Missouri. We named him Harold (the spider) does anyone know what kind of spider Harold is?

as i’m posting this one is hovering over my shoulder. i think they want to see how they look on video

This is a new one on me, although it's supposedly native to the state where I've lived all my life. Shown sitting bold as brass on a peony leaf

I realize that praying mantises can be a mixed blessing since they'll take down friends like pollinators, ladybugs and what not. However, given the spotted lanternfly infestation in my neck of the woods, I'd say this fella is out here doing the lord's work.

I hadn't realized the music I was listening to would be audible in the video but find the well-timed Avett Brothers lyric mildly hilarious: "Love has been waiting, patient and kind..." Certainly this praying mantis is patient, waiting to strike but kind? Lol...no.

Eastern gray skwerl making off with one of the 768,513 black walnuts dropped on the lawn during a wild storm a couple of nights ago. It sounded as if every one of the nuts, still in their husks at this time of year, was slammed into the Dumpster at least once that night at what seemed like about 55 mph. It was hard to even walk the next day without wiping out, because green beisbols were under your feet every couple of steps. This guy and his friends -- pine skwerls, red skwerls, an army of chipmunks -- were marching out there in formation collecting them all. There are hardly any left today. I found a set of conjoined-twin walnuts today and set them on the stoop while I got my camera. It was already gone when I got back.

A Hornworm covered with wasp eggs, and a Black Swallowtail eating on one of my dill plants.

Maybe a month after I set in some butterfly weed out front, this is what I found! I thought it was too late in the year to even hope for monarchs. They were all busily chewing the leaves off the plants after a wild storm that should have blown them miles away from home. This is so cool!

This looks more like the species named in the post heading than anything else I could find. Common name is Basket Cocoon Wasp. Tiny quarter-inch pupa dangling from a silk thread a couple of inches long. If I'm correct this is a parasitoid wasp. The larvae eat caterpillars and the adults sip honeydew...

Many gardeners work hard to maintain clean, tidy environments ... which is the exact opposite of what wildlife wants, says ecological horticulturist Rebecca McMackin. She shows the beauty of letting your garden run wild, surveying the success she's had increasing biodiversity even in the middle of New York City — and offers tips for cultivating a garden that can be home to birds, bees, butterflies and more.

My front yard is almost perfect. I need a small pond for the birds, insects and frogs (my secret desire for turtles).

Heres a picture of the birds i feed. They're all little peeps, amd ill get Cardinals and grackles sometimes, but mostly just these little guys.

trimming sunflowers for weight management and popped them right in last years stalks.

He is so cute we made the mistake of naming him “Augusto”

But on the other hand, look at all these seed pods!

Weekly weekend chat over the virtual garden fence; talk about what's happening in your garden, and ask quick questions that may not require their own thread.

Went to water my garden bed and saw these two lumps one bigger than the other, after I poured water over them the substance washed out revealing maybe a piece of charcoal? A rock? I didn’t dare touch it, I do see a lot of bees and butterflies hovering over my bed throughout the day.

We live in an old farmhouse in France. Thick stone walls for the most part. But above our upstairs bedroom there are beams and wall board.

Well, someone has moved in, and he sounds much bigger than a mouse or a Loir.

We’re trying to figure out where he (or her) is getting in. We don’t want to kill or use poison, the last thing we need is a rotting carcass in our walls.

What should we do? How to trap? Help!?!?

Hello! I am a first-time poster but a wildlife gardener of several years now. Especially the last year or so my focus in the garden has been to create a good environment for wildlife to congregate. So far it’s been slow going, but great!

One of my first little tenants to move in last year is a small, likely female hispid cotton rat. I was quite happy when she moved into my small brush pile I keep, but as I do more research it appears they can harm gardens and potentially people. Is the stereotype of them harming gardens true, or do they just contribute to the garden in ways people don’t typically appreciate, I.E nibbling plants or digging soil? I’m also a little worried about hantavirus but after all my interactions with her (I fished her out of my storm drain today 😐) I’ve been careful to wash my hands and avoid touching her at all.

Pic for tax, she’s very cute.

These flowers are usually crawling with some sort of pollinators, but today the bumblebees are out in force.

He's so small 🥹

It's the gulf fritillary species doing the nasty on my MJ plant. I have their host plant. The passionflower but they prefer to do their business here. Can't say I blame them.