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Gwen Pearson

@bug-gwen.bsky.social
9.9K followers 1K following 2.4K posts

Entomologist. Writer. NERD. I am a bug AND a Feature. She/Her gwenpearson.com

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Reposted by Gwen Pearson
Rob Waterhouse @rmwaterhouse.bsky.social · 19h
The ubiquity of insect-vertebrate interactions makes clear that widespread #insect #declines are likely to seriously affect many vertebrate populations www.nature.com/articles/s44... #biodiversity #ecology #InsectDecline
nature.com
The importance of insect biodiversity for vertebrates - Nature Reviews Biodiversity
Changes in insect diversity and abundance can affect vertebrates but understanding these consequences relies on having rich information about vertebrate–insect interactions. This Review summarizes the...
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Prof. Jeff Ollerton @jeffollerton.bsky.social · 23h
Want to conserve #birds, #mammals and other vertebrates? Then don’t forget their #insects. Our new Nature Reviews Biodiversity paper explores the many ways vertebrates depend on insects — for food, shelter, protection and much more. I’ve written about it here: jeffollerton.co.uk/2026/09/30/w...
jeffollerton.co.uk
Want to conserve birds and mammals? Then conserve their insects – our new paper in Nature Reviews Biodiversity sets out the details
It’s sometimes easy to forget quite how much of the living world depends upon insects. That might seem an odd thing for someone who has spent much of his career studying insects and their relations…
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 20h
Fly, Caterpillar, Pear, and Centipede; from 1561. Mira calligraphiae monumenta, by Joris Hoefnagel & Georg Bocskay. Needed a little art this morning, since it's a grey cloudy day.
A page from an old book, with elaborate hand lettered type in Latin. I don't read Latin so no idea what it actually says. There is a beautiful image of a pear with a large black, yellow, and orange hornworm caterpillar on it; the stem has a grey butterfly perched on it. There is a centipede crawling below the pear, and a syrphid fly  above.
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Kat Tenbarge @kattenbarge.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
The way many if not most people respond to women coming forward with sexual assault allegations shows me that they don’t want sexual violence to be exposed. They want victims to be silent. They don’t want to deal with or even have to hear the truth. This is rape culture.
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 21h
I'm a survivor, and sooooo many women I know have stories like mine. It is so common. It starts in middle school, and you never age out. So much anger and grief for all of us.
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Oh dang, another museum closure. I'm just so concerned that all those specimens find a good home. www.kansas.com/news/state/a...
kansas.com
Fort Hays State announces when it will close Sternberg Museum to the public
The decision is part of the university’s efforts to overcome a $2.4 million annual reduction in state funding.
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Butterfly Conservation @savebutterflies.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Spot the moth 🫥 Meet our 'Wonder of the Day', the Merveille du Jour (Dichonia aprilina)! Its pale green colouring and black markings allow it to blend in perfectly with lichens and mosses. 📷: Clive Jones #MothMonday #MothsMatter #TeamMoth
A moth perfectly blended in with pale green lichen on a tree
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The now defunct 2024 Title IX ruling provided significant protections against sexual harassment and assault, as well as protecting LGBTQ+ students in schools. edsource.org/updates/u-s-...
edsource.org
UPDATE: U.S. Department of Education ends Title IX protections for LGBTQ+ students
The latest education news updates from EdSource.
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Reposted by Gwen Pearson
Gray @grays.art · 28/09/2026
Blue-green citrus root weevil (Pachnaeus litus) on Caesarweed bloom (Urena lobata) CREW pen flint strand lake trails Bonita Springs, Florida 9-24-26 #macroMonday #ColorADay #PinkMon #eck #macro #nature #pink #art #macroPhotography #native #beetles #bugsky
Macro of a weevil perched on a light pink wildflower. Viewed from a three-quarter perspective facing downward and toward its left, the insect showcases a smooth, pale pastel mint-green body with a distinct, elongated snout resting directly against a petal. Its pale legs firmly grasp the blossom. To its stage-right extends a long, prominent pink staminal column tipped with a cluster of bright crimson stigmas. To its stage-right, a cluster of tightly closed green and bronze-tipped buds arches upward on a slender green stem. The background is completely dark, and smoothly out of focus.
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This is a super nerdy plug, but I really have enjoyed working for Highlights, and a couple of the magazine covers shown were ones I wrote for! www.cbsnews.com/video/highli...
cbsnews.com
Highlights magazine celebrates 80 years
For decades, children have sent Highlights magazine their drawings, poems, questions and concerns. Now Highlights is turning 80. We took a look back at the beloved magazine's history.
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Entomological Collections Network @entcollnet.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
#SaveTheAcademy Our position in regard to the resolution about the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. This issue deeply affects our community, with many members having visited or worked closely with the academy over the years. We stand with @savetheacademy.bsky.social
The Entomological Collections Network is a society dedicated to uplifting natural history collections around the globe. We are deeply affected by the sudden announcement to close the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University Museum, which is the oldest natural history museum in all the Americas. We stand behind the critical importance of not only safeguarding research collections for scientific use but also making outreach and educational displays that are available to all. At its core, a museum is a bridge to the community connection with the collections. And this connection is perhaps more important now than ever because of the continual threats to biodiversity around the globe and rising documented disconnect between the public and nature. It is through this institution and so many like it that we all can spark wonder and cultivate joy in the natural world, for an untold number of people of all ages and walks of life.Shuttering a museum that provides a tangible connection to the natural world sends a shocking statement about what priorities are being set with regards to education and caring for the community in which we live. Although Drexel has expressed its intention to retain the research collection, it has presented no plan for the monumental task of safely moving their more than 19 million specimens and establishing a suitable facility to house it. As a Society we urge the City of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, and Drexel University to do what is best for the Academy of Natural Sciences’ collections, research, and public museum by exploring any creative avenue to ensure that this center of education and exploration can continue to inspire for generations.
From the Governing Board of the Entomological Collections Network
Isa Betancourt
Patrick Gorring
Adam Haberski
Andrew Johnston
Oliver Keller
Pete Oboyski
Ashleigh Whiffin
Jack Whisenant
Chris Wirth
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Fall is a great time to .... do nothing around the yard and create habitat 🍂🍁🙂
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Martin Harvey @kitenet.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Thrips are tiny creatures that lay very tiny eggs, into which these astonishingly tiny wasps lay their own minuscule eggs. What an amazing form of life 🔬
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
If you aren't in Ohio, you might not know JOBS stands for Jobs Ohio Beverage System (JOBS). They purchase and distribute all booze in the state as a "nonprofit" and turn the profits to .... economic growth? Somehow? 🗑️
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
🚨 JOB ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨 Please share! We're looking for an entomologist to join our dept.! I'm excited as it's broadly advertised to find someone who can build a stellar teaching program w/research on insect ecology. Deadline is tight (end of Oct.). Read more & apply at jobs.ncsu.edu/postings/235...
Flyer that says: 

