iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Happy #nationalmothweek! I will be celebrating in MA on Weds at the Cambridge Moth Ball at Fresh Pond and at the Nature Center in Plymouth! Here are some moths I've seen lately: -Arta Genus snout moth -Sweetfern Underwing moth -Eastern Tent Caterpillar Moth -Dagger Moth

Small brown-purple moth with thin white lines on its wings

Gray moth on a windowsill with striped legs and slight white eyespots

Very fuzzy moth facing the camera. He has long fluffy antenna and big black eyes and looks like a small lion

Gray and light Gray moth with kaleidoscopic patterns on its wings

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

One thing I've learned from paying attention to the bugs is that i will not stop seeing something new. Here are some "lifers" I've added recently: -Wasp, Genus Ectemnius (Somerville, MA) -Springtail, Lepidocyrtus paradoxus (Bethel, VT) -Beggar Moth (Bethel, VT)

A small black and yellow wasp feasting on goldenrod nectar

Iridescent purple and gold springtail, grain of rice sized, with a pointy head and low antennae.

Cream moth with gray spots on a mossy tree trunk

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Reposted by Kate Bugstrop

Will Quinn @willquinnart.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Daily bunny no.3383 is a friend of the devil

A bunny in a suit offers deviled eggs to a devil bunny, with red fur and horns, at an ominous-looking gate in a cave underground. torches light the cave, and the devil bunny holds up one of the deviled eggs eagerly

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Introduce yourself with 10 bands/musicians you've seen live: Courtney Barnett Metric AURORA They Might Be Giants CHVRCHES Sylvan Esso Weird Al Ben Folds Five Barenaked Ladies Indigo Girls (like 4 times?)

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Do you want bug facts, nature pics like the click beetle below, and an update on what I'm making and where I'm tabling approximately every month? Sign up for the Creature Chronicle! New issue drops this weekend! mailchi.mp/146aab4b7d4a...

Close-up of a 2cm-long click beetle on a fence post, from the side. In-frame is its head, one eye, thorax, and half of its abdomen. You can also see its little mouthparts below its segmented antennae, which look kind of like a tiny beak.

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

A few tidbits from the last week: -Phone call doodle of a warbler -Flea beetle -Leafroller caterpillar (maybe Geometerodae) The bugs are good! #letsgobugging #beetle #caterpillar #doodle #bird #bugs

Black line drawing of a cartoon warbler with wide, empty-brain eyes. Caption is gasp! A perfect warbler! Bubble lettering above says get curious.

Small (fingernail length) flea beetle on a leaf. It's iridescent green with orange legs and antennae.

Two young leaves pulled apart to reveal a tiny green leaf-roller caterpillar who was hiding between them.

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Reposted by Kate Bugstrop

weird medieval guys @weirdmedieval.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

playing a little tune

a medieval drawing of a dandily dressed centaur with a face on his butt, playing a lute

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Excited for the @inaturalist.bsky.social #citynaturechallenge this weekend! If you live in a city of any size, feel free to join! There are also specific project pages for some bigger cities, like Boston and New York. www.inaturalist.org/pages/cityna...

A whiteish-yellow butterfly, zoomed into the middle of the photo so you can see the details of faint black spots on its wings and its cute fuzzy body and compound eyes, and thin antennae that have little bulbs on the end of them. It's a cabbage white butterfly!

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

How I know it's spring: 1. Buds 2. Sneezing randomly 3. There's that one robin who's like, "Eff this early bird shit, Imma get that worm before it even goes to bed" at 2:30am.

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

Thanks to @massmice.bsky.social for welcoming me this year! Was super nervous but pulled off my first story comic just in time! Thanks also to everyone who took home some creatures, left me a Doodlebug, and chatted bugs and birds. Love my nature nerds! #indiecomics #naturecomics #bugart #insectart

I'm standing behind my table of zines,a comic,a box of buttons,and a stand display of stickers. I'm a light skinned person with a curly pink short haircut and shaved sides. I'm wearing a button down short-sleeved shirt and have rainbow glasses.

