Wildlife Wizard
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wildlifewizard.bsky.social
Wildlife Wizard
@wildlifewizard.bsky.social
73 followers 54 following 150 posts
Bat ecologist, naturalist, lover of wildlife & wild spaces.

I post photos of plants, insects, sometimes bats, & other wildlife, accompanied by interesting facts about their ecology.
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wildlifewizard.bsky.social
Lake Baikal — the world’s oldest and deepest — is 5387 feet deep (over a mile!). That’s not the most #amazingfact. 300 rivers dump sediment into it, which would fill most #lakes. Why isn’t Baikal getting shallower? 🧵
October 11, 2025 at 2:16 PM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
Cappuccino… the preferred coffee of capuchins!

Actually, the monkeys and the coffee beverage were both named for the Capuchin friars, a sect of the Franciscan order originating in the 16th century. 🧵

#funfact #animalfact #monkeys #coffee #conservation
October 11, 2025 at 12:51 PM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
These cool #mushrooms popped up overnight. I love how the morning dew looks on them.

I’m not confident with mushroom ID, but iNaturalist thinks it’s the poisonous green-spored parasol (Chlorophyllum molybdites), commonly mistaken for 3 edible species in the same genus called shaggy parasols. 🍄‍🟫
Mushrooms Mushrooms Mushrooms Mushrooms
September 29, 2025 at 12:13 PM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
A female yellow garden spider (Argiope aurantia). Look at that beauty!

#Spiders in this genus are known for making webs with a thick zigzag of silk called a stabilimentum, its purpose being disputed. 🧵

#nature #animalfacts #orbweavers
A female yellow garden spider (Argiope aurantia) sitting in its web on a chain link fence that is overgrown with vegetation.
September 28, 2025 at 2:16 PM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
Tick trefoil (Desmodium spp.) is a diverse genus with broad native distribution. I’ve long hated their Velcro seeds, adapted for animal dispersal. But the plant is beneficial to a variety of animals, and their roots help neighboring plants access nitrogen.

I just learned that🧵

#plantfacts #nature
A photo of my pant legs, thickly covered with tick trefoil (Desmodium spp.) seeds/stickers.
September 28, 2025 at 1:21 PM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
The cannas (Canna Indica) have been blooming in TN. They bloom long enough for early flower buds and mature seeds to be present simultaneously on one plant. 🌱🌺🌎🧵

View the rest of the #photothread for more pictures of the different #flower stages and #plantfacts
A canna (Canna Indica) plant with flowers.
September 14, 2025 at 1:23 AM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
Humans have 124-200 hairs per square centimeter. Sea otters have 165 THOUSAND!

Thanks @ologies.bsky.social for blowing my mind today!

#animalfacts #nature #wow #otters #mammals #animals #scicomm
September 4, 2025 at 11:12 PM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
The red-spotted purple #butterfly (Limenitis arthemis astyanax) is a non-poisonous mimic of the pipevine swallowtail I posted earlier. This is called Batesian #mimicry. This species rarely rests with its wings open, so I was lucky to get a photo.
A red-spotted purple butterfly (Limenitis arthemis astyanax), resting with its wings open on a dry gravel stream bed.
August 31, 2025 at 1:01 PM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
A gulf fritillary (Dione vanillae), a member of the longwing #butterfly family. The bright orange color is an example of #aposematism, a “Warning: do not eat” sign for birds, as defensive odor glands make them unpalatable. 🧵
A bright orange, white, and black patterned gulf fritillary butterfly (Dione vanillae). A bright orange, white, and black patterned gulf fritillary butterfly (Dione vanillae).
August 29, 2025 at 12:39 PM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
Not just beautiful but a very #coolspecies, the Pipevine swallowtail #butterfly (Battus philenor) mainly feeds on poisonous pipevines (Aristolochia spp.) making it poisonous to predators. Many other species take advantage of this through different types of #mimicry. 🧵
A pipevine swallowtail #butterfly (Battus philenor) collecting salts from mud.
August 10, 2025 at 3:41 PM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
Here’s another edible but flavorless #mushroom: white coral fungus (Ramariopsis kunzei) - named for their color and the branched structure resembling certain marine corals. They’re found in wet leaf litter and decayed wood. Several lookalikes are edible; at least one is poisonous. #coolspecies
White coral fungus (Ramariopsis kunzei) growing in wet leaf litter. White coral fungus (Ramariopsis kunzei) growing in wet leaf litter.
August 10, 2025 at 3:07 PM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
Here’s one for you #mushroom freaks. The basidiocarps of orange jelly spot (Dacrymyces chrysospermus) fungus are gelatinous and edible, but the flavor is bland. They can be used to add texture to soups. The species grows on dead coniferous wood. I found these on dead fir trees in western NC. #nature
A close-up photo of the orange, gelatinous fruiting bodies (basidiocarps) of orange jelly spot (Dacrymyces chrysospermus) fungus growing on the bark of a standing dead fir tree. The basidiocarps grow in clusters of cups and folds. The tree bark is also covered in lichen and moss. These mushrooms were found in far western North Carolina near the Tennessee border, in a wet area of mountainous forest dominated by hickories, oaks, and firs. A close-up photo of the orange, gelatinous fruiting bodies (basidiocarps) of orange jelly spot (Dacrymyces chrysospermus) fungus growing on the bark of a standing dead fir tree. The basidiocarps grow in clusters of cups and folds. The tree bark is also covered in lichen and moss. These mushrooms were found in far western North Carolina near the Tennessee border, in a wet area of mountainous forest dominated by hickories, oaks, and firs. A close-up photo of the orange, gelatinous fruiting bodies (basidiocarps) of orange jelly spot (Dacrymyces chrysospermus) fungus growing on the bark of a standing dead fir tree. The basidiocarps grow in clusters of cups and folds. The tree bark is also covered in lichen and moss. These mushrooms were found in far western North Carolina near the Tennessee border, in a wet area of mountainous forest dominated by hickories, oaks, and firs.
August 9, 2025 at 7:40 PM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
There’s just something about clear streams and mountain forests. They make hard work so much more rewarding. #nature
A view of hiking boots in a shallow, rocky stream with small plants and mosses. A mountain forest.
August 8, 2025 at 1:18 PM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
This is a big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus), one of North America’s most common #bat species.