THE DEPARTMENT OF ENTOMOLOGY
AND PLANT PATHOLOGY

We're hiring!

The Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology is seeking applications for a nine-month, tenure-track Assistant Professor in Insect Ecology (60% teaching/40% research). The position will play a central role in the department’s undergraduate curriculum, including ENT 201: Insects and People, as well as additional undergraduate and graduate courses. The position also provides an opportunity to build a nationally recognized research program in insect ecology, secure external funding, and mentor undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Lead instruction for ENT 201: Insects and People and teach additional courses using effective, technology-enhanced approaches. Mentor undergraduate and graduate students and postdocs.

Establish a nationally recognized, externally funded research program in insect ecology (e.g., behavior, plant–insect interactions, community ecology, conservation, or global change biology). Publish in peer-reviewed journals and engage students in research.

Contribute to departmental, college, and university service, engage with scientific societies, review manuscripts and grant proposals, and participate in outreach.

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

Demonstrated teaching experience at the undergraduate and/or graduate level.

Expertise in one or more areas of insect ecology (e.g., IPM, invasive species, pollination biology, vector ecology, trophic interactions, global change, or molecular/community ecology).

Ph.D. in Entomology or a related field, with a proven publication and funding track record (as PI/Co-PI or lead author).

JOIN OUR TEAM!