A stack of my story comic called Eat at Lu's, which has a cartoon weevil holding a food tray above her head with the top of a flower on it, face-up. She's waving. She's also holding a notepad.

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

Saw my first jumping spider of the year yesterday! This little shy baby let me get a few photos before hiding back in the fence post. Possibly Genus Pseudeuophrys. #invertfest #salticidae #jumpingspider #arachnerd

Small brown and tan jumping spider viewed from the top

Small brown and tan jumping spider from a three-quarter front view. He's sitting in a crevice in a fencepost.

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

Hey hey it's a fuzzy bee day! Here are some bumblebees to kick off #invertfest!

Big fuzzy bumblebee in a light purple azalea flower, side view

Big fuzzy bumblebee in a light purple azalea flower, top view

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

Imma need to pet one of these immediately

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

I need to try this. Except imma try to pretend to be a potato.

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Asking the really important questions today: if you are a "giraffic designer" do you: A. Design giraffes B. Design FOR giraffes C. ARE a giraffe, and a designer #showerthoughts #graphicdesign #giraffes #wordplay #poll

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Reposted by Kate Bugstrop

Isopod Fan Account @bedupolker.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

Radiodont head

An anomalocaris, a shrimp-like prehistoric creature with prominent claws and stalk eyes, depicted here with cartoonishly sad watery eyes, next to text "I'm a creep." Directly below it is the same anomalocaris singing its heart out. Text, "I'm a weirdo!"

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

Overhearing people at the salon talking about figs. Must resist talking about fig wasps. Must resist. #bugnerd #figwasps #wasps #insects

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

I like to reflect on the world, much like this bear. #pun

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

Hello new friends and old friends! If you like getting email about art and bugs and other nature stuff, maybe you would like mine! mailchi.mp/146aab4b7d4a... #emailnewsletter #artist #bugnerd #birdnerd

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

Self care advice from this bug

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Reposted by Kate Bugstrop

Kathleen Cottontail 🏳️‍⚧️♿️🖖🏻🐰 @kathleengmaz.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

Because they still have Black History Month in the Federation.

A painting of the many black characters and actors featured in Star Trek over the years

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

Hourly comics day is here!!!! Will be posting in this thread. #hourlycomicsday #hourlycomicsday2025 #hourlycomics 🧵

Caption: 9:30am Do I draw a variation of this every year?
Black and white digital sketch of Puck, my black cat, with his paw on my cereal bowl. Sketch of me with short curly mohawk and roundish glasses wearing a hoodie, holding cereal bowl with one hand and spoon in other. Speech bubble from Puck says Dis... Dis for me? Speech bubble from me says No.

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

Tomorrow is one of my favorite days of the year: #hourlycomicsday! I'll be posting here in a thread. Excited to see who else here participates! #hourlycomics #hourlycomicsday2025

A black and white pen and ink cartoon drawing of my head and neck - I have a round head, side curly mohawk, roundish big glasses and a massive open-mouthed smile. Above me in a speech bubble: OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG. I have a hand over a banner that reads HOURLY COMICS and 2025 is written below the banner.
The sketchbook is resting on a blanket cropped out of frame but also at the bottom of the sketch rests the pencil and pen I did it with.
I am not excited or anything.

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Me: I don't FEEL the H in ADHD, though. My repetitively-stressed wrists, elbows, and shoulders staring at the pile of origami stars I decided to learn to make at midnight: You sure about that, champ? #selfdiagnosed #justletmework #selfcareishard #artist #chronicpain #donttellmypt

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Look at the majesty of these toes, friends. LADY BEETLE TOES.

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Fun news! If you join my Patreon you're in the Creature Crew (and can do so for no dollars down, no dollars a month, but I also will take dollars in exchange for more art). www.patreon.com/posts/join-c...

patreon.com

Join the Creature Crew! | Kate Estrop

Get more from Kate Estrop on Patreon

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

My first but definitely not last False Knees reposts! One of my favorite artists and inspirations.

