#thoughts of a leaf beetle

[leaf-beetle]

I wish the Fifteenth Doctor a very Big Finish audios

[snekdood]

i both love and hate that i keep finding different moths in my house. why are they here? i dont want them to get caught on the sticky traps i put out for the flies. but also, very fun to see so many different varieties and knowing my garden probably plays a role somehow.

[ducksido]

Haiiiiii! How are u? I have an EVIL idea, very evil😈 Idia with entomologist reader? 😈 like Idia is just playing a fight video game, when somehow, a moth ended up in his room, and he’s like AHHHHHHHWTFGETITOUTOFHEREAHHHHHH but readers super happy, yapping about that moth species and Hes like « I love ur rambling but pls get that demonic creature out of here »

YUPPIE! YUPPIE!

Idia was deep into a boss battle—his character's health bar hanging by a pixel, his fingers a blur over his keyboard, sweat on his brow, and his hair crackling an ominous red.

"Just one more hit—come on, come onnnn—YES!! CRIT DAMAGE, GET REKT LOSER—"

A faint flutter filled the room. Something small and dusty-brown spiraled past his monitor.

"…What… what was that." He paused. His eye twitched.

The moth reappeared. Hovering. Menacing. Eyes filled with unknowable eldritch wisdom.

Then it dive-bombed the screen.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH—!!!" Idia launched himself off the chair, sending his headphones flying. "WHO SUMMONED A DEMON?! WHO DID A RITUAL?! IS THIS THE MOTHMAN???"

Enter you, bouncing in, starry-eyed.

"OH MY GOSH THAT’S A Polyphemus moth!!! You NEVER see those in the wild anymore!! Look at its eye spots! That’s DEFENSIVE MIMICRY, IDIA!! DEFENSIVE MIMI—"

"Y/N please," he whimpers from the corner of the room, hugging a blanket, "I love you and your bug TED Talks but that thing has like... a hundred legs and evil in its soul."

"It has six legs. And no soul. It’s just vibing." You scoop the moth up with reverent hands like it’s baby Jesus. "Look at her!!! SHE'S SO PLUMP!!!"

"I’m gonna pass out."

You beam. "Do you wanna hold her??"

"Absolutely not," he says instantly, blue again and shaking like a leaf. "She looked me in the eye. I saw my death. I’m gonna uninstall life.exe."

You gently shoo the moth out the window and turn back to him with a grin.

"You're such a baby."

"You’re such a cryptid."

"But you love me."

"Yeah…" he grumbles, burying his face in your hoodie, still trembling. "Unfortunately…"

(continuation:)

It started with one beetle terrarium. Just one. A nice, unassuming glass tank full of soil, leaves, and what Idia thought were little rocks.

Until one of the "rocks" moved.

"AAAAAGH—WHY DOES IT HAVE HORNS?!" He screamed and nearly spilled his energy drink. You turned from your desk, lovingly holding one of your Hercules beetles.

"Isn’t he majestic? I named him Shiny Daddy Hercules! He’s the king of this tank."

"That's the name of a boss in Eternal Blight VII. You’re summoning demons with style, huh?"

"But look at his elytra! He’s a literal tank. That horn is for mating displays!"

"Mating?!" Idia scooted three feet farther away from the terrarium. "You're telling me that guy’s whole vibe is like ‘hey baby, check out my forehead sword’?? That’s horrifying."

Still, you noticed something…

Despite his protests (screeching), Idia always glanced at the tank when he thought you weren’t looking.

You caught him once leaning in, eyes wide, whispering:

"Yo... is that the one with the little butt antennae? He's doing a moonwalk… Bro’s got moves."

"That’s TapTap, the click beetle," you said from behind him, making him jolt like you hit him with a lightning spell. "They do that to flip themselves over."

"...Click beetle. That’s kind of… hacker-cool, actually," he mumbled, cheeks slightly pink.

Later that week:

You walk into his room and find a smaller terrarium next to his PC setup.

"...Idia. Is that a new enclosure?"

"NO." He slams his hands on the lid like he’s hiding nuclear secrets.

You peek.

Inside: One shiny little rainbow stag beetle. With a name tag that reads “Sir Byte, Knight of RAM” in his handwriting.

He sulks as you beam at him.

"Whatever. I saw him in the bio lab and he looked sad. So I… heroically rescued him. Stop smiling like that. Don’t make it weird."

"You love bugs now."

"I love you. The bugs are… inoffensive. Kinda. Some of them. Don’t tell them I said that."

