iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

D. Allan Drummond @dadrummond.art · 23/09/2026

“Mom, there’s a monster under the bed!” 😳 “Don’t be silly, go to sleep” 😱

A bunch of brilliant orange baby milkweed bugs snuggle on an old milkweed pod mattress. Below them, a large black jumping spider (Phidippus audax male) lies in wait.

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Reposted by D. Allan Drummond

でんか @k-hermit.com · 22/09/2026

ヤドカリがアイデンティティを取り戻した

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Reposted by D. Allan Drummond

Astral Bollshit @tinyarms-tinyart.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I read this too early and went, "Wait, what did I do??" Oh well, at least I'm gorgeous 💅🏼

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D. Allan Drummond @dadrummond.art · 16/09/2026

Aster murderess is still at it. And still gorgeous, heaven help me. Her night eyes are just turning on here 👽 #bugsky

A female Chinese mantid, looking at the camera from close-up, against a background of purple asters. One purple aster flower covers her raptorial forelegs. Her eyes are slightly darker than her brown body.

Full view of the mantis in her purple aster killing field.

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Reposted by D. Allan Drummond

The Onion @theonion.com · 15/09/2026

Virtuoso Grasshopper Absolutely Wailing On Leg

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Get To Know Nature @gettoknownature.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on some Ironweed in the garden #invertebrates 🌿 #BugSky #NativePlants

A large black and yellow butterfly stands on top of a cluster of rule flowers, its proboscis down into one of them to suck up nectar.

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D. Allan Drummond @dadrummond.art · 14/09/2026

FOUR monarch caterpillars on ONE milkweed plant today in the main quad at the University of Chicago! 🐛🐛🐛🐛 #bugsky

A milkweed plant in a planted flower bed showing signs of caterpillar damage. Four small monarch caterpillars can be seen on the leaves. Go little ones!

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D. Allan Drummond @dadrummond.art · 13/09/2026

Busted this criminal on the asters, which are sensational, thank you

A female Tenodera sinensis mantid looking at me from her perch on a large cluster of purple aster blossoms. She is trying to hide the bee head in her right foreleg’s grasp.

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Reposted by D. Allan Drummond

Marburymoths @marburybirds.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Oh my. This Clouded Yellow has just let me photograph it on my phone. Just look at the colour of its eye 😁 So glad this beautiful butterflies have turned up on patch this year.

Close up of a Clouded Yellow butterfly with its striking green eye

Close up of a Clouded Yellow butterfly with its striking green eyes

Clouded Yellow butterfly in the dewy grass

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Reposted by D. Allan Drummond

Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Polyrhachis trapezoidea here to teach you geometry with its thorax.

Macro photograph of a golden spiny ant walking towards us on a pure white background.

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Natee (they/them) @himmapaan.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I've been seized with an urge to draw barnacle geese after seeing The Wild Robot (which I enjoyed very much), and remembered that I drew this in 2014 after seeing a documentary about how barnacle goslings have to simply hurl themselves off their cliff nests to join their parents at ground level.

Single-panel comic drawn in black ink of a pair of barnacle goose parents at the bottom of a cliff, regarding their dazed and confused gosling, who looks up at them with a plaintive 'why??'

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Reposted by D. Allan Drummond

franz @franzanth.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

I don't think I've ever posted these posters together as a set, so here's a first. Wonders of the Deep series, commissioned by the International Seabed Authority between 2020-2022 to celebrate the fragile biodiversity of deep sea. Not for sale. #Art #SciArt

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D. Allan Drummond @dadrummond.art · 10/09/2026

Native mantises! 👽 Went out looking for cicadas, and instead saw my very first non-invasive mantis (the Carolina mantis, Stagmomantis carolinensis, the only mantis native to Illinois)...as a mating pair! 😍 Only had my phone, but here's our couple. Total delight. Good luck, kids... #bugsky

A pair of mating Stagmomantis carolina, the only mantis native to Illinois. The female is about twice the weight of the male, robust and highly camouflaged, brown with spots and a few muted stripes. The male, mounting her, is smaller, with dark brown-black wings and bright green legs. They blend into the tree bark they're on very well.

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Drummond Lab @drummondlab.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

We are hiring! 🌟 Dept of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Chicago is searching for a tenure-track assistant professor. It's a broad search: we want great colleagues doing serious biological work at the molecular scale. Join us! apply.interfolio.com/191981 bcmb.uchicago.edu

A picture of the University of Chicago campus, with downtown Chicago in the distance and Lake Michigan on the horizon. The campus's central quad is pictured, a classical collegiate quad with paths and old trees and stone architecture. It's really pretty and I love it.

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Reposted by D. Allan Drummond

franz @franzanth.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

How upset would people be if I revive this series without the BG colors? People told me the colors set them apart from the usual muted/beige posters. I wanted each one to have its own identity but tbh I ran out of colors lol. Anyway, buyables: redbubble.com/people/franzanth #Art #SciArt

A collage of 9 scientific illustration posters, each one featuring a different group of animals. The groups featured are ostracoderm fishes, nudibranchs, echinoderms, cephalopods, ediacaran biota, trilobites, jellies, spiders, and crabs. the background of each poster is notably saturated with dark vignette in the corners.