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Reposted by Kate Bugstrop

Rosemary Mosco @rosemarymosco.com · 24/01/2025

Nature is beautiful

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

Check out these buggy Valentines that come with facts on how to help them out!!! Love them!

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Trying out new acrylic markers with some colorful pigeons and reminding myself that I need to make more time for play! #pigeons #pigeonart #animalart #birdart

Acrylic markers on a desk, on top is a picture done with acrylic markers of cartoony colorful pigeons. Between the pigeons are bread products. In the corner it says pigeons, my loves.

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

Due to this pattern on my CV, I'm due for another certification this year! What takes less than a year to get that I should clearly do? Wrong answers preferred ;) #lifelonglearning #updatingmyresume #adultlearner #wronganswersonly

The education portion of my CV, which shows the following:
Education
Mass. College of Art and Design
Certificate in Graphic Design, 2020
Lesley Univeristy
MFA in Creative Writing, 2010
Denison University
BA in Creative Writing, 2005

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

This has been a greeting card for two years (but FOR WHAT OCCASION???) and I finally gave the dumpster a setting to make it prints. Tag yourself! I'm the rat with the pepper. #dontbesuspicious #pigeons #rat #raccoons #animalart

Cartoony style animal scene! A dumpster against a dirty brick wall. Half the dumpster is closed and on top sits a mostly empty pizza box. In front of the box stands a shocked looking rat with a slice of green pepper. Next to the box lounges a very stuffed looking raccoon, staring into the void. Out of the open half of the dumpster comes another raccoon, holding a piece of pizza. A third raccoon's bottom half can be seen flailing upside down from a pile of trash bags behind it.
In front of the dumpster, two pigeons peck at pizza toppings. Everyone looks shocked.
Graffiti on the dumpster says Don't Be Suspicious!

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

During two 6-hour drives this holiday season, Dad and I counted hawks. 19 total in three days, noted between naps. I also identified some kind of woodpecker, lots of pigeons and starlings, and several smaller raptors as we sped by. #birder #birdnerd #birdcomic #comic #naturecomic

A six-panel black and white comic.
Panel 1: Spans the top of the page, shows a flat midwestern rural landscape of trees in the background, fields and a shed in the middle ground, and one leafless tree and a fence in the foreground. A red-tailed hawk sits on one of the fence posts. Off to the side comes a speech bubble: ONE!
Panel 2: A square panel of houses silhouetting the background. In the middle ground is a leafless tree with a red-tailed hawk sitting in one of the middle branches. One of the branches hangs over a wall, which is in the foreground. This is the kind of wall that divides neighborhoods from the sound of the highway. The speech bubble coming from off to the side says Two!
Panel 3: In the background, mostly sky with whispy clouds. We see the tops of leafless and evergreen trees at the bottom of the panel. In the middle of the panel, a soaring hawk. The speech off the side says Seven!
Panel 4: In the background, a leafless tree and a hawk swooping from one branch to another. In the middle ground, a sign that partially says "Rest area" with a sign pointing to the left. In the foreground, two figures, talking. Me, with a short mohawk up in a bun and dark jacket, faces away toward the tree and points. The other figure, Dad, Looks toward me. He has darker short hair and wears glasses and a light colored hoodie. I say, "Nine!" he says, "How did you see that?" I reply, "It moved!"
Panel 5: A sky starting to darken with a few stars. Background trees, farther away now. A darkening field. A closer-up fencepost, on it sitting a closer-up hawk more in detail. Eleven! I shout.
Panel 6: In the background, only gray sky. The underside of a hawk takes up almost the whole panel. It's starting to pass over behind a building. Off-panel, I say, "Eighteen!" and Dad says, "Wow that one was flying low!"

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

How long til moths wake up just a little longer right? 🥺

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 25/12/2024

It's finally time to open the 24th little door of our #ArtAdventCalendar! Behind it comes bounding out a baby goat, excited to wish you SEASONS BLEATINGS! #goat #babygoat #greetingcarddesign #animalart

illustration for a holiday card. At the top is a red ribbon with the words seasons bleatings in it. Below that is a baby goat mid-leap, eyes closed and mouth open in a joyful expression, with a wreath around his head.

