#BackYardNature

BlueUtah 🇺🇲🇺🇦🇨🇦🇩🇰blueutah.bsky.social@bsky.brid.gy
2026-03-10

March 9, 2026 Canada Geese are back! 🪿 Love watching these two take turns on sentry duty while the other grabs a snack. True partnership goals. I can't help but think he's judging me. #CanadaGeese #BirdWatching #WildlifePhotography #Utah #BackyardNature #BlueUtah

Two Canada geese standing on a grassy lawn in a backyard near a body of water. One goose is bent over, grazing on the grass, while the other stands tall as a sentry, watching the surroundings. The background features large landscape rocks, a wooden walkway, and dormant bushes under bright, clear sunlight.
Chuckling Duckfriesen5000@mstdn.ca
2026-03-08

A relaxing slo-mo video of wasp 'airport' for #SilentSunday. Notice that arrivals and departures are from different gates. #wasp #insects #backyardNature

lone.earth/w/3z6jNRxJCGAVQwxek

Celiceli52
2026-03-07

Quiet morning at the studio window.

Snow still on the ground, chickadees arguing outside, and a little woodland painting slowly coming to life on the desk.

After the surprise Mastodon welcome yesterday, it feels a bit like inviting the whole forest in for . ☕🌲

Back to painting and Thank you all. 🫂




Artist’s desk beside a window looking out onto a snowy wooded backyard. On the desk are watercolor brushes, a mug holding pens and brushes decorated with puffins, a paper towel roll, and a water bottle with stickers. A small watercolor painting in progress shows woodland animals including a squirrel and a chickadee. Outside the window are bare winter trees and snow on the ground.
Celiceli52
2026-03-06

Day 2 on Mastodon:

I don’t fully understand the Fediverse yet, but everyone seems super nice and no one's tried to sell me crypto, so that’s already an improvement over most of the internet. 🔐😅

So, if you like birds, bees, gardens, my quirky art, or quiet backyard moments… we’ll probably get along just fine. 🌿🐦🐝🎨

Hope you're all having a wonderful day ✌🏻






Adorable watercolor illustrated mushroom character sticker with a red and white spotted cap and a shy smiling face. Fingertips hold the sticker in front of a sunlit forest, creating a whimsical woodland feel.Handmade polymer clay pendant shaped like a dark green leaf with delicate veins and a mysterious nature spirits  face subtly emerging from the depths. Garnets and fire opals  are woven with sterling silver wire into two larger spirals, giving the piece a magical forest spirit aesthetic.Handcrafted polymer clay maple leaf with warm copper edges, featuring a woodland tree nymph sleeping on the leaf. The nature-inspired necklace has a 14kt bail with sparking garnets and hangs from a black buna cord with hand crafted 14kt clasp. It evokes a quiet forest floor after rain.Fantasy forest dryad sticker with glowing golden eyes, antler-like branches, and a body formed from leaves and vines. The figure stands on a tree stump with a soft green woodland background, giving the impression of a guardian of the forest.
Celiceli52
2026-03-05

Hi from Rhode Island!

Artist, gardener, and quiet observer of the small world in my backyard.

You’ll usually find me near the feeders or in the garden watching the neighborhood wildlife. Chickadees supervise, the crows recognize me, and in summer
the bees take over the flowers.

I grow vegetables, paint some of the birds I see, and share the little moments happening right outside my door.

Nice to meet you. 🌿🐦🐝

Sticker of my chickadee watercolor placed on a mossy tree stump outdoors, with a forested background. The small bird illustration sits on a branch and blends naturally into the woodland setting.Bright orange tiger lilies blooming in the garden above yellow black-eyed Susans. The lilies are speckled with dark spots and curl outward, standing tall against a soft green woodland background.Cluster of large green tomatoes growing on the vine in my garden, resting in my hand for scale. The plants are lush and leafy, with several smooth tomatoes still ripening.Watercolor painting of two small finches perched on a branch. One bird faces forward with a round, fluffy body while the other looks toward it, both painted in soft natural colors.
Celiceli52
2026-03-05

After last night’s ice storm the sun warmed the trees and the ice began to fall.

It looked like rain, but it was thousands of tiny pieces of ice tinkling through the sunlight.

Nature putting on a little morning show. ❄️🌞

Swiss Army Nerdwesmorgan1
2026-03-05

I'm experimenting with some new kit for my and photographs: a petri dish with white tissue holding the specimen in place while I use my phone to photograph through a magnifying loupe. The second image is a varied carpet beetle (Anthrenus verbasci)...

A petri dish with white tissue (to hold the specimen in place) and an illuminating loupe, through which I'll take pictures with my iPhone.A mottled-brown-and-white varied carpet beetle (Anthrenus verbasci), photographed through an illuminated loupe.
Swiss Army Nerdwesmorgan1
2026-02-24

Here's a 2025 specimen from - the phantom midge (Chaoborus punctipennis). Its larvae are aquatic; adults do not feed and live only long enough to mate and lay eggs. Native to the USA & Canada, it was recently identified as an invasive species in Japan.