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Nicky Bay @nickybay.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Sunny-side-up! Cyrtophora cylindroides

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Matt Tighe @mktighewrites.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

these guys move like they’re in the middle of the worst hangover of their lives

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Reposted by D. Allan Drummond

Des Walsh @deswalsh.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Always remember artists you can reshare your older posts going back week, months even years old if your proud of the work and give it a chance at a second life on the timeline. Much less stressful than trying to show only what’s new.

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Danae Wolfe | Chasing Bugs @chasingbugs.com · 06/09/2026

Just bumbling around.

Pollen-covered bumble bee on purple coneflower.

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Louise Ince @louise-ince.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

I love reading about new #circadian things! Found this paper on rhythmic eye colour, ERG, and behaviour in these cool critters too: journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/... Bonus! We had a praying mantis visit our window last week 🤩

Picture taken from inside a house, looking out into a small garden. There is a praying mantis sitting on the window frame, just minding his own business.

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D. Allan Drummond @dadrummond.art · 04/09/2026

Night eyes 😎 Finally got proper pictures of this amazing phenomenon! Mantises change their eye color (and light sensitivity) at night by transporting pigments from the surface of each compound eye unit toward the deeper eye region. Same female Tenodera sinensis, two different times. #bugsky

A female Tenodera sinensis mantis with dark black eyes against a light background, seen from very close up.

A female Tenodera sinensis mantis with green/brown eyes against a light background, seen from very close up to show the details of her face. The pseudopupil is clearly visible on her left eye, facing the camera.

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Cri 🕊🐝🐜📝🎭⚽😷 @crawlieswithcri.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Because I had to drag a ladder out onto the porch - took me a while to get around to pics (there are three males on the nest at this point!) but love this nest of Western Paper Wasps (Mischocyttarus flavitarsis) First time I've seen a queen reuse an old nest (more than one season old too!) #inverts

macro photo of a western paper wasp nest with three male and three or four female wasps on it. Most of the cells are empty.

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D. Allan Drummond @dadrummond.art · 01/09/2026

Mantis mouthparts are just way more complicated than their 👽 face would have you believe 😳 (Tenodera sinensis, female) #bugsky

Macro closeup of a Chinese mantis female from just underneath and behind her head, showing all her layered mouthparts

Another shot of the mantis, lengthwise, to show details on her body. Mottled spots and leaflike veins everywhere.

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Reposted by D. Allan Drummond

Jo Wolfe, PhD @jopabinia.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

My final #InverteFest for this round is the fossil trilobites (Eldredgeops rana) and horn coral that @thomashegna.bsky.social gave me. They are Devonian (~380 million years ago) from upstate NY 🧪 Look at the schizochroal eye facets (unique to phacopid trilobites)! www.trilobites.info/eyes.htm

Photo of whole fossil with 1/2 Swiss franc as scale (I guess the last time I used cash was 2 years ago). The slab is about 10cm. Contains 2 fairly complete and 2 incomplete trilobites, and 1 horn coral at the top

Zoom in on the trilobites. The main one is fairly complete, with nice eyes, but the cephalon, thorax, and pygidium are each slightly disarticulated. The cephalon is round/trapezoid and covered in small bumps

Side close up of the cephalon and eyes, which have preserved the schizochroal eye facets that are almost 400 Myr old

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Reposted by D. Allan Drummond

Allison 美林 Chin @allisonchinart.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Lanternfish layers & details

1. The first layer of lanternfish blocked in

2. The first two layers of lanternfish are added on top. One layer is light and another is dark to start getting a feel for a shimmery baitball overall.

3. The lanternfish in the distance are added in, and basic features like eyes and fins are painted on every fish. Each layer of lanternfish has it's own color gradients applied to add a sense of dimension and shimmer to the baitball.

4. The details of the lanternfish are filled in.

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Reposted by D. Allan Drummond

franz @franzanth.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

We present: The Art of #InverteFest - August 2026 Edition A digital art book showcasing the work of 100 artists, in celebration of overlooked invertebrate fauna. Thank you to the artists who contributed to our book! Download & submit to the next edition: invertefest.com/#artbook #Art #SciArt

a promo image showing various pages from the book, each page showcasing different animals like a mantis, trilobite, cephalopod, beetle grub, tick, among others. the art featured shows a range of different medium, including 3D, paper cutout, pixel art, and so on.

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D. Allan Drummond @dadrummond.art · 01/09/2026

Last call for #InverteFest: a final shot of this old beauty, down a leg and an antenna but still translucently stunning 🤩 (Scudderia furcata katydid, female)

Macro photo of a fork-tailed bush katydid from the side against a black background. Her light green exoskeleton looks like textured glass, revealing anatomical details beneath it. Her pseudopupil gives the appearance that she’s bee startled.

