Steve Wells
@lifeonaquarteracre.bsky.social
Trying to find and identify all of the species living in our yard in Moscow, Idaho.
https://lifeonaquarteracre.com/
https://lifeonaquarteracre.com/
First observation of a Green Soldier Fly (Hedriodiscus binotatus) in my yard. It's also the first iNaturalist observation in Idaho and the 725th taxon I've found in the yard.
www.inaturalist.org/observations...
www.inaturalist.org/observations...
June 24, 2026 at 3:07 AM
First observation of a Green Soldier Fly (Hedriodiscus binotatus) in my yard. It's also the first iNaturalist observation in Idaho and the 725th taxon I've found in the yard.
www.inaturalist.org/observations...
www.inaturalist.org/observations...
Another Western Giant Ichneumonid Wasp ovipositing on a dead spruce tree in our backyard.
June 15, 2026 at 12:14 AM
Another Western Giant Ichneumonid Wasp ovipositing on a dead spruce tree in our backyard.
In the last week or so Western Giant Ichneumonid Wasps (Megarhyssa notrtoni) have oviposited on a dying spruce tree in our yard. Today a female horntail (Xeris indecisus) is ovipositing on the same tree, with a couple male horntails hanging around. The ichneumons parasitize the horntail larvae.
May 29, 2026 at 9:47 PM
In the last week or so Western Giant Ichneumonid Wasps (Megarhyssa notrtoni) have oviposited on a dying spruce tree in our yard. Today a female horntail (Xeris indecisus) is ovipositing on the same tree, with a couple male horntails hanging around. The ichneumons parasitize the horntail larvae.
An Ichneumon wasp is trying to oviposit in a dead spruce tree in our backyard. Yesterday a Western Giant Ichneumonid (Megarhyssa nortoni) oviposited on the same tree (www.inaturalist.org/observations...).
May 24, 2026 at 9:41 PM
An Ichneumon wasp is trying to oviposit in a dead spruce tree in our backyard. Yesterday a Western Giant Ichneumonid (Megarhyssa nortoni) oviposited on the same tree (www.inaturalist.org/observations...).
Giant Ichneumonid wasp (Megarhyssa) ovipositing in a dead spruce tree in our backyard. The whole process took at least 40 minutes.
May 24, 2026 at 3:02 AM
Giant Ichneumonid wasp (Megarhyssa) ovipositing in a dead spruce tree in our backyard. The whole process took at least 40 minutes.
And here she pulls it into the burrow.
April 20, 2026 at 12:03 AM
And here she pulls it into the burrow.
Here’s a video of the cutworm wasp bragging the caterpillar to her nest.
April 19, 2026 at 11:58 PM
Here’s a video of the cutworm wasp bragging the caterpillar to her nest.
This afternoon I watched this cutworm wasp (Podalonia sp.) dig a burrow, drag a caterpillar to and into the nest, and then cover it so that it was completely invisible. The entire process took about an hour.
www.inaturalist.org/observations...
www.inaturalist.org/observations...
Cutworm Wasps (Genus Podalonia)
Cutworm Wasps from Moscow, ID, USA on April 19, 2026 at 04:36 PM by Steve Wells. I watched this wasp dig a burrow, drag a caterpillar to and into the nest, and then cover up the ...
www.inaturalist.org
April 19, 2026 at 11:51 PM
This afternoon I watched this cutworm wasp (Podalonia sp.) dig a burrow, drag a caterpillar to and into the nest, and then cover it so that it was completely invisible. The entire process took about an hour.
www.inaturalist.org/observations...
www.inaturalist.org/observations...
In the last few days, several Ichneumonids emerged from spider egg sacs that I collected last month. The males are winged and the females wingless. I'm pretty sure they're in the subtribe Gelina, but I'm not sure of the genus. Here's a photo of one of the females.
April 13, 2026 at 2:01 AM
In the last few days, several Ichneumonids emerged from spider egg sacs that I collected last month. The males are winged and the females wingless. I'm pretty sure they're in the subtribe Gelina, but I'm not sure of the genus. Here's a photo of one of the females.
Rare moth becomes Wicken Fen's 10,000th recorded species
October 9, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Rare moth becomes Wicken Fen's 10,000th recorded species
While I watched and photographed a couple of goldenrod crab spiders mating, a nearby male dropped onto my finger.
July 1, 2025 at 10:45 PM
While I watched and photographed a couple of goldenrod crab spiders mating, a nearby male dropped onto my finger.
This afternoon I saw goldenrod crab spiders mating on ocean spray flowers. This may be the same female that I saw eating the mining bee a few hours before. The two stayed together for at least 15 minutes while I took their pictures.
July 1, 2025 at 10:39 PM
This afternoon I saw goldenrod crab spiders mating on ocean spray flowers. This may be the same female that I saw eating the mining bee a few hours before. The two stayed together for at least 15 minutes while I took their pictures.
