iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 30/08/2026

Luminescent Panellus (Panellus stipticus), Morris County, NJ #mushrooms #bioluminescent

A group of Luminescent Panellus (Panellus stipticus) mushrooms photographed in the dark. Their gills are glowing green.

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 18/08/2026

from a moth night at Troy Meadows, Parsippany, NJ (held by wildlifepreserves.org) #moths

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 03/08/2026

purple mushrooms, Rockaway, NJ

a purple coral mushroom from the complex Clavaria amethystina

A beautiful purple mushroom called a Viscid Violet Cort (Cortinarius iodes)

Some sort of purple mushroom from the Tylopilus genus, which are boletes. This has a very thick stalk and could be a violet gray bolete but I really don't know.

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 10/05/2026

Fleeting looks at birds who like to skulk: Yellow-breasted Chat and White-eyed Vireo #birds

A White-eyed Vireo perched on a branch. The bird has yellow feathers around its very bright white eye, a yellow wash on its side, two white wingbars, and a gray head and throat.

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 15/03/2026

It's falcon sex season -- we didn't see the male till right before he swooped in and then he was gone in a flash. #PeregrineFalcon #birds

A female Peregrine Falcon perched on a branch looking giant and foreboding. I wouldn't mess with her; would you? She's got some bloody gunk on her bill and she sports leg bands which identify her. She's kind of hunched over and when I took this photo I thought that meant she was getting ready to fly off, but it turns out it meant something else --->

Peregrine Falcons having sex: The female (who is larger) leans forward as the male lands on her for a moment for a cloacal kiss. And then it's done!

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 16/02/2026

Spent some time with cool winter visitors: Purple Sandpipers #birds #PurpleSandpiper

A Purple Sandpiper splashing around in a puddle on a rock.

A Purple Sandpiper standing with the sun at its side looking at the camera. Here some of its feathers look more purple than gray, sort of.

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 09/02/2026

Here's the second half of my hourly comics... (p.13-16) #hourlycomicsday #hourlycomicday #hcd

A black-and-white panel showing a browser folder list; all the folders have a bunch of items and all take up at least a few GB of space. The text reads: 10:00am: Back home. I have old unsorted photos I try to cull...

A black-and-white drawing of a woman in glasses frowning, thinking to herself "Why did I never do this? This is so annoying; these photos all suck."

A black-and-white drawing of a place setting for two; each plate has a poorly-drawn half-burrito and some lumps that I assure you are supposed to be plantains. The text reads: 12:00pm: Lunch: leftover takeout burritos & plantains

A black-and-white drawing of two buckets; there's a hand siphon in one with the hose going into the other. The text reads: Followed by chores. 1. Clean out rock tumbling stuff from the basement sink. One bucket is labeled as slurry water.

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 08/02/2026

I definitely won't post them all today but here are some hourly comics... (of course they start with cats; every day starts with cats) #hourlycomicsday #hourlycomicday #hcd

A black panel with handwritten words saying: hourly comics / February 2, 2026

A black-and-white drawing of a woman in bed with a large tabby cat leaning on her. The cat is licking and kneading her neck. Her eyes are scrunched closed. The accompanying text reads: 3:00am: Milo wakes me up with slobber.

A black-and-white drawing of two cats sleeping. One is small and curled up into a ball and the other is larger and more of a long loaf. The text reads: 4:00am: Everyone goes back to sleep.

A black-and-white drawing of three cats, all eating from separate bowls in a line. There are labels under the cats: the big tabby says Milo; the little gray cat says Mim, and the cow-cat says Astrid. The text reads: 5:00am: Breakfast for the cats...

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 05/01/2026

Here are a couple I like (why's it so hard to get the horns?). Both taken in Liberty State Park, Jersey City.

A Horned Lark in a snowy field, mostly looking towards the camera. You can see a little hint of a horn on one side.

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 04/01/2026

Weekend birds: Blue Jay and Peregrine Falcon (eating a... pigeon?) #birds

An inquisitive-looking Blue Jay perched on a branch on a gray winter day.

Male Peregrine Falcon from a local pair perched on a tree limb on a sunny morning eating a prey item. There's not too much left of it and what can be seen is a pink foot (definitely from a bird) and some whitish-grayish feathers on the leg.

