Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 01/10/2026The La Junta, Colorado, Tarantula Festival was good fun. There was a pet parade, another parade, the education pavilion, a makers market. This town both celebrates and protects the Texas Brown Tarantula, and has a good time doing it. And it's a charming town. 020
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 29/09/2026Male Texas brown tarantulas spend September and October wandering southeastern Colorado looking for mates. We went looking for them and found so much more: grand views, archaeology and paleontology, a quaint small town celebrating their tarantula neighbors, and new friends. More pics to come! 040
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 22/09/2026Trying out the near-infra red photography at Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge. 010
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 22/09/2026Some bugs from the weekend at Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge. I love that place! The ant trapped in sunflower sap reminded me of insects trapped in amber. Just surreal. 010
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 16/09/2026Sea otters were a common, delightful sight as we moved through Alaska's passages. Look at this guy smiling for the camera! I mean, he was probably yawning or something, but... Still, it's fun to see. They were chomping on everything: starfish, fish, crustaceans. One of my favorite moments! 130
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 15/09/2026Glacier Bay National Park. It's a hard one to check off the bucket list since it's closed much of the year for ice or wildlife protection. We made it to the John Hopkins Glacier. In the third photo, you can see the tiny kayakers at the glacier's base. It really gives a sense of scale. 040
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 13/09/2026Brandi Carlile at Red Rocks on Friday night. Dolly Parton covers. Duets. Radiohead covers. Alanis covers (Alanis joined her ON STAGE last night!) All her hits. Requests from the audience. Pure Brandi charisma. I need to go all three nights next year. THE most talented performer I've ever seen live. 1201
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 12/09/2026Juneau, Alaska, was a great first stop. I hiked the Gold Flume Trail, an old rail line turned into a boardwalk through the rainforest. Between the stunning views, the accessible hiking, the indigenous culture, and gorgeous views, I'm almost ready to move to Juneau! Almost. haha 040
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 05/09/2026Internet has been spotty but I’m in Alaska! So far Juneau hasn’t disappointed. 040
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 29/08/2026I've been experimenting with near-infrared photography this summer, and hoping to bring it to an upcoming trip to Alaska. In high school, I did a lot of IR film photography, which doesn't really exist anymore. But the digital version isn't bad! Black skies and white trees kinda work. 250
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 27/08/2026Glamour shots for this little guy. It visited my moth light this morning, which really just means I set up a praying mantis buffet by bringing all the bugs to him. I believe it's our native Carolina Mantis (Stagmomantis carolina) 110
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 21/08/2026Moths! We set up a moth light in the Rawah wilderness and found some cool critters. My best guesses on species in the alt text. 020
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 14/08/2026A family of Dusky Grouse (Dendragapus obscurus) came up to say hi on our morning walk while camping in the Rawah wilderness. An amazing trip! So many creatures all around. 1125
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 11/08/2026Wilderness camping in Colorado means sometimes a moose comes lumbering through your camp. There were two of these guys. I grabbed my phone in time to catch the second one. Scary and amazing and wonderful all at the same time. Rawah Wilderness Area. 250
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 23/06/2026A lot of lady beetle species diversity on a scale-infested Russian crabapple tree down the street. Twice-stabbed lady beetle is a lifer for me, and the lateral sigil lady beetle was a repeat on the same tree from last year. It's actually the only place I've ever seen that species. #invertebrates 030
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 18/06/2026Yesterday, I wondered when I'd break an 8-minute mile and today was the day! 7:49! And I'm almost under 25 minutes for the 5K. I blame much better weather today and a very good night's sleep. Now, to get that 5K under 25 mins, and that mile under 7:30. 190
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 17/06/2026I hit a new PR for my mile. 8:03! Cracking into the 7-minutes should happen here pretty quickly. It was windy and 80 degrees by 7am, and the extreme dry air was hell on my throat and nose. No PR for the 5k, but considering the weather, I'm happy with that mile time! 020
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 15/06/2026A lady beetle, possibly Hyperaspis gemma, at Palmer Park in El Paso County on Saturday. The heart-shaped elytra spots on the rear seem to match with H. gemma, but tiny lady beetles are a mess to ID. It's a new species for me, no matter what it turns out to be! If H. gemma, new for CO too. #inverts 030
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 11/06/2026Lots of moths at the moth light this week. None of these are new species to me but they are some of my favorites. Ids in alt text. 010
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 10/06/2026Today's run: best mile since high school! 8:13. And 5k is now under 26 minutes. I was struggling to get below 10 minute mile in January, so things are picking up quickly. losing 17 lbs of beer belly didn't hurt! 61473
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 07/06/2026An awesome day getting tattooed for charity at the Tats for Tails fundraiser for the Denver Animal Shelter. So many cute dogs! 170
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 04/06/2026This year has been my year of running. And today I had a good one! My 5K is at 27 minutes, and for the first time in a long time (30 years), my mile is under 9 minutes. This is largely due to training daily and giving up nicotine and alcohol. 1120
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 31/05/2026Some critters from the moth light this weekend so far. The Indomitable Graphic Moth (Melipotis indomita) is a new one for me. Id's in the alt text. #moths #invertebrates 040