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nico @nicodelort.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

compilation of favorite video game locations pieces I've made over the years - all 5x7" ink on claybord I think i started during first lockdown in 2020 with the Secret of Mana piece (non-exhaustive cause carousels are limited to 10)

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Reposted by D. Allan Drummond

Gil Wizen @wizentrop.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

This cutie patootie was one of the highlights on my recent visit to Ecuador. This little guy is a nymph of the beautiful cockroach Rochaina metae. While the adults are brightly colored and flat, the round-bodied nymphs are adorable, running around charismatically on their short legs.

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Tam||maT @tamvmat.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

And lastly, #InverteFest 7 A conspicuous chiton #invertebrates #mollusk #chiton #inkart

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D. Allan Drummond @dadrummond.art · 31/08/2026

Otherworldly alfalfa plant bug (Adelphocoris lineolatus) for the last day of #InverteFest 👽

Alfalfa plant bug (Adelphocoris lineolatus) facing the camera. The bug is pale shades of green and yellow with white eyes. It’s sitting on a leaf.

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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

"OK players, your category today is: MOSS" . . . "Players? Players, where are you?" 😂 Costa Rica 🇨🇷

A stick insect with flattened legs and mossy texture rests on a branch that's covered in moss and lichens.

A mossy katydid with spiky projections and rough texture looks to be laying eggs in a twig.

A block-headed anole with a mottled gree and brown color hugs a twig that's also mottled in similar colors.

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Reposted by D. Allan Drummond

Terry & Judy Wood @tandjwood.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

New for us and the 5th species of cricket in the garden - this male Southern Oak Bush Cricket (Meconema meridionale) found indoors on the 24th Aug and a female on the 17th. Looks as surprised as we were!🦗 @vc40orthops.bsky.social

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Reposted by D. Allan Drummond

Bernoid @bernoid.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Handmade butterfly card sets & signed prints now available to buy at my new Etsy shop! This is my first stab at selling on Etsy, so I'll probably make some mistakes... but I shall do my best! 🦋 www.etsy.com/listing/4565... www.etsy.com/listing/4565...

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Thomas B. @thomasbern.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Als Pseudopupille wird ein Effekt bei Facettenaugen bezeichnet, der Ommatidien (Einzelaugen) schwarz erscheinen lässt und somit den Eindruck einer Pupille erweckt. Die schwarzen Flecken entstehen dort, wo Licht senkrecht auf parallel liegende Ommatidiengruppen trifft und absorbiert wird.

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Reposted by D. Allan Drummond

Gen Conway @trigonotarbida.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Close up oil painting of a scorpion's mouthparts #scorpion #arachnid #chelicerate

Oil painting showing a close up of an orange scorpion's chelicerae, and some of the rest of the head including one ocelli and start of the pedipalps (trochanter and a bit of femur)

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Reposted by D. Allan Drummond

Evelyndroid's Aperture Science and Bugge-Finding 🏳️‍⚧️🕷️ @apsciencebylyn.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Condylostylus mundus appreciation post (they're all over our yard now 💙) #InverteFest

Brilliant purple-ish blue long-legged fly, chilling on a leaf

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Reposted by D. Allan Drummond

David Clark @clarkeocrinus.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I got a few close pics of our visitor today too.

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D. Allan Drummond @dadrummond.art · 28/08/2026

Leathery lady looking lethal. 😳 A female Tenodera sinensis mantis giving me the (pseudo-)eye as I photographed her up close. Love the texture on her skin, which looks more like kid leather than anything else. #InverteFest #bugsky

Closeup of the face of a mantis. Her pseudopupils make her look a bit angry and a bit crosseyed. The photo has a high level of detail, allowing you to see the small ripples and textures on her exoskeleton. Her front legs are stretched out straight.

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Jitte @jittebug.nl · 25/08/2026

"Noot noot" #Invertefest

A colorful fly with a weird black-and-white pattern on its wings and abdomen. Its mouthparts are extended like the claymation Pingu character (which commonly says "noot noot")

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Reposted by D. Allan Drummond

Tam||maT @tamvmat.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I almost forgot about #InverteFest !! Here's a drawing for today - Long Horned Or Weaver Suggestion from a friend because my brain wasn't working today haha #inkdrawing #invertebrates #inverts #spiders

A black ink drawing of a long horned orbweaver spider

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Reposted by D. Allan Drummond

Saimi Hanma ⚔️ サイミ @saimihanma.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

For anyone new to #InverteFest, it's easy to participate! All you have to do is post about any invertebrates, real or imagined. You can make art, write songs or poems, share facts, go take photos of bugs where you live, or anything else buggy! More info: saimihanma.com/invertefest/

a collage of three inverts, one is blue and is a hooded nudibranch, which is long with a hood for a head, one is a pink crab and the third is yellow and looks like a daisy

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