For more information and to submit your application, please visit:
https://jobs.ncsu.edu/postings/234875
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Robin Hayward 🌳 🏳️‍⚧️ @canopyrobin.com · 25/09/2026
We're publishing new guidance to support trans people who do fieldwork (any work outside the office)! Now we need your help to get them seen so please share! inclusivefieldwork.leeds.ac.uk/trans/
a cartoon of three fieldworkers. One has a small trans flag. The logos of the university of leeds, research england, and canopy robin are shown, as well as the URL: InclusiveFieldwork (dot) Leeds (dot) AC (dot) UK (slash) trans
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Oh no! Apparently right after being detected in Canada, the Spotted Lanternfly has show up in the EU 😬 phys.org/news/2026-09...
phys.org
Hungary detects invasive spotted lanternfly for the first time in the EU
An invasive insect linked to major agricultural losses in the U.S. has been detected in the European Union for the first time, Hungary's food safety agency said Thursday.
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Oh. Oh dear. But I do love seeing examples of people learning something and not quiiiiite getting it right. 🐝 It happens so often in classrooms.
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Some lovely illustrations for your tea (or coffee) break
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Reposted by Gwen Pearson
Ainsley S @americanbeetles.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
in what unjust world is there Mops mops and Boops boops but no Blaps blaps? Get your act together, tenebrionid systematists
wikipedia's beloved photo of the fish species Boops boops. It is a startled-looking but otherwise unremarkable silver fish.wikipedia's photo for the tenebrionid genus Blaps, but NOT Blaps blaps because there is no Blaps blaps.... YET
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Another flat mantis, since y'all liked the one I posted earlier. This one is more stick-y. www.inaturalist.org/observations...
inaturalist.org
Grass Mantis (Pyrgomantis rhodesica)
Grass Mantis from Bojanala Platinum District Municipality, South Africa on January 30, 2024 at 12:08 PM by Rudolph Steenkamp
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Ooh! @nickybay.bsky.social has posted photos from his joint biodiversity survey in Angola on his site: www.nickybay.com/cassai-life-... Check out this amazing mantis www.flickr.com/photos/nicka...
flickr.com
Grass mantis (Pyrgomantis sp.) - P2092580
www.nickybay.com
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Don Yee @mosquitolab.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
We've long known mosquitoes travel with us including via plane. But infected mosquitoes carrying malarial parasites is a nightmare situation. Going to need to start fumigating. 🦟🦠✈️🧪
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The other fun thing I found today (still have not found the actual think I was originally looking for 🙄) was this spider song, in case you are hanging out with some Kindergartners soon. I feel like it needs a third verse; anyone want to suggest wording? 😀
I Have Two Legs by
Shyamala Shanmugasundaram (Tune: "Are You Sleeping?")

I have two legs. (raise two fingers)
I have two legs. (raise two fingers)
So have you. (turn to the left)
So have you. (turn to the right)

