Tom Astle
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tjalamont.bsky.social
Tom Astle
@tjalamont.bsky.social
37K followers 2K following 2.3K posts
Writer & nature photographer, especially macro photography of arthropods. Desert Tortoise conservation advocate. Fan of California, Montana, the rest of the planet. Photo website: https://www.tomastlephotography.com/
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Reposted by Tom Astle
christhorogood.bsky.social
WE FOUND IT! We trekked day and night through tiger-patrolled Sumatran rainforests accessible only under permit for this: Rafflesia hasseltii. Few people have ever seen this flower, and we watched it open by night. Magic.
November 19, 2025 at 12:48 AM
tjalamont.bsky.social
#Bugsky 🐙🌿 Earwig Egg Update! Yesterday I took a photo of earwig eggs, and when I lifted the rock today, they were hatching. The new babies are transparent except for their compound eyes and mandibles; those were the orange spots you could see on the eggs yesterday. Check out this cropped photo--
A macro photo of a group of just-hatched baby earwigs along with some still-unhatched eggs. The babies are transparent, except for orange-brown on their compound eyes and their mandibles. Those pigmented structures are visible through the shells of the yet-to-hatch eggs.
November 18, 2025 at 6:35 PM
tjalamont.bsky.social
A cluster of, I think, earwig eggs (although I didn't see the mother, who typically would be guarding them). What I especially like are the micro-droplets of condensation; each egg is at most 1 mm., so the droplets are incredibly small. Shot at 2X, ten handheld images stacked. 🐙🌿📷 #Bugsky 🥚
A macro photo of a cluster of a few dozen tiny, pale-yellow eggs on damp earth. Each egg is dappled on top with micro-dots of condensation.
November 17, 2025 at 6:51 PM
tjalamont.bsky.social
You could go to the tropics to see wild parrots, or you could go to, say, Pasadena 🦜🦜🦜
A photo of three green parrots in a tree, against a blue sky.
November 17, 2025 at 3:23 AM
tjalamont.bsky.social
Here is your Sunday Spider. (Small jumping spider, don't know the species, from the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica.) 🐙🌿 #Bugsky
A macro photo of a jumping spider atop a piece of rotting wood against an out of focus green background. The spider is facing the camera but looking slightly downward. It has a near-black cephalothorax and legs, which all show a dark blue sheen. Its palps are fuzzy and cream-colored.
November 16, 2025 at 7:01 PM
tjalamont.bsky.social
We've had a couple of days of rain here in the Los Angeles area. This morning I found a young Monarch caterpillar (I think second-to-last instar) during a break in the weather. 🐙🌿 #Bugsky
A macro photo of the front third of a monarch butterfly caterpillar tucked into the base of two leaves. The caterpillar is yellow, white, and black banded. There is a round raindrop clinging to the caterpillar's body a bit before its head.
November 16, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Reposted by Tom Astle
mikemelton.bsky.social
This spectacular Mimetica incisa (a species of leaf katydid) visited @casabentbill.bsky.social tonight.