As I walked on to the porch this morning, I saw this scene on ocean spray flowers: a female golden rod crab spider with her mining bee prey.
July 1, 2025 at 10:30 PM
As I walked on to the porch this morning, I saw this scene on ocean spray flowers: a female golden rod crab spider with her mining bee prey.
A Common Digger Bee (Anthophora) that I caught on our golden currant this morning. I cooled her down in the fridge, took photos, and let her get back to business.
April 18, 2025 at 7:28 PM
A Common Digger Bee (Anthophora) that I caught on our golden currant this morning. I cooled her down in the fridge, took photos, and let her get back to business.
A few things I saw on the side of the shed this morning.
A pair of cutworm flies (Gonia sp.), a sawfly (Dolerus sp.), and an Early Tachinid Fly (Epalpus signifer).
A pair of cutworm flies (Gonia sp.), a sawfly (Dolerus sp.), and an Early Tachinid Fly (Epalpus signifer).
April 4, 2025 at 8:19 PM
A few things I saw on the side of the shed this morning.
A pair of cutworm flies (Gonia sp.), a sawfly (Dolerus sp.), and an Early Tachinid Fly (Epalpus signifer).
A pair of cutworm flies (Gonia sp.), a sawfly (Dolerus sp.), and an Early Tachinid Fly (Epalpus signifer).
Reposted by Steve Wells
There is a lot of functionality on IoNA (ichsofna.org) that most people aren´t aware of. Here are a couple of videos explaining what can be done with the filterable galleries.
#Ichneumonidae #Ichneumoninae #biodiversity #JavaScript
#insect #wasp #parasitoid
#Ichneumonidae #Ichneumoninae #biodiversity #JavaScript
#insect #wasp #parasitoid
March 26, 2025 at 3:28 AM
There is a lot of functionality on IoNA (ichsofna.org) that most people aren´t aware of. Here are a couple of videos explaining what can be done with the filterable galleries.
#Ichneumonidae #Ichneumoninae #biodiversity #JavaScript
#insect #wasp #parasitoid
#Ichneumonidae #Ichneumoninae #biodiversity #JavaScript
#insect #wasp #parasitoid
I saw the first bee in the yard today.
A male mason bee checking out the holes in a spruce stump. Looks like a blue orchard bee to me (Osmia lignaria), but I'm not sure.
www.inaturalist.org/observations...
A male mason bee checking out the holes in a spruce stump. Looks like a blue orchard bee to me (Osmia lignaria), but I'm not sure.
www.inaturalist.org/observations...
March 26, 2025 at 3:26 AM
I saw the first bee in the yard today.
A male mason bee checking out the holes in a spruce stump. Looks like a blue orchard bee to me (Osmia lignaria), but I'm not sure.
www.inaturalist.org/observations...
A male mason bee checking out the holes in a spruce stump. Looks like a blue orchard bee to me (Osmia lignaria), but I'm not sure.
www.inaturalist.org/observations...
It must finally be spring!
I saw a bagworm (Psychidae: Dahlica sp.) climbing up the side of the garage today. The larvae are encased in a silk lining that is covered with sand and other debris.
I saw a bagworm (Psychidae: Dahlica sp.) climbing up the side of the garage today. The larvae are encased in a silk lining that is covered with sand and other debris.
March 24, 2025 at 10:27 PM
It must finally be spring!
I saw a bagworm (Psychidae: Dahlica sp.) climbing up the side of the garage today. The larvae are encased in a silk lining that is covered with sand and other debris.
I saw a bagworm (Psychidae: Dahlica sp.) climbing up the side of the garage today. The larvae are encased in a silk lining that is covered with sand and other debris.
A quote for #DarwinDay:
"I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created the Ichneumonidae [a family of parasitoid wasps] with the express intention of their feeding within the living bodies of caterpillars." - Letter to Asa Gray, May 22, 1860
"I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created the Ichneumonidae [a family of parasitoid wasps] with the express intention of their feeding within the living bodies of caterpillars." - Letter to Asa Gray, May 22, 1860
February 12, 2025 at 2:55 PM
A quote for #DarwinDay:
"I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created the Ichneumonidae [a family of parasitoid wasps] with the express intention of their feeding within the living bodies of caterpillars." - Letter to Asa Gray, May 22, 1860
"I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created the Ichneumonidae [a family of parasitoid wasps] with the express intention of their feeding within the living bodies of caterpillars." - Letter to Asa Gray, May 22, 1860
Reposted by Steve Wells
DOGS ARE MY GODS 😇
February 10, 2025 at 2:27 PM
DOGS ARE MY GODS 😇
Reposted by Steve Wells
I’m not sure I’ve ever felt this kind of visceral fear before: www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
Initial Rescissions Of Harmful Executive Orders And Actions – The White House
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as
www.whitehouse.gov
January 22, 2025 at 3:37 AM
I’m not sure I’ve ever felt this kind of visceral fear before: www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...