Ants have six legs, (raise six fingers)
Spiders have eight legs, (raise eight fingers)
Did you know? (turn to the left) 
Did you know? (turn to the right)
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
was looking deep in my folders for something I know I saved, somewhere.... and found something else that was pure gold. 😊🥰
A thank you letter from a small kid. It reads: Thank you for letting us hold a caterpillar, a chrysalis, and an tarantula. It was so much fun. I loved Learning with you. Love, Olivia.
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Lex / Cranes @illgottencranes.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Acorn weevil for #SciArtSeptember 14, "crescent". I actually did start this on the 14th so I'm too impatient to wait another day for #WeevilWednesday. 😛 Mixed media experiment (watercolor pastel, colored pencil, & gouache) on paper, ~13x14cm. #SciArt #BugSky #invertebrates #insects #ArtSky
Painting in tones of red, orange, purple, and olive green, depicting a round insect with boots and snoot perched on the curve of an acorn cap.
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Ooh, new bed bug paper out! The title is a mouthful, but found bed bug resurgence likely NOT related to intercontinental travel. Insecticide resistance occurred and spread quickly because of extensive inbreeding. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com
Admixture without recurrent intercontinental gene flow: contrasting patterns of genetic diversity and knockdown resistance profiles reveal independent evolution in resurgent common bed bug populations...
The common bed bug (Cimex lectularius) was largely eliminated from industrialized countries by mid-twentieth century insecticide campaigns including the widespread application of DDT. However, by the ...
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Goodness, so many new folks dropping by (mostly to gripe about Apple OS27 😀). Please have a caterpillar.
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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
I worry that ranchers might be keeping screwworm cases quiet to avoid quarantine, accounting for the apparent slowdown.. Because they are still popping up here and there.
yahoo.com
Screwworm Reappears in New Mexico as Cattle Trade Resumes
A New World screwworm case has been confirmed in a Grant County, N.M. horse just days before the Santa Teresa port is scheduled to reopen. The post Screwworm reappears in New Mexico as cattle trade re...
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Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 20/09/2026
Giving an external committee power to veto research funding because it doesn’t align to a political agenda will not only harm science, it is a threat to democracy.
nytimes.com
White House Moves to Take Control of N.I.H. Grants (Gift Article)
Federal officials are drafting an executive order that would place grants under review by an outside panel, the latest effort to redirect billions of dollars in research spending.
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Entomological Society of America @entsocamerica.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
One telling data point from the study: Only 2.5% of at-risk insects and arachnids have nationwide protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, compared to 27.7% of at-risk birds.
entomologytoday.org
Arthropods Lag Far Behind Other Animals in Conservation Assessment and Protection, Study Shows
Most U.S. insects and arachnids remain unassessed for conservation risk, and even many known at-risk species lack legal protection—a major blind spot in efforts to save vulnerable wildlife.
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Just encouraging all Mac users to contact Apple and tell them it's BS that Siri and Apple intelligence can no longer be fully disabled in the latest update (OS27). Reports vary by device, but between 10G and 30G of AI garbage models downloading. I just wiped and will be staying with 26 for a while 😡
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Stephen Heard @stephenbheard.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
If you want a feel for just how diverse insects are - here's @ceiseman.bsky.social on the 5 different species of tiny moths he found feeding as leafminers in a single leaf. At least one (but probably two or more) is an undescribed species.
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
This middle school science classroom near me needs help buying nitrile gloves to keep kids safe during labs. Can you help out? 🧤🔬
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
New addition to the Lesson Hive: Varroa Mites! An awesome video from @kqedscience.bsky.social that explains why this tiny mite has such a devastating effect on western honeybees. NSFW: contains a bee penis 😀 lessonhive.org/all-inventor...
youtube.com
Varroa Mites Are a Honeybee's 8-Legged Nightmare | Deep Look
YouTube video by Deep Look
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
A new addition to the AI-entomology Vault of Horrors: ....a honey bee? I guess? From a site claiming to be experts on Varroa mites. Unbelievable how many bogus ento-websites have been spun up with AI content and images.
An AI version of a honey bee, which seems to have two heads, two legs, and wings that are oddly rhomboidal. Source is VarroaVault, but don't give those jokers any traffic.
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
New book added to the Lesson Hive! A beautifully illustrated lower elementary book comparing monarchs and mourning cloak butterflies. lessonhive.org/all-inventor...
lessonhive.org
Monarch and Mourning Cloak
This lower-elementary book is structured as an art and science journal, comparing two different butterflies: the monarch and the mourning cloak.
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Related to my post earlier: Full on AI garbage with fake authors with with massive readership. Just gonna lie here on the floor. futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com