[leoascendente]

PAC/ Update on your love life 💕

Hi my loves and welcome to this new pick a a card! Here you have a new pac about love, I wanted to make it about something you all liked and it seems like these ones are your favorites so I made this as a summer solstice gift. I hope you like and resonate❣️

Take a deep breath before choosing the pile that calls you the most, keep ehat resonates and leave what doesn't

Happy summer solstice my dears, I love you all 🫶

My blog in Spanish here

Paid readings here

All pics are from pinterest, credits to their owners

Pile 1:

(Cards: world, 8 of gems, 5 of shells, 2 of shells, 2 of roses, hermit/ Tea leafs: dog barking, older woman, vine, purse flowers)

My dear pile 1, your love life looks a little confusing at the moment and I think this pile is only for single people. I see that there's someone you had intimacy with in the past but things ended up, is currently thinking about you, this person may ghosted you without you knowing why, if you resonate with this situation just know that they ghosted you because something complicated was going on in their life. The person in your mind thinks about you very often, I wouldn't be surprised if you've been dreaming about them or feeling their energy. Right now you look dissaponted because things seemed better than in the past, you put a lot of hope into this person just to feel like they failed you, in this case you are being called to meditate over your expectations and how you deal with your romantic relationships, it makes sense because of the picture you chose. You crave unconditional love, almost like as the picture says 'to merge souls', you are not meant for something sporadic or superficial, you need passion and intensity but my dear, you are forgetting about the hard parts of a relationship, you are thinking about falling in love and not about the steps that lead you to fall in love. The good thing is that you close a negative chapter of your love life in your recent past, that's why you felt that this time was different, because it really was but you thought you were repeating patterns again when you weren't, you can feel proud of yourself because of this shift in your life. I warn you that this person of your recent past is going to come back with renewed energies but in the meanwhile you need some time for introspection and healing, you just need to attend and fix some things within yourself because things with this person will lead to a safe place because your reading ended with the card of flowers that means happiness, so expect them to come back into your life at any moment. You also need this alone time because your femenine energy is needing some attention and you'll need you mind fully rested because you'll have to solve a financial issue before this person's come back. I see that you'll receive a very good advice from an older woman so listen what she has to say, you'll find out some information that will be usefull in the future and you're guides will tell you that you are in the right path whenever you see numbers 1222, 1212 or 222

Pile 2:

(Cards: 9 of shells, 9 of wings, 6 of shells, queen of roses, 10 of shells, 6 of wings/ Tea leafs: crib, haystack, beetle, cat, fox)

You have someone special in your life right now and things look really nice, maybe this is someone you are currently dating or simply you found out that the person you like likes you back, whatever it is, I see you very happy, even remembering an special event you shared with this person over and over. Ngl, both your person and you look very obssesed with eachother but this doesn't seem to be a problem to none of you, the thing here is that there's someone in your group of friends that is not happy of you finding love, be careful with how you behave with this two-faced friend because you'll reap what you sow, be wise because your approach on this situation could bring you karma, try not to argue. The best thing here is that your reading ended with the best cards possible, so doesn't matter what anybody tries to do to mess with your relationship because everything will be better than great at the end, but you may have to make a movement forward and maybe confess your true feelings, I see here a big romantic gesture and I feel it's you who's being encouraged to do it, you don't have to ask them for marriage but you could write a letter or ask them to go out or anything like that, depending on the situation of whoever is reading this. Whatever you decide to do it will have a very positive impact on your relationship and this will be a reason to take things to the next level, but my dear, don't share your plans with anybody until it's a reality in your life because that friend's energy could delay the positive ressults, good things will come to you anyway but there's no need of delays if you can prevent it by not sharing it. There's no much more to say besides that you'll have a very happy outcome with your person and you'll live a very healthy and fulfillling relationship. Felines will be a sign from spirit to act wisely and be cunning, something magical will happen after you get news about someone expecting a baby, beetles will be an omen of abundance and good fortune.

Pile 3:

(Cards: 2 of gems, 8 of roses, ace of wings rev, high priestess, lovers, 8 of gems rev/ Tea leafs: carriage, sunrise, V, dog, four leaf clover)

Okay, you may felt called to pile 1 too because your readings share a lot of similaities, read it if you feel like to. First of all, you are very aware of what's going on in your love life, you are my spiritual pile in this PAC but for some of you I also see a female that has psychic powers, maybe a witchy or intuitive friend that gives you spiritual guidance. I see that your love life has changed in your recent past and for the majority of you it's something that you've have been actively working on, it has been a conscious change you wanted to make, I'm getting that these changes were majorly focused on the kind of suitors you want to attract. Right now there's no much movement in your love life and you might be thinking that this stagnancy is a defeat, like all your efforts aren't paying off but that's very far from truth because you really have shifted your energy and what you are attracting not just in love, but also in general terms, just in case you needed this info to gain back hope (btw, I'm writting this at 12:12 on my clock). Deep inside of you , you can be intuiively knowing that someone is coming into your life but you don't know who, where or when, trust your gut instinct because that feeling is real, there's someone really close to enter your life but you need to stop looking for them in your daily life, you are being called to trust divine timing and investing in yourself meanwhile your person arrives. Before this meeting happens you'll go through a journey, it can be physical or mental but it's something you'll need to experience an enlightment where you'll be getting creative ideas, thise ideas will be very useful in your near future, especially in regards of a personal goal that you have and really want to achieve, just know that you got 2 of the best tea leafs, the V and the four leaf clover and both mean victory and good fortune so just relax and see how universe works at your favor. Your signs will be horses and dogs, especially black ones, faeries and the air elementals will be important for some reason I can't descipher, also a deceased loved one will make you they are right by showing you white butterflies.

