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staggolee41.bsky.social
Stag
@staggolee41.bsky.social
On a wild journey to rehab my yard and document what I observe. Follow me on iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/people/staggolee
🚨🚨OOTHECA SPOTTED🚨🚨

Very excited to have praying mantis nymphs to watch next year! 😁

#prayingmantis #ootheca #eggs #insects
September 5, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Lots of praying mantis activity these last several days - a minimum of 12 hours mating between two, an increasingly large abdomen on the female, and then a significantly flatter abdomen today. Time to look for an ootheca!

#prayingmantis #mating #mantids #stagmomantis
September 5, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Took a long break to grieve - I lost my beloved older dog to cancer, and it broke my heart. Abby was somehow both the sweetest and spiciest dog I’ve ever met.

Enjoy every moment - there aren’t enough of them. 💙
September 5, 2025 at 3:02 PM
When did they learned synchronized flying?! Don’t act like you’re not impressed!

#bluedashers #dragonflies #insync
August 29, 2025 at 3:39 AM
This stink bug nymph, casually doing pushups while making eye contact: “Do you even lift, bro?”

#stinkbugs #nymph #doyouevenlift
August 27, 2025 at 5:22 PM
I’d rather not admit how long it took me to see her in this spot. 😅

#prayingmantis #camouflage
August 27, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Love blue dashers, but this is nightmare fuel.

#bluedasher #dragonflies #donteatme
August 27, 2025 at 5:13 PM
I don’t recall there being a chapter about caterpillars in Everybody Poops, but they do. A lot. And they’ll release a lot of it with some force as a defense mechanism.

#caterpillar #frass #everybodypoops
August 26, 2025 at 10:12 PM
The friend with the freakishly long tail reappeared while I was clearing debris next to the patio. I’m pretty sure his tail is longer than him. 😅

#Texasspinylizard
August 26, 2025 at 7:26 PM
All this time on spider-centric communities, I’ve adored the pictures of mama wolfies with their babies in tow. Finally, I saw one for myself! Look at this hard-working mom!

#spiders #wolfspider #hardworkingmom #mama #wolfie
August 26, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Wings up becomes wings down in a millisecond. Antlions fold their wings down to rest.

#antlion
August 25, 2025 at 6:12 PM
TFW your midnight snack becomes aware of your intent to eat him and leaves. 😔

#crabspiders #armywormmoth #midnightsnack
August 25, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Trimming the rose bushes, I found that some of the thicker branches had been hollowed out in the middle. I’ve seen small carpenter bees and pallid twig ants, but they’ve mostly been in thinner stems or branches. Kind of impressive, interesting… but also, STAHP. 😅

#roses #hollowbranches
August 24, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Camouflage so good, I jumped out of my skin once I finally saw it. 😅

#prayingmantis #camouflage #sneaky
August 24, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Some blooms and fresh growth. Happy weekend!

#roses #bloomscrolling
August 24, 2025 at 12:47 AM
The butterfly party continues! Managed to (just barely) capture some video of a red admiral and a western giant swallowtail today.

#butterfly #redadmiral #giantswallowtail #swallowtail
August 23, 2025 at 11:34 PM
This hackberry emperor hung out for a few hours in my backyard today. Truly mesmerizing, the markings and colors.

#butterfly #hackberryemperor
August 23, 2025 at 1:01 AM
WOOHOO! The last to molt has molted! It’s kinda weird, though - looks like he has the beginning of wings but not actually wings?

#prayingmantis #molt
August 22, 2025 at 9:28 PM
This is the first brown one I’ve seen! 😀 Heavy rain today may have brought him/her down from higher up in the crepe myrtle.

#prayingmantis #insect
August 22, 2025 at 3:50 AM
Do you think it’d help if I stood underneath him and chanted “molt?” 🤔

#impatient #prayingmantis #molt #moltwatch
August 21, 2025 at 4:20 PM
The rose bush seems to be faring well post-brutalization, but not as well as last time I made a significant cut (when it regrew all it lost within about two weeks). Ideal!

#roses #newgrowth
August 21, 2025 at 4:02 PM
This small guy has the longest tail I’ve seen on a Texas spiny lizard yet! He is also very fast, but he was kind enough to pause for a quick photo shoot.

#Texasspinylizard #lizard #Texas
August 20, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Third molt in several days?! Let’s do it! This is the smallest of the four “residents” and likely male. Looking forward to seeing how he differs from the ladies!

#prayingmantis #molt
August 20, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Spotted a tiny yellow bug that looked like a mite on a diseased rose leaf; got it under the microscope, and now I’m surprised and genuinely unsure what it is. 😂 Any guesses? Lens keeps suggesting different things.

#insect #insectid #whatisthis #microscope
August 19, 2025 at 3:12 PM
No worries, dude. You’re doing a great impression of that bud! Totally didn’t know you were there.

#crabspider #camouflage #arachnid #spider
August 19, 2025 at 3:01 PM