#bugsky #insects #nature
A leaf-mimicking insect clings sideways to a vertical black cord, its bright green leaf-shaped body standing out against a dark background.
November 16, 2025 at 4:03 AM
tjalamont.bsky.social
Here is your Saturday Snoot. This colorful little cartoon-looking critter is a planthopper nymph, about 1 cm. long, from Costa Rica. I do not know the function of the marvelous snoot. (Per iNat, family Dictyopharidae, possibly Lappida sp.) #Bugsky 🐙🌿👃
A macro photo of a colorful, long-snouted planthopper nymph hanging upside-down from a horizontal green plant stem, against a dark background. The planthopper has bright red compound eyes, and a body and snout colored yellow-green, orange, turquoise, and red. The snout is as long as the rest of the insect's body.
November 15, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Reposted by Tom Astle
blueheronfarm.bsky.social
Sharing is caring
Small goat eating a pumpkin while a large tortoise looks on from inside his shell Small goat eating a pumpkin. Large tortoise is emerging from his shell Small goat and large tortoise sharing a pumpkin together
November 15, 2025 at 4:48 PM
tjalamont.bsky.social
Cool cricket, close up (Costa Rica)
#Bugsky 🐙🌿🦗
A macro photo looking up into the face, in 3/4 profile, of a cricket atop a clump of neon-green moss, against a pure black background. The cricket is mottled dark brown, with a yellow blaze on its forehead.
November 14, 2025 at 6:48 PM
tjalamont.bsky.social
Apropos of nothing in particular, here is a very small weevil posing majestically. (Brazil)
#Bugsky 🐙🌿
A macro photo of a weevil, in profile, upper left in the frame atop a fuzzy gray-green leaf. The weevil is orange with a coating of sparse yellow hairs, some of which are dense enough to form spots.
November 13, 2025 at 7:28 PM
tjalamont.bsky.social
Thanks, @chicagoseb.bsky.social - this made my evening
chicagoseb.bsky.social 𓏟 Seb 𓃣 @chicagoseb.bsky.social · 7d
So beautiful ... I had to draw it real quick🪲
Following post is the finished sketch. 👇🏻
November 13, 2025 at 5:00 AM
tjalamont.bsky.social
If you ever see a mantis, spider, or other predatory bug with prey (like this mantis with a bee), look closer and you may spot tiny jackal flies, aka freeloader flies (family Milichiidae), gleaning food while carefully avoiding becoming part of the meal themselves. (Two are visible here). #Bugsky 🐙🌿
A macro photo, vertical orientation, looking at the underside of a praying mantis's raptorial forelegs. The mantis is feeding on a pollen-sprinkled honeybee, and there are two tiny jackal flies, aka freeloader flies, gleaning any leftovers they can while avoiding becoming part of the mantis's meal themselves.
November 12, 2025 at 9:41 PM
tjalamont.bsky.social
A closer look at Ms. Mantis (Stagmomantis limbata, native here in SoCal) from today. Adults can be green or brown, but that doesn't adequately describe how much they vary. "Brown" can tend toward yellow, orange, or even pink, and "green" can be grayish, deep shamrock, or mint-pastel. #Bugsky 🐙🌿
A macro photo of the triangular face of a praying mantis, against an out of focus background of green leaves and yellow and pink flowers. The mantis has pale pink compound eyes, and a pale mint-green face with yellow and blue highlights on the mouthparts.
November 12, 2025 at 7:02 PM
tjalamont.bsky.social
Rescued another Ms. Mantis off the side of the house and placed her in happier hunting grounds. Hopefully the three I’ve seen recently will all lay egg cases so next year I’ll have a good crop of mantis babies. 🐙🌿
A photo of a mint green mantis perched on a pink and white flower with a yellow center, amid green leaves.
November 12, 2025 at 6:01 PM
tjalamont.bsky.social
I really like living in Southern California but tonight I wouldn’t mind being a little further north goddammit
November 12, 2025 at 5:19 AM
tjalamont.bsky.social
An extremely small spider, 1 mm. at most, suspended over a fall-color-turning redbud leaf in my yard. Not sure, but I'd guess it's a recently-hatched brown widow spiderling (Latrodectus geometricus), based on the marking on the abdomen. 🐙🌿🍁🕷️ #Bugsky
A macro photo of a small brown spider suspended in an invisible web, in the upper left of the frame, against an out of focus background of swirled yellow-green-orange from a leaf turning fall colors.
November 11, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Reposted by Tom Astle
bealeiderman.bsky.social
Diminutive fairy wombat poop. Tiny cubes under 2mm on each side.

These are egg sacs made by a spider in the family Theridiosomatidae.

They made yesterday’s hike special. Finding something I’ve never seen before is such a thrill.