A phantom midge (Chaoborus punctipennis).  It's named for the distinctive dots on its legs, wings, and thorax.
2026-02-22

Adorable backyard alert! A squirrel gets playful with a pillow in Squirrel Playing Redux — tiny paws, big personality. Perfect quick mood booster on PeerTube. Watch the silliness and smile! #Animals #Wildlife #Squirrel #Cute #BackyardNature #Nature #PeerTube #English
rrgeorge.video/videos/watch/6a

Swiss Army Nerdwesmorgan1
2026-02-22

Here's an unnamed non-biting midge of family Chironomindae, Xylotopus par. It's the only species of genus Xylotopus found in North America; its larvae mine decaying, waterlogged hardwood in slow-moving streams.

Xylotopus par, a non-biting midge of family Chrionomodae.  They are identified by their distinctive yellow and black markings; they are the only species of genus Xylotopus found in North America.
2026-02-17

Eastern Gray Squirrel

I think it might be one of my favourites.

islandinthenet.com/eastern-gra

Eastern gray squirrel hunched on a bare winter branch in flat grey morning light
Swiss Army Nerdwesmorgan1
2026-02-05

The goldenrod soldier beetle (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus), aka the Pennsylvania leatherwing, is harmless to humans and plants; it's a notable pollinator of goldenrod, asters, milkweed, and other native plants.

The goldenrod soldier beetle (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus), aka the Pennsylvania leatherwing
Swiss Army Nerdwesmorgan1
2026-02-04

Another picture from our trip to Cape Cod, MA last year...this is a red-fringed emerald (Nemoria bistriaria), also known as the two-striped emerald. They're often found in or near woodlands containing oak.

The red-fringed emerald moth (Nemoria bistriaria)
Swiss Army Nerdwesmorgan1
2026-02-02

Today's visitor is a damsel bug, a voracious predator of aphids, caterpillars, and other insects. Several species are found in the eastern US; the grey body suggests that this specimen is Nabis americoferus.

A damsel bug (Nabis americoferus)
Swiss Army Nerdwesmorgan1
2026-01-30

Here's a northern flatid planthopper (Flatormenis proxima), the most abundant flatid in the eastern USA. It's noted for the waxy secretion it leaves behind when feeding (we don't know its purpose) and the 90-degree angle of the rear corner its wings.

The northern flatid planthopper (Flatormenis proxima)
2026-01-10
The garden falls silent.

A few weeks ago, a Sparrowhawk turned our garden upside down in a storm of panic and wings. Yesterday, he returned. This time, there was no chaos — only anticipation. Every bird seemed to know what was coming. Long before I noticed him, the garden emptied itself. Not in panic, but with experience.

Only two House Sparrows (Passer domesticus — Huismus — House Sparrow) made a mistake. They chose low cover beneath the bird feeder house. When the Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus — Sperwer — Eurasian Sparrowhawk) landed on top of it, right above them, they froze. Perfectly still. Camouflage doing what evolution designed it to do.

The garden was silent. Too silent.

The sparrowhawk scanned the area, clearly disappointed. Then the two sparrows shifted… and briefly quarrelled. A fatal error. In a flash of muscle and feathers, the hawk launched himself downward. The sparrows reacted instantly — nimble, desperate, alive. They fled with the hawk right on their tail, vanishing beyond the garden.

I don’t know how it ended. That’s nature.

Predators like the Sparrowhawk don’t hunt for sport. They take what they need, removing weakness and maintaining balance. Without them, ecosystems collapse quietly and invisibly. Watching this unfold from my lunch table was a reminder that even the smallest garden is part of a much larger system.

Photographed handheld with my Canon 5D Mark IV and Sigma 100–400mm at f/6.3, 1/250 sec, ISO 3200 — overcast, calm, and deceptively peaceful.

Nature rarely announces itself loudly. Sometimes, it simply holds its breath.

#AccipiterNisus #Sperwer #EurasianSparrowhawk
#PasserDomesticus #Huismus #HouseSparrow
#BirdPhotography #GardenWildlife #UrbanNature
#NatureObservation #EcologicalBalance #Predation
#WildlifeBehavior #BirdsInTheGarden #NatureStory
#HandheldPhotography #Canon5DMarkIV #Sigma100400
#WinterWildlife #OvercastDays #NaturalSelection
#FoodChain #Ecosystem #BackyardNature
#PixelfedPhotography #WildlifeMoments
Swiss Army Nerdwesmorgan1
2026-01-03

Today's visitor is the faint-spotted palthis moth (Palthis asopialis). They remind me of a delta-wing fighter, like a Dassault Mirage I or Saab Draken...

The faint-spotted palthis moth (Palthis asopialis).  This dark-colored moth is reminiscent of delta-wing fighter jets...The faint-spotted palthis moth (Palthis asopialis).  In this side view, it has the appearance of a dead leaf...
Swiss Army Nerdwesmorgan1
2025-12-31

Here's the rough prominent moth (Nadata gibbosa), aka the white-dotted or tawny prominent. One of only two Nadata species found in the Americas north of Mexico, their Latin name was derived from "gibb", meaning "humped", in reference to their humped thorax.

Swiss Army Nerdwesmorgan1
2025-12-29

Working through the backlog...this tiny specimen is an insidious flower bug (Orius insdiosus), one of 500-600 species in family Anthocoridae. They are voracious eaters of mites, insect larvae, thrips, etc., which make them useful predators.

A insidious flower bug (Orius insidiosus), a voracious predator of mites, thrips, and insect larvaeAn insidious flower bug (Orius insidiosus).  This small black-and-white bug is a voracious predator of mites, thrips, and insect larvae.

Client Info

Server: https://mastodon.social
Version: 2025.07
Repository: https://github.com/cyevgeniy/lmst