Eric R. Eaton
@bugeric.bsky.social
Nonfiction author, blogger, insect identifier, ally. Presenter/speaker. #SciComm, entomology, urban nature, human conflict with other species, other humans. Opposed to colonialism, capitalism. Married Progressive in Kansas, USA.
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Eric R. Eaton
@bugeric.bsky.social
· Dec 1
Eric Eaton
Explore Eric Eaton’s 9,908 photos on Flickr!
www.flickr.com
If you like me here, you can also find me on....
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/75196...
iNaturalist: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
Bug Eric blog: bugeric.blogspot.com
Sense of Misplaced blog: senseofmisplaced.blogspot.com
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/75196...
iNaturalist: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
Bug Eric blog: bugeric.blogspot.com
Sense of Misplaced blog: senseofmisplaced.blogspot.com
I’m having a hard time enjoying the embarrassment of Eric Schmitt, while other posts rightly remind me that innocent people are still dying in Ukraine and Gaza, and that we don’t punish rapists here in the U.S. (unless maybe they are non-white).
September 30, 2026 at 1:17 PM
I’m having a hard time enjoying the embarrassment of Eric Schmitt, while other posts rightly remind me that innocent people are still dying in Ukraine and Gaza, and that we don’t punish rapists here in the U.S. (unless maybe they are non-white).
I have to find another source of exciting entertainment besides American football. There are more teams I hate than I can cheer for. I haven’t known an autumn without football since around 1970, though.
September 28, 2026 at 3:58 AM
I have to find another source of exciting entertainment besides American football. There are more teams I hate than I can cheer for. I haven’t known an autumn without football since around 1970, though.
I ended up selling 18 books at the #KansasBookFestival yesterday. Considering my subject matter is not terribly popular with the masses, I’m pretty happy. Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, USA.
September 28, 2026 at 12:02 AM
I ended up selling 18 books at the #KansasBookFestival yesterday. Considering my subject matter is not terribly popular with the masses, I’m pretty happy. Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, USA.
An change imposed by Blogger prompts this post.... bugeric.blogspot.com/2026/09/did-... #bugsky #bugwatching #Blogger #blogpost #blogging #YouTube
Did I Mention My YouTube Channel?
This post is not an advertisement. I am trying to put a positive spin on news I received from Blogger, the Google host for this blog. I rece...
bugeric.blogspot.com
September 25, 2026 at 9:44 PM
An change imposed by Blogger prompts this post.... bugeric.blogspot.com/2026/09/did-... #bugsky #bugwatching #Blogger #blogpost #blogging #YouTube
Today is World Wasp Day, so here’s the newest species from our yard in Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. This is an ichneumon wasp, Charops annulipes. You might recognize the banded cocoon it emerged from, more than the wasp itself. #bugsky #WorldWaspDay #bugwatching #insects #wasps
September 24, 2026 at 11:13 PM
Today is World Wasp Day, so here’s the newest species from our yard in Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. This is an ichneumon wasp, Charops annulipes. You might recognize the banded cocoon it emerged from, more than the wasp itself. #bugsky #WorldWaspDay #bugwatching #insects #wasps
I will have a table in the exhibit hall for #entsoc2026 in Columbus, Ohio, USA, November 8-11. Let me know if you are likely to buy one (or more) so that I know how many copies to order ahead of time. I will also happily sign books you already own. Thanks! #booksky #bugsky
September 21, 2026 at 11:38 PM
I will have a table in the exhibit hall for #entsoc2026 in Columbus, Ohio, USA, November 8-11. Let me know if you are likely to buy one (or more) so that I know how many copies to order ahead of time. I will also happily sign books you already own. Thanks! #booksky #bugsky
Reposted by Eric R. Eaton
Reposting this would be very helpful. We're having a tough month at Skype a Scientist between much of my energy being devoted to Academy of Natural Sciences stuff. I need help!!
Goooood morning!
The 2026 Snail Facts Calendars are OUT! We've got 24 days of scratchable snail fact goodness, designed by Philly artist Kelly Nichols!
Advent calendars are cute as hell, a delightful tradition, and keep @skypeascientist.bsky.social funded!