Pile 4:

(Cards: 3 of shells, 9 of wings, 5 of shells rev, princess of wings, queen of roses, the hanged man rev/ vulture, tiger, pail, frying pan, shield)

My dear pile 4, I send you a virtual hug from here and wish you the best with whatever is going on in your life. Things may look crazy right now but keep always in mind that nothing last forever, neither the bad things so, by the moment just keep strong, at some moment things will get better. I see you are interested in someone but it's more like a crush because everything is in the air and there's nothing solid yet between you two, you may met this person through a friend or in a party and may got a little too obsessed with this person without them giving you a sign of reciprocal feelings, so be careful with delusion because you can be using it subconsciously to avoid the hardships of your current reality, I suggest you to check info about limerence, you may find some answers to help this tendency and heal. About this person you like, the cards invite you to be bold and make a movement forward, to take the lead of the situation, maybe text them or have a conversation the next time you see them, whatever you think it's more appropiate. The only warning here is that you may not be totally prepared to be in a relationship at the moment, or at least not fully receptive to everything that involves a commitment with someone else, before, you should maybe take some time for healing and balancing your life, you could enjoy fully this connection if the other areas of your life are more peaceful but that doesn't mean that you can't meet this person and know more about them, it would just involve taking things slower. I don't want to ruin your hopes and even less with this person because you could totally have a happy relationship together, what I mean is that maybe it's not the right moment to invest that much energy in a relationship when you are needing those energies so much, mostly for those of you who suffer from abandonment issues. Also, you'll be facing a challenging situation where you will have to defend yourself from someone's accusations, it will cause you some anxiety so I suggest you to go to nature to cleanse your energies when this happens, I'm getting that this is something you have could prevented if you listened to your intuition because you've been having a bad feeling with the person that is going to turn against you, just be brave and don't fear defending yourself with everything you have. By the moment take things with patience, try to approach the person you like but don't force anything or put your expectations too high, simply enjoy the good things and face the challenges one by one as they appear, you'll get out of this situation stronger and very proud of yourself, and maybe even with a boyfriend. For you, the only thing your guides are telling me is that they are there to help you whenever you need it, just communicate with them and they'll be quick to answer.

Pile 5:

(Cards: prince of roses, prince of gems, hanged man, moon rev, chariot, king of roses/ Tea leafs: door, yoke, man, whale, ring)

Omg pile 5, you have met your divine counterpart! I'm really happy for you my dear🥹🫶. This pile is for people who are already dealing with someone, so if it's not your case I suggest you to check the other piles. I see that you love eachother, there are a lot of feelings here but both of you have a very similar temper and your respective attitudes are getting in the way, you both are very stubborn and prideful but it's because of your experiences in love in your pasts, you both are scared of being hurt and this facade of pride is just a defense mechanism to protect your hearts, there's a lot of fear to be vulnerable here. You really like this person and just know that your feelings are reciprocal but the thing here is that you both have tough shells, I see you taking some distance or setting boundaries with this person because this situation is making you feel frustrated, so you may decide to simply move on hoping that they go after you. The good thing is that your person will find the will and courage to give an step forward and tell you to take things to the next level, they'll realize how much they crave you when you make them miss you a little, you got the ring on the tea leafs so for some of you there will be a proporsal too, for the rest I see a genuine love conffesion from your person. You'll find a beautiful door or entrance, when you see it shortly after you'll get food news about an oportunity or windfall, whales will be omens of staying grounded because there's nothing to worry about, you'll find a ring or someone ca gift you a piece of jewelry, wear it because it can work as a protective amulet, 7 will be your lucky number.

Pile 6:

(Cards: 8 of gems, magician, 9 of roses rev, 2 of shells, empress rev, king of gems/ Tea leafs: axe, flowers, casket, mountain, arrow)