How Three Brothers Built an AI Slop Empire by Buying Legitimate News Sites and Turning Them Into Zombie Content Farms That They Say Get 50 Million Page Views per Month
Brown Brothers Media is a media empire raking in millions of clicks with AI, fake writers, and plagiarism.
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Being a freelance writer was already really hard... and now this. 🤬
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Free intro chapter at this link; looks like this will be a fascinating book.
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Nicole Adams SideEye-Photography @blathin384.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
For #WingedWednesday Another one of the Hummingbird Clearwing Bombay Hook NWR #ECK #photography #insects #flowers #nature #moths
Photo of a hummingbird Clearwing, a type of moth, buzzing around a pink thistle blooms against. There's another wilted thistle bloom to the right of the frame, the background is bright green and out of focus.
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
There is a clear reason* I fell in love with Sesiid moths during my PhD. They are spectacular. Is it a wasp? Is it a 80's gal with leg warmers gone wild? Why not both? (*Sesiidae, clear-wing moths)
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neville park @nev.flipping.rocks.ap.brid.gy · 14/09/2026
Took a little detour to some streetside pollinator gardens while running an errand today and was rewarded with SO. MANY. LOCUST. BORERS. 💛🖤💛 #bloomscrolling #bugstodon #insects #beetles #LonghornBeetles #Coleoptera #Cerambycidae
A yellowjacket was…No! It's a beetle! A beetle with an elongated body, black with yellow markings, that make it look like a wasp at first glance, feeding on pollen from aster-ish yellow flowers (idk I'm not a plantologist). It has long red-brown legs and very long red-brown antennae, as befits a member of the longhorn beetle family (Cerambycidae). Its black, oval eyes have "cutouts" around the base of the antennae, like the cursed phone front camera notch.A head-on view of a locust borer feeding on yellow flowers (goldenrod, I think). The thorax has horizontal stripes of almost fur-like yellow scales. The antennae stretch way out to either side.A locust borer stands with its back two pairs of legs on one flower cluster while grasping another with its front legs to feed.Non-macro shot from above of two locust borers on clumps of small yellow flowers. Goldenrod? Asters? Fuck, are goldenrods asters? Oh shit, they are. Fuck.
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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Find the moth.
Photo of rough tree bark
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Y'all, what the *HECK* is going on at WordPress?? Super concerning (I manage 6 nonprofit websites built on WP) (Yes that is my other other job) www.404media.co/automattic-m...
404media.co
Automattic’s Matt Mullenweg Claims He’s Back 'In Control'
Workers at Automattic, which owns WordPress.com and several other platforms, have said the company has endured years of chaotic leadership decisions.
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Dr. Jessica L Ware @jessicalwarelab.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Come work here, it is a fun place and we would love to have you as our colleague: careers.amnh.org/postings/4923 #Lepidoptera #Insect #Entomology #AMNH
careers.amnh.org
Assistant Curator/Assistant Professor, Invertebrate Zoology
The Division of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) seeks an outstanding tenure-track Assistant Curator/Assistant Professor with expertise in the evolution of Lepidop...
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Waterman Conservation Education Center @watermancenter.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
These Beech Blight Aphids (aka "boogie-woogie aphids") rhythmically wave their pom-pom-like waxy exudates when threatened--here from our camera shutters and closer examination 😮 #bugs #aphid #beechtree #insect #macro #macrophotography #naturephotography #invertebrate #bugsky #insectsky #entomology
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Question for Educators: I'm the project manager for the Lesson Hive (lessonhive.org/all-inventor...) a rated database of insect K-12 teaching resources. BUT! We review a lot of stuff that we end up not adding to the inventory. Sometimes it's a great book, but just not enough science: (1/2)
The cover of a book called "Carlito's Butterfly" or La Mariposa De Carlito in Spanish. It shows a brown-skinned boy and girl, Carlito and Sarita, who are looking up at a monarch butterfly and falling autumn leaves.
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Hey Cordeiro @heyacordeiro.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Snowy Geometer moth on a mimosa leaf #ColoraDay #GreenSat #BlueSkyArtShow #Minimal #EastCoastKin #moth #InsectSky #photography #tree #bugsky
A small white moth sits on the green fern-like leaves of a mimosa tree. Close-up
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Christina Evans @christinae.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
White-footed Leafcutter Bee (Megachile albitarsis), waiting for rain to come, on the seed head of button rattlesnakemaster (Eryngium yuccifolium). #InsectThursday #invertebrates #Florida #yard #nativeplants #macro
A square image featuring a White-footed Leafcutter Bee hanging upside down on the right side of a prickly brown seed head of button rattlesnakemaster. The bee has a black abdomen and white fuzzy stripes created by white hairs which are also on his thorax and legs. He has yellow hairs on top of the head area and a light greenish eye and two black antennae. The background is very pale greenish tan colors.
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