Get one at SquidFacts.net
Pls repost ❤️
The 2026 Snail Facts Calendars are OUT! We've got 24 days of scratchable snail fact goodness, designed by Philly artist Kelly Nichols!
Advent calendars are cute as hell, a delightful tradition, and keep @skypeascientist.bsky.social funded!
Get one at SquidFacts.net
Pls repost ❤️
September 20, 2026 at 2:08 PM
Reposting this would be very helpful. We're having a tough month at Skype a Scientist between much of my energy being devoted to Academy of Natural Sciences stuff. I need help!!
Anyone else get an email from Blogger saying that as part of their “maintenance,” some videos in their blog will be permanently deleted?!? They say that twenty-one (21) of mine will be removed. WTH?!?
September 18, 2026 at 10:45 PM
Anyone else get an email from Blogger saying that as part of their “maintenance,” some videos in their blog will be permanently deleted?!? They say that twenty-one (21) of mine will be removed. WTH?!?
This has been a banner year for Cloudless Sulphur butterflies here in Leavenworth, Kansas, USA, where they are late summer and fall visitors. Solid yellow male on left, female on right. #bugsky #bugwatching #butterflies #insects
September 18, 2026 at 12:43 AM
This has been a banner year for Cloudless Sulphur butterflies here in Leavenworth, Kansas, USA, where they are late summer and fall visitors. Solid yellow male on left, female on right. #bugsky #bugwatching #butterflies #insects
Wonderful reminder that you can be creative with your *previous* artworks.
Pen and ink drawings, B&W photographs & a silk-screened mute swan ... all from the deep CLM archives - I reversed imaged a few, too.
You can play with your own original art without resorting to genAI or AI "helpers" or prompters.
It is good for your brain (and ❤️) to do the work yourself!
You can play with your own original art without resorting to genAI or AI "helpers" or prompters.
It is good for your brain (and ❤️) to do the work yourself!
September 16, 2026 at 3:33 AM
Wonderful reminder that you can be creative with your *previous* artworks.
Here's the link to my presentation about wasps at The Linda Hall on Saturday. This talk gets more accurate, informative, and entertaining each time, as I learn more.... www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIDH... #bugsky #bugwatching #wasps #insects #entomology
Wasps: The Astonishing Diversity of a Misunderstood Insect
YouTube video by The Linda Hall
www.youtube.com
September 15, 2026 at 12:43 AM
Here's the link to my presentation about wasps at The Linda Hall on Saturday. This talk gets more accurate, informative, and entertaining each time, as I learn more.... www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIDH... #bugsky #bugwatching #wasps #insects #entomology
CEOs are rightly held in contempt for contributing to the wealth gap and other awful conditions, but it feels like we are letting the rest of the boardroom, and the faceless majority shareholders, off the hook. How do we change that?
September 13, 2026 at 11:01 PM
CEOs are rightly held in contempt for contributing to the wealth gap and other awful conditions, but it feels like we are letting the rest of the boardroom, and the faceless majority shareholders, off the hook. How do we change that?
Me, talking about wasps to a rapt audience at The Linda Hall Library this morning in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. I can’t tell you what an emotional boost I get from being around intelligent, enthusiastic, and diverse people. It doesn’t happen frequently enough. #bugsky
September 12, 2026 at 11:54 PM
Me, talking about wasps to a rapt audience at The Linda Hall Library this morning in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. I can’t tell you what an emotional boost I get from being around intelligent, enthusiastic, and diverse people. It doesn’t happen frequently enough. #bugsky
Same, my friend, same.
I hate how I'm so skeptical about animal videos now. They truly sucked all the joy of enjoying authentic videos of pets being pets.
September 12, 2026 at 6:59 PM
Same, my friend, same.
Reposted by Eric R. Eaton
When you share your butterfly photos on iNaturalist, each one becomes a piece of information scientists can use to better understand and protect butterflies. Find a butterfly near you, take a photo (your phone camera is great), and share it on iNaturalist.
September 12, 2026 at 4:00 AM
When you share your butterfly photos on iNaturalist, each one becomes a piece of information scientists can use to better understand and protect butterflies. Find a butterfly near you, take a photo (your phone camera is great), and share it on iNaturalist.
1/2 In my fantasy football life, I’m quarterback for the New York Jets. That’s how this works, right?