Whatever you are living in your love life, it's time to release it and purify the energies, you've been working and investing a lot of energy into making something work with an soecific person but I'm sorry to tell you that is not going to end up as you'd like to. You'll be receiving news from someone you are interested in but you'll have to discern if this is the kind of relationship you want for yourself, this person of interest seems very hot and cold, with the empress reversed I feel like their attitude causes you to doubt yourself, even if they don't openly criticize you or anything like that, their behavior may be making you feel like you are not enough for them. You are being called to take a realistic look over the situation, if you feel like you are constantly fighting to keep this relationship going and you are the only one making the effort, the best thing you can do for your own wellbeing is to leave them and open up to someone else who is willing to make the same sacrifices for you that you would do for them. Even if it's a challenge for you, sometimes loving someone can't be the only reason to stay in a relationship and even less when the relationship is draining or painful. In the end I see you leaving and moving on because the casket on the tea leaf say that someone will be going out of your life, the good thing here is that the arrow is an omen of being on the right path, remember this whenever you see one. At the end of the day you'll be happy because you know your worth and how to invest on yourself, and everytime you let the old go you open up to new opportunities and people who resonates with your vibration, you will be opening the path for your soulmate too. You'll see the card of the magician somewhere and right after something special will manifest in your life, you'll find a beautiful jar and your guides encourage you to make a self love spell with it, wearing colors white and purple will help your intuition, bats will announce you a rebirth.

[celestial-games]

As I've now made over 400 sprites I thought it would be fun to share the numerical breakdown so far :]

406 insects

- 309 beetles

- 65 butterflies/moths

- 13 true bugs + hoppers (Hemiptera)

- 12 wasps/ bees /ants

- 2 lacewings

- 1 mantis

- 1 grasshopper

- 1 stick insect

- 1 silverfish

1 spider

Among beetles, which is the most complete group I've made so far, the top families are

53 ground beetles (Carabidae)

31 longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae)

22 scarabs (Scarabaeidae)

21 lady beetles (Coccinellidae)

18 Metallic wood-boring beetles (Buprestidae)

16 click beetles (Elateridae)

I have also not made the leaf beetles yet (Chrysomelidae) which will eventually have 50+ species

[waylamia]

Little Crawling Things (and Equally Fragile Feelings)

recommended listening: With You by Priscilla Ahn

Caleb is looking for beetles. You are being very brave about it.

reader experience notes: reader is MC but is not addressed by name in this fic, reader is not physically described, reader is 10 and Caleb is 12

content: bugs <3 (barely researched beetles), a very minor injury (cut on hand)

approx. 1.6k words

also on AO3 (available to registered users only)

The summer breeze sways the leaves of the maple you are under, you focus your attention on the little roving spots of light the movement creates. It's a better thing to watch for than-well, the alternative...

Stood up straight but not too straight, your posture intentionally, deliberately relaxed. Teeth biting into your tongue, the inside of your cheek, just enough to calm your nerves. Not enough to be noticed or to really hurt. You have put on a very good show, keeping your composure as you have, against what you are up against. You don't know what it is about little crawling things that makes you so jumpy.

"It'll be hard to see any emerald ash borers with the leaves as vibrant as they are. But that's not gonna stop us from trying!"

Caleb is looking for beetles. You are being very brave about it.

You stand a fair distance from the tree's trunk, where Caleb hunches, closely inspecting the bark for signs of damage. You take to inspecting him for any signs of fear, of hesitation. You find none. And if Caleb isn't afraid of all the bugs and their buzzy wings and their wiggly legs than you need to stop being a baby and be 'not scared' too. That's just how things are with you two. It only took a few short months of safe and calm and together and home for you to fall into this pattern. You are always looking at him. Looking to him. For the right thing to do, the right way to behave, the answers to the questions you haven't asked yet. If you were to look away from him and down at your feet, now, in the dirt before that swaying tree, you would see them stood in his barely bigger footprints. You watch his face and think about what you will say when he asks what you're looking at, he always asks.

The wind picks up and takes his hair with it, he huffs as a hand reaches up to press it flat against his forehead, you fail to suppress a giggle at the scene. His eyes snap to you, warm, like this morning, before the sun got too high. He smiles when he sees you, quick and soft like the breeze. You smile back like a stirred leaf. "Got something on my face?" You shake your head, huffing out a little laugh at your correct prediction. You open your mouth to answer before closing it again. You have yet to come up with an excuse.

"Just... looking." You kick at a pebble at your feet, careful not to disturb yours and Caleb's shared tracks. He chuckles, grin taking on a playful edge.

"You know, you're gonna have a hard time seeing anything from aaall the way back there..." His eyes squint-in a way you will soon come to recognize as knowing- his smile widening as yours drops. He pats the dirt at his side, like you often do for the particularly skittish street cats. "Come on, come here." You are a tree yourself, rooted in place.

'You're not a baby. You're NOT a baby.' You repeat to yourself, willing the breeze to stir up some courage, but the voice in your head is drowned out by the hum and chirp of the cicadas. "Hey." You jolt out of your thoughts, surprised by his proximity. He dusts his hands off on his cargo shorts before reaching out to take one of your own. You squeeze, he squeezes back. "It's okay." Your eyes dart to his. Soothing circles are rubbed into the back of your hand. "It's okay. I'll show you." He tugs gently at you and your roots come up easily. A few short months and you know you trust him, intrinsically.