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 29/12/2025

Some highlights from the 90th Boonton Christmas Bird Count #birds

A Barred Owl sits on a branch in a snowy tree with its feathers floofed up. We looked at many clumps of leaves and wasp nests before locating this owl, who was tucked in nicely amongst the trees.

A Great Blue Heron portrait. This bird was right next to a bridge with a nearly-solid fence blocking the view and my lens was too long to fit more of the bird in.

A Bald Eagle perched high in a tree on a snow-covered branch. The eagle is looking down at a flock of Canada Geese (not pictured).

A female Belted Kingfisher paused briefly above a small stream. She sits on a snowy branch, looking down at the water.

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 26/12/2025

From this year's Christmas Bird Count (12/14/2025): Our route is usually nearly all cemeteries with no ponds; this year we covered Lincoln Park in Jersey City and got to see more species than usual; here's a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron hanging out by the edge of a mostly-frozen pond. #birds

A streaky-brown juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron is perched in some phragmites that are covered in snow. The bird has its head turned to the side; its eye is bright orange.

A streaky-brown juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron is perched in some phragmites that are covered in snow at the edge of a mostly-frozen pond. The heron is in a typical hunched position where its neck does not look very long at all; Black-crowned Night Herons are often described as "stocky."

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 12/10/2025

Piping Plover, a little after sunrise, Jersey Shore. It's sporting leg bands, which are difficult to see as the bird's floofed up on a chilly morning #birds #shorebirds #PipingPlover

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 02/08/2025

Milo’s too big for cat beds so we got him a dog bed instead #caturday #catsky #catsofbluesky

A large tabby tux cat is zonked out on a colorfully striped dog bed. The cat has long legs, big ears, and looks very peaceful on his throne.

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 31/07/2025

Seaside Sparrow #birds (Cook's Beach, Cape May County, May 2025)

A Seaside Sparrow perched in reeds, looking to the side. The bird is a drab grayish brown with a bit of yellow in front of its eyes and a brown mustache-like stripe running downwards from its bill, which is large for a sparrow.

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 12/07/2025

anyone who did not say Piping Plover is wrong (or Red Knot, or Sanderling, or Ruddy Turnstone, or... )

Three floofy, unbearably cute Piping Plover chicks huddled together on the beach

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 06/07/2025

Bees in the bee balm (Monarda fistulosa) #nativeplants

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 02/07/2025

In-progress rock tumble; a soothing break from *everything else*

An arrangement of many small smooth rocks on a black background; the rocks are mostly reddish-salmon or gray in color

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 15/06/2025

Gulf coast shells and other beach finds from Captiva, FL

An assortment of colorful shells. I don't know the names of all of them but the assortment includes Atlantic calico scallops, turkey wing ark clam, and cat's paw.

An assortment of colorful shells. I don't know the names of all of them but the assortment includes giant heart cockle, yellow cockle, slipper shell, and calico clam. There are a couple rock-like things too.

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 24/05/2025

A surprise Black-billed Cuckoo seen while kayaking the Rockaway River. I've only seen this species one other time... it did that very cuckoo thing where you've spotted it and it hunches over and just moves a little but somehow disappears completely (what is with them!?) #birds #blackbilledcuckoo

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 14/05/2025

Yellow-breasted Chat, South Cape May Meadows #birds

Warbler-like bird with a yellow breast, olive back, and white spectacles perched at the top of a shrub that is wrapped in vines. Chats were once thought to be warblers but have more recently been classified into their own family.

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 09/05/2025

Fluorescent minerals from Franklin, NJ (ID'd as best I can) #minerals #fluorescent

Photo of a rock taken in the dark using a shortwave (255nm) flashlight. This contains Willemite (green) and calcite (red); I believe the dark parts are Franklinite.

Photo of the previous rock under regular lighting.

Photo of a rock taken in the dark using a shortwave (255nm) flashlight. This contains calcite (red) and Willemite (green); the dark parts may be Franklinite.

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 15/03/2025

Purple Sandpiper, Barnegat Lighthouse State Park #birds

A Purple Sandpiper on a rock looking for food as the ocean water is splashing around it. Some droplets are in front of the bird's face.