September 8, 2026 at 12:36 PM
1/2 In my fantasy football life, I’m quarterback for the New York Jets. That’s how this works, right?
Reposted by Eric R. Eaton
This is one of the objections I have when people talk about how useful LLMs can be for literature searches or for any kind of search, really. Even beyond the biases that inevitably (and, in some cases, intentionally) show up, part of a good literature search is seeing information *in context.*
Part of research is wandering in the literature and making unexpected connections, finding the questions you didn’t know to ask. I don’t see a good way to do that while relying mainly on LLMs to do literature searches.
September 7, 2026 at 12:38 PM
This is one of the objections I have when people talk about how useful LLMs can be for literature searches or for any kind of search, really. Even beyond the biases that inevitably (and, in some cases, intentionally) show up, part of a good literature search is seeing information *in context.*
College football (USA) lost all credibility with conference realignment, and somehow things are still getting *worse*. Complete train wreck.
September 6, 2026 at 12:51 PM
College football (USA) lost all credibility with conference realignment, and somehow things are still getting *worse*. Complete train wreck.
A couple things to look forward to, another....not so much.... bugeric.blogspot.com/2026/09/good... #blogpost #bugsky #butterflies #wasps #communityscience #citizenscience #bugwatching
Good News and Bad
Lately, I have not been motivated to write, but two recent events in particular prompt today’s post. Neither has happened yet, actually, but...
bugeric.blogspot.com
September 3, 2026 at 2:10 AM
A couple things to look forward to, another....not so much.... bugeric.blogspot.com/2026/09/good... #blogpost #bugsky #butterflies #wasps #communityscience #citizenscience #bugwatching
Wondering if I got a fake Avast pop-up on my Dell Inspiron 15 laptop last night, and by clicking “move to quarantine” actually introduced malware. Startup tonight took forever, and I am running a full Avast virus scan now. Help?!
September 3, 2026 at 2:00 AM
Wondering if I got a fake Avast pop-up on my Dell Inspiron 15 laptop last night, and by clicking “move to quarantine” actually introduced malware. Startup tonight took forever, and I am running a full Avast virus scan now. Help?!
They claim that they are still committed to public education, in this statement announcing the closure of the public part of the museum. The average person will hear “We value a vault of dead organisms over educating living people.”
September 2, 2026 at 4:02 AM
They claim that they are still committed to public education, in this statement announcing the closure of the public part of the museum. The average person will hear “We value a vault of dead organisms over educating living people.”
I’m heartbroken. This man’s writings changed me forever. If you are not familiar with Wendell Berry, I urge you to run to the nearest library or bookstore and obtain one of his works.
Thank you for so many strong essays, poems, ideas, stands, principles, examples, Wendell Berry. Thank you for loving the land, the country, the language. Thank you for living your principles. Quoted you in my talk yesterday, pulled these from my quotes collections.
Wendell Berry, Writer Who Extolled America’s Agrarian Past, Dies at 92
A Kentucky farmer, he railed against agribusiness and championed small family farms and the environment, winning widespread acclaim.
www.nytimes.com
September 1, 2026 at 2:48 AM
I’m heartbroken. This man’s writings changed me forever. If you are not familiar with Wendell Berry, I urge you to run to the nearest library or bookstore and obtain one of his works.
The Biden(s) administration is still going strong at our place. Bidens is a genus of plants that includes Spanish Needles, shown here as a tall, spindly weed with fern-like leaflets. The seeds are indeed stabby little things.
August 31, 2026 at 11:43 PM
The Biden(s) administration is still going strong at our place. Bidens is a genus of plants that includes Spanish Needles, shown here as a tall, spindly weed with fern-like leaflets. The seeds are indeed stabby little things.
Please follow my partner for more content like this. She is a way better photographer than I am.
For the #BirdOfTheDay theme of #Parenting, here's a Caspian Tern feeding a fish to one of its offspring. #birds #birding
August 31, 2026 at 11:33 PM
Please follow my partner for more content like this. She is a way better photographer than I am.
Oh, that’s how you do it!
Want to see a brave young human absolutely demolish Flock cameras without lifting a finger? Watch this!
August 31, 2026 at 12:01 AM
Oh, that’s how you do it!