Don’t be fooled by that “smile”. These photos were taken 4 seconds apart! Look at those teeth!

Yes they bite, & yes it hurts, but only if you handle them. Please don’t touch #wildlife.

#nature #animals 🌎🦇
A big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) appearing to smile, only due to lucky timing. The bat is being handled by a trained, rabies vaccinated professional with multiple permits. A big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) with its mouth wide open and showing a clear view of its teeth. The bat is being handled by a trained, rabies vaccinated professional with multiple permits.
July 22, 2025 at 1:49 AM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
These crepe myrtle #flowers are perfect! That’s a technical term meaning they have male & female parts. The stamens are the numerous, yellow, pollen-laden parts. The pistils are the 6 donuts around the stamens. Each flower has 6 frilly petals and 6 sepals (the outer segments of the spherical bud) 🌺🔬
Crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) flowers with dark pink petals and bright yellow stamens. A macro photo of a crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) flower. Clusters of bright yellow pollen grains can be seen on the stamens. A macro photo of a crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) flower. Individual stamens and pistils can be seen in detail. A macro photo of crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) flowers, including the reproductive parts, petals, and sepals of one flower, and several unopened flower buds. The buds are spherical, the same red as the petals, and have distinct lines where the 6 sepals will split open.
July 20, 2025 at 2:22 AM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
Check out the amazing camouflage on this white-banded fishing spider! It was almost impossible to see in natural light, and moved lightning fast around the tree when I startled it. Fishing spiders can walk on water, and trap air bubbles on their abdomens to help them dive and swim to hunt. 🕷️🌎🔬
A white-banded fishing spider blending into tree bark. A white-banded fishing spider barely visible against tree bark in a flash photo.
July 10, 2025 at 3:54 AM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
You know it’s humid when it’s 72°F and you can see your breath.
July 10, 2025 at 3:32 AM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
All summer in SW Virginia…
Forecast at noon: 5% chance
Forecast at 7pm: 5% chance
Forecast at 7:45: 65% chance
Weather at 7:50: ⚡️⛈️🌧️
July 8, 2025 at 12:00 AM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
We’re not catching a lot of #bats this summer, but check out these cool #mushrooms! They *might* be lynx paw oysters, but don’t quote me on that. 🍄‍🟫🧪🔬📷 #fieldbiologist #naturephotos
A cluster of yellow-orange mushrooms growing on the bark of a standing dead pine tree. A cluster of yellow-orange mushrooms growing on the bark of a standing dead pine tree.
July 5, 2025 at 9:15 PM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
Here’s a nice mushroom for @lukelukeluke.bsky.social. I don’t know what it was, but it was growing on the side of a standing dead oak tree in a late stage of decay in SW Virginia, and it caught my eye.
July 5, 2025 at 5:32 AM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
Wow! What a treat to find this chunky #beetle! It’s a Broad-Necked Root Borer (Prionus laticollis), and was about 4-5 cm long. Likely female based on size (females are 2x the size of males). She may have been about to lay eggs, which she’ll deposit 10cm underground with 1/
#naturephoto #wildlife
June 30, 2025 at 3:28 AM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
Southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans). A common bycatch in bat surveys, and destructive to mist nets. I usually don’t photograph these adorable little turds because they’re nasty biters and very squirmy. This one was more docile for a minute.
A northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans) in a gloved hand. A northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans) in a gloved hand. A northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans) in a gloved hand. A northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans) in a gloved hand.
June 26, 2025 at 1:39 AM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
We don’t always catch a lot of bats, but when we do, at least one is probably a big brown bat. Here’s one! #bats #wildlife #ecology
A big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) in the gloved hands of a trained, rabies vaccinated, and permitted biologist. The left wing is gently outstretched.
June 24, 2025 at 2:45 AM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
Dwarf larkspur (Delphinium tricorne) found on a rural mountain roadside in western Virginia.
A photo of dark purple dwarf larkspur flowers in the sunlight. Green plants are unfocused in the background. A photo of dark purple dwarf larkspur flowers in the sunlight. Green plants are unfocused in the background. A photo of dark purple dwarf larkspur flowers in the sunlight. Green plants are unfocused in the background.
June 15, 2025 at 4:55 PM
wildlifewizard.bsky.social
I saw my first spotted #lanternfly this week, killed it, and then saw 30 more an hour later. As an ecologist, the first encounter of an infamous #invasive species is both exciting and disheartening. Shown is a nymphal #SLF. The SLF feeds on a wide range of plants, including crops and ornamentals: 1/
A spotted lanternfly on a leaf. The insect is black with white spots all over, and is a nymph (probably third instar). The first three instars are nearly identical except for size. The fourth instar begins to show red pigmentation between the black and white. Adults grow brownish-gray wings with black spots, red secondary wings, and sexual dimorphism, the females being larger and having a large black spot at the base of the wings (central dorsal behind the head).
June 15, 2025 at 3:04 PM