🌱 #nature #macro #spider
Tiny pink and cream colored cube under 2mm stuck to the surface of a leaf. There were several, scattered around randomly, but the photo is cropped to show the one that was in best focus. The second picture shows a bit of my thumbnail in the corner, with sparkly nail polish. Tiny pink and cream colored cube under 2mm stuck to the surface of a leaf. There were several, scattered around randomly, but the photo is cropped to show the one that was in best focus. The second picture shows a bit of my thumbnail in the corner, with sparkly nail polish.
November 10, 2025 at 9:48 PM
tjalamont.bsky.social
Ms. Mantis on my front porch just now. This time of year the adult females sometimes wander to find new spots to lay their egg cases - I relocated her to a flowering shrub where she can fatten up on bees and stay hidden from birds. She’s a native species here (Stagmomantis limbata). 🐙🌿 #Bugsky
A photo of a green praying mantis standing on a sunlit brick porch. A car wheel is visible in the background.
November 9, 2025 at 7:28 PM
tjalamont.bsky.social
Filthy generalists of the world unite
ashwhiffin.bsky.social Ash Whiffin @ashwhiffin.bsky.social · 11d
How the creation of a school insect collection project, led to the discovery of Amblycheila cylindriformis in Montana…
bioone.org/journals/the...

Marian Kirst reminds us of the value of being a “filthy generalist” and the importance of building strong local connections.

#ECN2025
Image montage of the tiger beetle and Marian holding one.
November 9, 2025 at 1:23 AM
tjalamont.bsky.social
Here's one from the archives of a tiny and quite fuzzy longhorn beetle (Lophopogonius crinitus) that I found in my backyard. It's the only species in its genus. I haven't seen one since, which isn't surprising given that they're virtually invisible on bark. 🐙🌿📷 #Bugsky
A macro photo looking down at a small longhorn beetle next to a shiny penny, both sitting on weathered, gray wood. The beetle's body length is only about half the diameter of the penny. The beetle is perfectly camouflaged on the wood; it has antennae longer than its body and is covered in fine, fuzzy hairs.
November 8, 2025 at 6:26 PM
tjalamont.bsky.social
I bought one and so should you #bugsky
saimihanma.bsky.social Saimi Hanma ⚔️ @saimihanma.bsky.social · 14d
These zines are now listed in my shop! In both print and ebook versions.

Print version: www.metrofieldguide.com/product/zine...

ebook version: www.metrofieldguide.com/product/zine...
copies of my zine, august arthropod art, the front and back covers, the font featuring a leather bug in ink, the back with text about the project, bio and small illustrations of four inverts. two toys sit on them, one is a giant isopod, the other a large stag beetle the zine open showing two inverts, one is a crane fly, the other a stag beetle, both illustrated in ink, each with text descriptions
November 6, 2025 at 3:09 AM
tjalamont.bsky.social
A beautiful beetle from July in Arizona, Pasimachus sp., I'd guess P. viridans. It's a ground beetle, family Carabidae; those in this genus are sometimes called "warrior beetles," I'd guess in honor of the impressive bitey bits. They're fast-running predators of other less-fast bugs. 🐙🌿 #Bugsky
A macro photo showing a side view of a shiny black beetle with bright metallic green borders on its thorax and elytra (hard, beetle-y wing covers). The beetle has good-sized mandibles, and is against a pure white background.
November 6, 2025 at 1:15 AM
tjalamont.bsky.social
💙 First the Dodgers and now this - I do like blue
November 5, 2025 at 4:41 AM
tjalamont.bsky.social
A chunk of sun dog just now as I was driving home 🌈🌞🐕
A photo of the late afternoon sky, with a bright rainbow patch in a small wispy cirrus cloud. Silhouetted in the bottom foreground are part of a building and some trees, especially three palm trees - a closer one foreground left and one in the distance lower right.
November 4, 2025 at 12:13 AM