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 14/03/2025

It was cloudy but there were some breaks #LunarEclipse

Photo of the mood during a lunar eclipse; the moon looks reddish

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 19/02/2025

Winter falcons: They seem to be eating well (evidenced by full crops and victims' feathers scattered below them). They have some sort of agreement to never sit on the same branch though! #birds

Male and female Peregrine Falcons sitting near one another on winter branches on a sunny day. The male is a bit behind and is out of focus. The female's closer and it's obvious she's much larger. Her feathers are more brown with darker marking. She's looking right at the camera and there's blood on her talons.

Female Peregrine Falcon perched on a branch on an overcast day. She's stretching her wings and her tail feathers are fanned out. She has a full crop (her neck is bulging out) and there's blood smeared on her feathers around her feet and talons. She has a "do not mess with me" face. On the pavement below her (not seen in the photo) there are clumps of feathers scattered around, presumably from her breakfast.

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 17/02/2025

Harbor Seal cuteness, Barnegat Inlet, NJ

A Harbor Seal swimming in an ocean inlet sticking its head out of the water.

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 17/02/2025

The weekend shift: Black Vultures gathered on the roof of a pebbled building in a corporate park #birds

ten black vultures lined up on the roof of a brown pebbled building with no visible windows on an overcast day

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 03/02/2025

I know this is a very early dinner but 1-we are old; 2-lunch was small; 3-this place gets crowded

A black-and-white ink drawing of a woman with glasses crouched over a tabby cat. She's holding the cat by the scruff and is aiming a pill gun towards his mouth. She's saying "I'm sorry!" and the cat is saying "Mrr?" The text reads "Earl gets his medication (steroids and famotidine). He hates it but he can't see it coming so it's over fast." The time is 2:00pm.

A black-and-white ink drawing of a woman wearing glasses on a couch looking at a phone. There's a black-and-white cat under the covers next to her. The text reads "Shower and another peek at the internet. This time I try to limit myself to only looking at other peoples' comics." The time is 3:00pm.

A black-and-white ink drawing of a woman and man sitting at a table eating. The woman says "We need to make garlic mashed potatoes..." and the man answers, "Yeah, these are great!" The text reads "We decide to go out to dinner because it's been months." The time is 4:00pm.

A black-and-white ink drawing of a house that looks like it is being swallowed up by the plants and trees growing around it. The text reads "On the way home, Doug photographs an abandoned house in the swamp." The time is 5:30pm.

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 31/12/2024

They make the best little twinkling sounds as they flutter about eating all the seeds #AmericanTreeSparrow #birds

A round-looking sparrow perched amongst twigs and plants with seeds. The sparrow's bill is black on top and yellow on the bottom. It has a rusty-colored cap and eyeline with a gray front.

A round-looking sparrow perched in a clump of dead flowers with seed heads; the sparrow is tilting its head to one side. The sparrow's bill is black on top and yellow on the bottom. It has a rusty-colored cap and eyeline with a gray front and has a little black smudge in the center of its chest.

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 29/12/2024

A Barred Owl in the swamp. The owl's right eye (not really visible here) appears injured but the owl's been seen around the area for several years--it's amazing what birds can survive. #birds #BarredOwl

A Barred Owl perched on a small tree branch in winter. The owl is brown and grayish-white with dark brown vertical markings on its chest and mottled brown crescents around its face; the owl's shape looks kind of like a football. It has very dark eyes and its head is turned to one side so only one eye can be seen well.

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 16/12/2024

There was a good showing of mockingbirds perched on headstones too #birds #ChristmasBirdCount #CBC

A Northern Mockingbird, a smallish gray bird that looks like it has a it of an attitude, perches on a granite headstone that reads "Lemke"

A Northern Mockingbird, a smallish gray bird, perches on a headstone in a cemetery; other headstones are visible around it.

A Northern Mockingbird, a smallish gray bird, perches on a headstone in a cemetery. It looks like this bird (or another mockingbird) has perched here before because the top of the stone is covered in droppings which appear to be mainly berries. Mockingbirds like to eat berries.

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Shayna Marchese @shaynamarchese.com · 16/12/2024

We also saw three Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, which was just fun #birds #ChristmasBirdCount #CBC

A photo of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, a type of woodpecker, perched vertically on a tree. This one has a white throat indicating it's a female.

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