The sticky air has glued your palms together. That's what you think when you reach the base of the tree and he doesn't let go. His free hand points to a recess in the bark just above your head. "Look." His fingers trace something that you cannot see, you stretch up on the tips of your toes. You release your hand from his to lean into the tree for support, little hops to see inside the little cave. Caleb laughs, and you feel yourself floating, the sensation so familiar you don't even pause for it. The recess reveals the tree's exposed insides, lots of swirly lines in newly exposed bark. His finger traces the path of it. "That's an emerald ash borer. The moms lay the eggs, then the eggs burrow into the tree. That's what those marks are." You ooh and aah, following his tracing finger with your own as you process the information. Your brow creases.

"Does it hurt the tree?" You look down at him, then at the earth, and gently kick your feet. Caleb thinks, hand on his chin as he lets you down.

"It... does." He watches your shoulders fall. "But it's a part of the ecosystem here. In other places, they can be a problem-an invasive species-but here they have predators that-" He pauses. Looking past you and not at you. You turn to see what he sees, which is more maple trees. "Look." When you turn back his eyes are skyward, face dotted with light spots, like freckles. you follow his gaze, squinting at the leaves. "This tree is super healthy and strong, a couple of little bugs aren't going to slow it down." Gran and Caleb have both told you bedtime stories. You've noticed that when Caleb tells one, the ending is always happier. You don't know why you're remembering that now. You frown as you rest a hand on the tree, patting softly.

"You're way way bigger than some little beetles. You'll be okay." you hum to no one in particular, to the tree maybe. "You're okay." Soothing circles rubbed into the bark. You feel Caleb's eyes on you, but you're used to that. What you are not used to, is the tickle-y feeling on your arm. Your entire body goes stock-still. Eyes widening and heart pounding as you move your gaze down... down...

You jerk away from the tree with a shriek, a sudden pain in your opposite hand only increasing your panic. As you back away, flailing aimlessly, a piece of root catches your heel and sends you crashing to the ground. In all your distraction with swirly shapes and floating and Caleb you had forgotten that you were out here to find bugs. "Get it off get it off get it OFF." You continue to thrash, unaware that the equally startled thing has already taken leave from its uneager perch. Unaware too, of Caleb watching it go, catching it in his hands. He cups the creature in his palms, careful not to give it a wide enough opening to take off once more. He tilts his head, first at it, then at you.

Frightened tears have welled up in your eyes, and embarrassment threatens to send them streaming out. You pull your knees close, head tucked in and body made small. You think that maybe you are a baby after all.

"Hey." Caleb crouches behind you, hand patting your shoulder, before moving to sit at your back. Long legs bracket yours, like he's using his body to build a house around you. Safe and calm and together. his hand takes yours, the one that hurts, and he turns it over carefully. Ah, you cut yourself on tree bark when you got scared. "You're way bigger than a beetle." His head rests on your shoulder, you sniffle. His other arm, with the hand closed in a fist, scoops yours up to rest, lengthened, at the height of your shoulder. "Palm up." You trust him intrinsically. You open your hand. He takes a deep breath in and lets it out slow, you copy him without really thinking.

His hand is held out just beside yours, facing up, fist closed. He opens it and you gasp, pushing yourself back into his chest as your extended hand shoots defensively back into your own. The beetle sits docilely in his palm. He hums softly, opposite hand rubbing soothingly at your idle arm. "You don't have to be afraid of anything." He squeezes. Nudges your cheek with his own. You take a deep breath and let it out slow. You trust him. You extend your arm once more, palm up. Three short squeezes on your arm.

"I'll tell you what's safe..." He brings his opened hand close to yours, so the sweat sticky sides of them touch, and nudges the shiny green, crawly thing into your open hand. You tense, closing an eye to get some illusion of distance and pushing back against the boy behind you. Whether in an effort to get away or simply to ground yourself, you haven't the capacity to be sure. Caleb shushes you, arm dropping to his side to balance you both, the other still tracing winding shapes into you. You start to settle, even as the little thing walks across your palm, even as you shake for fear of it.

"...and I'll protect you from what isn't." Your heart picks up another beat, one you won't have a name for for a long time. All you know, for now, as the bug gets bored of you and flies away, is that when Caleb is around, you are safe.

And you are home.

author note: first calebmc fic yippeeeeee. I heart tenderness and protectiveness and having someone to trust…. I have a very specific vision for a calebmc series and cannot WAIT to get into it. Caleb nation please accept me into your loving arms I NEED people to be obsessed about him with. ok I have to go to work now love you bye. <3

[tribbetherium]

'In nature, nothing is wasted. Even the repulsive leavings one animal produces are a treasure for deteitivores and re-enters the food web to in turn nourish many others. Thus, as a large foraging badgebear deposits its droppings onto the forest floor of the temperate woodlands of Gestaltia and departs without a second thought, a cleanup crew quietly gathers to exploit the bounty left behind.