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

2 pieces of bird art for days 22 and 23 of #ArtAdventCalendar! The warblers played their northeastern US tour this summer, it was great so I had to draw them a show poster (art featured in one of my bird zines). Also a parrot I made my dad a few years ago.

A digital drawing of three cartoony migratory birds - warblers - playing in a rock band. The black and white warbler spins his drumsticks behind a drum kit with The Warblers on the bass drum. On the bass guitar is the yellow rumped warbler. Singing at a microphone is the yellow warbler. Labels with their names are next to their heads.

A vector, flat-style illustration of a scarlet macae sitting on a branch. Around it are blue and green jungle plants. The print is matted with bright red in a bright blue frame.

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 22/12/2024

Some suspicious looking characters for #ArtAdventCalendar day 21! More 2-charm shrinky dink earrings. Love making these even though they take forever and haven't sold as much. #handmadejewelry #poscamarkers #uvresin #shrinkydinks

A pair of dangly earrings on a light wood desktop. The top charms are cartoony raccoons, mostly heads with arms coming out the bottom. The raccoon's hands are connected to another earring charm, a half-eaten piece of pizza. Next to the earrings partially cropped out are a blue posca acrylic marker and a pair of tweezers.

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 21/12/2024

The 20th tiny door opens for #ArtAdventCalendar to give you a... Tomato Wombat! Or Wombato! They have square seeds. #animalmashup #wombat #tomato

A digital painting of a wombat made out of tomatoes. Or, more accurately, some wombat-shaped tomatoes. In green and white lettering behind it says Wombato

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

#ArtAdventCalendar day 19, sketch I did for my mom years ago, based on a photo of me in the Boston Public Gardens long before I lived here. (In the area, not in the Gardens.) I checked the other day and the ducks are all wearing winter hats and scarves to stay warm! #makewayforducklings #boston

Pencil sketch cutout on a piece of textured blue cardstock. Sketch is of me at about 7, awkwardly bending to hug a bronze mallard duck statue. I have shoulder length hair which is covering the ducks head. Behind the mama duck are 5 baby ducks visible.

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Reposted by Kate Bugstrop

Nadin Thomson @nadinthomson.co.uk · 18/12/2024

Took this in Tenerife a few years go during sailing holiday. The reflections of the other boats in the harbour were mesmerizing. #Reflections #water #artadventcalendar #ocean #seascape

Water ripples in the harbour. The turquoise blue water has white and gold outlines - reflections from nearby yachts. It's a pattern of irregular shapes and circles.

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Reposted by Kate Bugstrop

Anna Camilla Larsson @annalarssonstudio.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

Fall and winter bring wilted flowers with beautiful, contorted shapes. This is a painting of two zinnias I did a few years ago. #ArtAdventCalendar - Day 18. #art #watercolors #painting #flowers #zinnia

Two zinnias drawn in detail. Watercolor background in blue with some pinks and yellows.

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Reposted by Kate Bugstrop

Melissa Paints @melissavandiver.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

First cat on the moon. A historically accurate record of one of our country's finest moments. Acrylic on 18x24" canvas. #ArtAdventCalendar, Day 18. mvandiver-art.com/work #art #cats #space #catsofbluesky #moon #lunar

A painting of a cat in a space suit, with the surface of the moon and an American flag in the background. By New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver.

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Kate Bugstrop @ilikebugs.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

I love random drawing prompts so have made several large wheels on spinthewheel.io. This morning I made a vegetable wheel to go along with my animal wheel, which spawned today’s #ArtAdventCalendar post: Turnip the Bass! #animalmashup #turnip #bassfish #drawingprompt

A digital illustration of a bass fish mashed up with a turnip. It’s shaped like a bass jumping with its mouth open but its body is the pink and white color of a turnip, with turnip leaves for its fins. Behind the fish are the words turnip the bass.

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