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 27/05/2026Some moths at the moth light this morning. Excited for warmer weather to see what new species pop up. The Linden Bark Borer is a new one for me, and also an introduced species in this area. IDs in alt text. #moths #invertebrates 000
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 26/05/2026Another Bolder Boulder weekend is finished. I beat my 2025 time by 16 minutes (!) and almost did a 10k in under an hour. Very, very surprised and happy with these results! And it's always a treat to spend a weekend in Boulder. 150
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 20/05/2026Some moths from the moth light this week (despite the much-needed rain!). Bird dropping moths (the third image) are a neat genus having evolved to look like bird poop so they don't become bird poop. IDs in the alt text! 020
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 15/05/2026A great hike up Flaggstaff Mountain near Boulder this week. Always a great place to see Julie Orangetips which are difficult to photograph. Very flighty little things. 020
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 13/05/2026It’s Miller (Moth) Time! This morning, I had the first miller moth of the season at the moth light. The annual migration is here. I recently wrote about the cultural aspects of the annual swarms across Colorado’s Front Range. #invertebrates #moths andybirkey.substack.com/p/the-annual... 030
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 04/05/2026Some moths at the light last night. Probably the last for a few days as 6 inches of snow is about do blanket the yard. IDs in alt text. #invertebrates #mothmonday #moths 060
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 29/04/2026Moths have been less frequent over the last week as the weather here in Aurora, Colo., has become cool and damp (this is a very, very good thing). Tentative IDs in the alt text. #invertebrates. 010
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 15/04/2026Moths have slowed at the moth light with cooler nights than we had during the heat wave, but these are two new species for the yard in Aurora. 010
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 10/04/2026I'm watching a bunch of bug horror movies for a project I'm working on, and I HAVE to share this no-budget gem. Proboscis (2000) was filmed in Minnesota about a giant mosquito. There's an evil corporation called Scrote-tech. Some guy eats poisonous mushrooms and proceeds to fart much of the movie. 100
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 28/03/2026Huge crowds at Denver Summit! No score approaching halftime 051
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 26/03/2026More moths at the moth light yesterday, including this female and male Half-wing Moth (Phigalia titea). I didn't know it got its common name because the female is flightless (?) and has greatly reduced wings. I wasn't even sure it was a moth when it appeared at the light. #invertebrates #moths 040
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 25/03/2026This is probably my most sold nature photo: The endangered Rusty-patched Bumble Bee (Bombus affinis). This one was at Crosby Farm Park in St. Paul, MN. I've seen this species in St. Paul and in Peoria, IL. SE Minnesota and N Illinois are the two places this species still occurs in good numbers. 010
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 24/03/2026I think the Mississippi River bluffs from Minneapolis to Dubuque are an underappreciated landscape. This is right where Iowa and Minnesota meet near New Albin. Taken in May 2019 during the 2019 Mississippi River flood. 031
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 22/03/2026First tiger beetles of the year at Pronghorn Natural Area, Arapahoe County, Colorado. It's not uncommon for these to emerge in early March, so this isn't unusual despite the extreme temperatures we're having lately. #invertebrates 030
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 21/03/2026Moths at the moth light! First moths of the season last night. My best guesses in the alt text. 3/20/26, Aurora. Colo. #invertebrates #moths 020
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 19/03/2026I set up the moth light for the first time this year because of the warm weather, and while there were no moths, there were plenty of arthropods. My best guesses in the comments on each photo. All from my yard in Aurora (Arapahoe County). #invertebrates 1123
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 19/03/2026Tawny Emperor (Asterocampa clyton) along US Highway 61 in Houston County, Minnesota. I'd gotten a call that morning that my dad was dying; I was making the drive home to Peoria. I'd pulled over to phone mom, and it landed on this rock in front of me. Strong memories in this photo. 080
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 18/03/2026Dew-covered spider webs in Grand Marais, MN, from a few springs ago. 040
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 17/03/2026Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) at Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, from when I used to live nearby. I miss water; we don't have much in the high desert. 051
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 15/03/2026I am STILL going through photos from Costa Rica last year, and these are some hummingbirds we saw at the Monteverde Cloud Forest. 010
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 18/02/2026People in Colorado sleep on the eastern plains, but they can be quite dramatic (and species rich!). This is Pronghorn Natural Area just east of Aurora. It's a great place to watch storms rolling off the foothills. 140
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 18/02/2026I just finished this excellent book. If you ever wondered why humans are so afraid and disgusted by insects, this is a fascinating read. It starts with Lockwood's own experiences as an entomologist and his developing a fear of insects. 010
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 17/02/2026One of my favorite observations from 2025. Brachiacantha illustris, a species of spurleg lady beetles. Mine was the first on inaturalist! This one was feeding on aphids on yucca at about 8K ft. Aside from a few species, lady beetles are extremely understudied insects. 171
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 14/02/2026Coccinella difficilis, Satellite Lady Beetle. Uncommon species of the intermountain West. Originally ID'd this one as C. septempunctata. Oops! I saw several of this species at the Cherryvale wetlands in Boulder, CO, in 2022. I've also seen this species at Crested Butte. Just 5 Colorado sightings. 071
Andy Birkey @andybirkey.com · 12/02/2026Yo, check this one out. Probably Trychopeplus laciniatus, a stick insect that evolved to mimic moss. Found it in the cloud forest in Monteverde, Costa Rica. 0102