While small dipteran flies hovering about the heap and opportunistic beetles hauling off large pieces in rolled-up balls are perhaps an expected sight, a more surprising guest to the scene is a very unsusual member of the burrowurm family known as the rootbrutes: the chupacrappa (Vermiosauromys purgamentophilus) which, while also feeding on roots when burrowing underground and on other plant detritus in the leaf litter, also takes advantage of well-used latrines of the forest's various herbivores, which it locates by scent. Its scoop-like fore-claws, useful for shoveling through dirt as it burrows, also allow it to pick apart and rummage through a dropping for the choicest bits of undigested plant matter, in particular seeds that have been deposited in the animal's leavings, which it cracks with its powerful incisors.

While this may sound disadvantageous to the plants that produce those excreted seeds, some have actually adapted to exploit this rattile's unusual diet. Some of the plants produce numerous tiny seeds contained within a larger pod that itself can be mistaken for a large seed within the fruit. Once a large herbivore has eaten the fruit and excreted the pods, they may often be in turn eaten again, and the pod broken down in turn to release the seeds the second time they are excreted by their final host. So specialized are some, that the seeds will not sprout until they have been stimulated twice by the passage through digestive enzymes: only germinating once they have been inside both a badgebear and a chupacrappa and then out again.'

-----

[hazerl]

First set of experiments of insects with (non-elytra) wings since they're a little more complicated to sculpt. I like how these came out but they took a lot more time than I thought they would! Part of the experimenting process will be how to un-complicate things and I'm not sure yet if I should stylize things more to simplify the bugs. And I just started complicating them a whole bunch with the warty leaf beetles! Blegh

[dailybugfacts]

Hello can you tell me a fact about Japanese beetles? When I was a kid I always thought they were so interesting even though they chewed through our garden. Thank you!

You have subscribed to DAILY BUG FACTS

🪲

TODAY'S FACT IS

Did you know that the Japanese Beetle (Popillia japonica) is a pest outside of its native Japan?

These ovoid scarabs damage plants by skeletonizing foliage (eating around the veins of the leaf) and will feast on just about any leafy plant and the larvae will feast on grass roots.

Traps are available for them where they're invasive but a pair of American studies suggest that these traps are fairly ineffective and bring more beetles than there would have been without the traps.

🪲

Thank you for subscribing to DAILY BUG FACTS

Photo by mfostervt on iNaturalist

[rattyexplores]

Giant Scale Insect

I got a bit of a shock when I saw this thing.

At first I thought it might've been the larva of those big leaf beetles I found. Was very surprised to discover it was a scale insect.

Unidentified, genus Monophlebulus

28/03/23

[leaf-beetle]

Having not yet seen the newest episode of Doctor Who but being on tumblr without spoilers blocked is wild.

HUH what do you mean he’s gone?!?

She’s BACK?!?

She’s ALSO back?!??

Like it feels like some collective joke that I’m just not in on because there’s no way they did that. Right?

[thornsinwinter]

Day 3: Worship

"The borders are failing," Lucien said, tossing a scorched leaf onto the moss-covered table.

Tamlin growled. Four hours in fae form had left him agitated, muscles twitching beneath skin that couldn't decide if it wanted fur or not. "What's that mean?"

"It means your magic is bleeding into Summer," Lucien's metal eye clicked as it focused. "Tarquin's sentries found trees that shouldn't exist there, trees that killed three fae before they retreated. There are similar reports out of Autumn and who’s to say what is happening in the human lands."

Tamlin picked up the leaf. It pulsed with his magic, but wrong. Darker, hungrier. He recognized the twisted, feral energy. 

"Not my problem," he muttered, baring his teeth. But even as the words left his mouth, he felt them ring hollow. A strange protective instinct stirred within him, something he hadn't felt in years—responsibility. The sensation was almost painful, like blood returning to a limb long numb.

"It is when the High Lords meet in two days to discuss containment." Lucien leaned against a vine-wrapped pillar and crossed his arms. "They're scared, Tam."

"Let them be scared." The words came automatically, but they lacked conviction. The beast wanted to roar defiance, to defend its territory against all intrusion. But the High Lord part of him—the part that had been dormant for so long—whispered warnings he couldn't ignore.

"You don't get it." Lucien pushed off the pillar, frustration breaking through his diplomatic facade. "They'll wall Spring off completely. And if that fails—" he breathed hard through his nose, "—they'll come for you, they'll decide it's worth risking dealing with a new High Lord than to let this continue."

"They wouldn't dare, " Tamlin growled but fear flickered through his mind at the thought. Not fear for himself—the beast in him welcomed a fight, wanted to rip things with claws and teeth—but fear for his court. For the changed fae who had remained loyal through his descent into wildness. His heart pounded harder. The lesser fae, the changed fae, were his responsibility. His to protect. 

"Wouldn't they? After what happened with Amarantha? After Hybern?" Lucien snorted. "The courts are still rebuilding. Nobody has patience for a rogue High Lord gone feral."

