046784223062f4.jpg

2025-07-27 06:19:01 UTC

And now for #SalticidSunday I present a couple of Tan Jumping Spiders (Platycryptus undatus) photographed on a wood railing in SE South Dakota. I believe the one on the left (or top) with the orange band is a male and the other is a female.
#Spiders #Aranae #Platycryptus #undatus #SouthDakota #Nature #Photography
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/114/923/716/427/365/594/original/e8b84768de423540.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/114/923/716/493/276/414/original/0a190bf2ca4b99cd.jpg

2025-06-22 20:29:43 UTC

Gutting...
https://wapo.st/4n9dpVn
Gift article about Sam Droeges native bee lab

2025-02-17 11:21:27 UTC

And now for something different. This is one of the trap-jaw ants. If you know which one, please let me know. Several months ago, we had major rain and wind storms damaging lots of trees. I found this colony under a broken branch that has started settling into the dirt. After snapping a couple of pictures, I gently placed the branch back where it was. It must be quite stressful for them.
#Formicidae #Odontomachus #haematodus #Ants #Insects #SriLanka #Photography #Macro
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/114/018/942/169/250/023/original/4a46ad2cdd753c82.jpg

2024-12-22 16:42:41 UTC

This is one of the ant mimic jumping spiders, but I'm not sure which. If you know, please share. I was trying a more versatile diffusion setup, but it wasn't amazing. The spider pictured here is under a fine sheet of web though so in general, I guess it was fine. I want diffusion that is attached to my flash heads again. It has its drawbacks, but it is just so handy.
#SalticidSunday #SriLanka #Spiders #Arthropods #Salticidae #Myrmarachne
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/113/697/437/566/045/928/original/8619d2f2afa71d65.jpg

2024-09-07 13:51:40 UTC

This is a medium sized jumping spider vigilantly keeping my window free of pesky flies. Like most jumping spiders, it was timid at first and then became inquisitive. I think she was contemplating jumping on my diffuser in this moment. As my house is fairly fly free, I carefully put in on some plants outside where it will likely find better food.
#Plexippus #petersi #salticidae #jumping #spider #Araneae #female #Arachnid
https://cdn.masto.host/sauropodswin/media_attachments/files/113/096/580/717/533/776/original/6cae75b9c952d6d5.jpg