Outside, Tamlin's changed subjects moved through the twilight forest. One appeared at the broken window, skin shimmering like a beetle carapace. His six eyes fixed on Tamlin with naked adoration. They trusted him. Followed him. They had changed with him, becoming wild as he became wild. And now they were in danger because of him.

"They worship you," Lucien said, voice softening. "Not just follow—worship. I've seen the altars."

"They don't worship. They... belong." Tamlin struggled to find the right words. "With me. To me." The connection he felt with the changed fae was deeper than lord and subject. Like the mushroom circles that scattered the forest floor, they were all parts of something larger than just themselves.

"Is that why they leave you offerings? Blood and bones on stone?"

Tamlin scratched at the fur on his wrist, uncomfortable with Lucien's perception. "It shows respect."

"Fine then." Lucien headed for the door. "Show me I’m wrong."

Tamlin’s answering snarl didn’t seem to phase the other male and after a moment, Tamlin followed. They walked outside, through paths that shifted and changed as if the forest itself made way. The changed fae fell in behind them in a silent procession. One brushed against Tamlin's leg like an affectionate hound. Another chirped a sound no fae throat should make.

Tamlin felt the pull of the beast form growing stronger with every step. His joints ached from maintaining this shape this long. But something stronger kept him upright, walking on two legs—stubborn determination. If the other courts were coming, he needed to prove he wasn't completely lost to wildness.

They reached a clearing where an altar of stone and living wood had formed. Fresh offerings lay scattered across it—fruits with teeth marks, bones stripped clean, flowers that seemed to breathe.

"This is what the High Lord of Spring does now?" Lucien asked, gesturing to the altar. "Play a god to the wild things?"

“Don't play anything," Tamlin approached the altar. The wild magic of Spring swirled around him, stronger here. 

The magic felt different now that he was paying attention. Erratic. Unstable. For years he had ignored the signs, letting his power flow unchecked through the court. Now he sensed the consequences—magic turned feral, escaping its boundaries, growing teeth where it should have grown flowers.

"Can you control it? Pull the boundaries back?" Lucien's voice tightened. "Or is the beast in charge now?"

The question stung, mostly because Tamlin didn't know the answer. He placed his hands on the altar. Power surged through his fingers, into the earth, then back into him—a circuit he'd created over years of isolation. The changed fae pressed closer, humming with anticipation.

Fear mingled with determination. For the first time in years, Tamlin wanted to try. Not for himself, but for them. For the court that had followed him into wildness. "I don't know," Tamlin admitted, the words painful to speak. "It’s been... flowing free. For a long time."

"Try." Lucien's voice was urgent. "We only have two days, Tam."

Tamlin huffed but closed his eyes and reached for the wild power of Spring. It answered eagerly, rushing through him like a flood. Too much. Too wild. It had been so long since he'd tried to direct it rather than simply channel it. The ground trembled beneath them. New growth erupted—flowers with colors that hurt the eyes, vines that writhed like living things. The changed fae began to sway, dropping to all fours, bodies reshaping in echo of their lord's.

"I can feel it," Tamlin gasped as the magic surged. "Everywhere. It’s too much." The power burned through him, resisting his attempts to contain it. The court had grown used to freedom. To pulling its power where it willed, without borders or limits.

"Pull it back." Lucien stepped closer despite the danger of the swirling magic. "You're still High Lord. Act like it."

Tamlin’s snarl had the changed fae skittering away from him. Frustration and helplessness clawed at him. "It’s not that easy," he snapped. He felt sweat beading on his forehead from the effort of maintaining control.

Pain lanced through Tamlin's shoulders. The shift was coming, unstoppable now. His body couldn't maintain fae form while channeling this much power.  "Need to change," he gritted out, feeling his control slipping.

"Fight it." Lucien grabbed his arm. "You give in too easily."

Tamlin's laugh was harsh, born of pain and resignation. "It’s not easy. It’s necessary."

He surrendered to the transformation, dropping to all fours as fur spread across his body. Relief flooded him as the beast took control. The beast didn't have to think in complicated terms of duty and responsibility. The beast simply was.

But for the first time in years, that relief was tainted with something new: fear. Not for himself, but for his court. For his changed fae who looked at him with worship in their strange eyes. What would happen to them if the other courts came with fire and iron? 

The beast didn't want borders. But it didn't want destruction either.

Lucien knelt beside him, hand hovering over Tamlin's furred shoulder as if asking permission. "We've got work to do."

The beast huffed what might have been agreement, and pressed against Lucien, accepting his touch. For the first time since his descent into wildness, Tamlin felt the weight of his title again, not just as a power, but as a responsibility. Not just the Wild Beast of Spring but the High Lord of Spring.

He had forgotten the difference for too long. ..... Here's today's contribution to @tamlinweek, though this was really an excuse to further showcase how weird Spring has gotten.

[snotty-zombie]

WICKED FURRY ART BLEHHHHHHH I was stuck in a really bad art block for a while so I switched things up and drew some furry Rageons instead of normal Rageons haha

Some rambling and loads more art underneath the cut! (Didn’t want to make the post too long on ur feeds)

This was so much fun I highly recommend making fursonas for your ocs if you’re ever in an artblock it is like- freeing. I put the same pics on my insta so don’t mind the double post whoopsies

Some info:

the twins are Emerald Tree Boas, they’re green and gorgeous and have a wicked set of fangs (look it up it’s metal)

Kid Ritz is a White Spotted Jellyfish- look it up on google he literally looks exactly like one when he has his hat on it’s uncanny. Was gonna make him a Blue Bottle Jelly but I just couldn’t get past the similarity of the white spotted so I settled on that (plus they’re totally adorable and squishy) his guts are kinda visible through his semi translucent ‘skin’ 😰😰

Rhinestone is a Purple Sea Urchin 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️ she means well but might take your eye out when going in for a hug if she doesn’t have her spines tied up- be careful!!

Then I made all the trolls little bugs since they’re so tiny. I thought it would be weird if they were the same/similar sizes to the Rageons since their size difference is such an important factor to their relationships with each other so I have hereby decided that all troll species are different kinds of bugs 😌😌 Brozone are different kinds of beetles (Genji firefly, stag beetle, giraffe weevil, rhino beetle, mint leaf beetle) and Poppy is a rosy maple moth because she’s so cute and pink and fluffy (Viva too)

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Ripper

Debut: Metroid

Imagine if there was a guy who loved beetles a lot, thought they were the pinnacle of anatomy, loved almost everything about them, especially the fact that they fly! But this guy hates the WAY they fly. They wish they didn't have to open their beautiful elytra to fly, ruining the impeccable smoothness of the carapace. This guy would be pretty weird. I would disagree. But I have to say they would love Ripper! That is a really long-winded way of saying "Ripper is like a beetle that hovers without using any wings"!

Ripper is like a beetle that hovers without using any wings. That's a cool sort of alien thing to do! But then you see its legs and that's just goofy. It really is just a bug that inexplicably hovers and is nearly invincible. And it's iconic! I admittedly have not played that much Metroid, but I have played the first game (bad) and its remake (awesome), and I could not imagine it without Ripper! It floats lazily and horizontally back and forth, usually in vertical areas, and feels as integral to a Metroid bestiary as a critter that walks around ever surface of a platform.

If you want more proof that Ripper is already perfect, look at Metroid Fusion. In this game, the X Parasite infects many species, mimicking them and giving the copies altered abilities, but the Ripper copies stay the same as the original! Nothing to improve upon here!

Ripper was so great that they made a sequel! This is Ripper II! They were very (rightfully) confident in Ripper being a hit, so confident, in fact, that they made Ripper II in the very same game, before the general public could even give feedback on the original. I'm sure that after the game came out, though, people were sending in fan mail about our favorite horizontal hoverer! Ripper II is faster. Not a Ripper for everyone! Don't adopt it without making sure you can handle it first!

Is this a Ripper? Not quite! This one is a Tripper! It is not called that because it is mean and tries to trip you. It is actually passive, and you can stand on it, and go for a Trip as it flies! What a nice creature.

Last, but certainly not least, is the Winged Ripper! They gave wings to a flying creature! So droll! Very similar principle to the Para-Biddybud, putting wings on top of what may very well be elytra, but in this case it was ALREADY able to fly! Para-Ripper over here is a lot like if you add wings to an entity in Super Mario Maker, because the wings make it fly around a distinct path and even allow it to explore the y-axis. It only appears in one room, where it must be frozen to act as a step for Samus to stand on, so she can reach a giant larva that is ensnared by vines. Awesome! Winged Ripper is truly a one scene wonder, enhanced even further by its similarity to Para-Beetle, everyone's darling!

I don't know why these things are called Rippers. Maybe they would use their chewing beetle mouthparts to really rip into a good leaf if offered one, and have a rip-roaring good time!

[herpsandbirds]

saw these guys on a hike in syracuse, ny and thought of this blog! any ideas?

New York insects:

The beetle is a dogbane leaf beetle (Chrysochus auratus), family Chrysomelidae.

The dragonfly is a male widow skimmer (Libellula luctuosa), family Libellulidae.

[celestial-games]

Leaf beetles part 6 (of 10): case-bearing leaf beetles. Not all beetles in this group are red and black but many of my local species are and I always thought it was fun learning the subtle differences between them. Which ones are shinier black? How big are the red spots? Which ones have longer antennae? To capture that feeling in a game of course means adding a bunch of cryptic species :]

Some maybe slightly less cryptic than others :P (the middle one is Griburius montezuma.a very handsome beetle)