The Twenty-Spotted Lady Beetle, aka the WEE TINY LADYBUG (Psyllobora vigintimaculata). This is a fungus-feeding #ladybug who feasts on powdery mildew! (Excellent reason not to use fungicide on your outside plants)

Are Alfalfa Leafcutters (Megachile rotundata) the cutest bee? These guys are nonnative to the US, but were bred here starting in the 1960s to help with alfalfa pollination. Today they are mostly bred in Canada and used for agriculture but there are established populations in the US

Neighborly Mining Bee (Andrena vicina) visiting my tiny pollinator garden. True to their common name, they were exceedingly polite

Ecstatic to find this new-to-me species of #Ladybeetle in my yard! This is a Twice-Stabbed Ladybeetle (Chilocorus stigma) native to almost all of North America

As soon as the Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea) bloom, #pollinators show up in droves!
Ligated Furrow Bee (Halictus ligatus), Margined Calligrapher (Toxomerus marginatus), and *I think* Bristle Sweat #Bee (Lasioglossum imitatum)

This bee has been hard at work, and needs a bit of a nap. What better place than a Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) flower? #iNaturalist suggests Lasioglossum pilosum, a species of Metallic Sweat #Bee but I always have trouble identifying Sweat Bees down to species.

Oh My Gaia - check out these Azure Bluets (Houstonia caerulea)! #Bluets don't get taller than about 4 inches. They do well in those partial shady spots where grass is sparse and moss is growing, or under trees. Host plant for the Spotted Thyris moth (Thyris maculata) and native to the eastern US

#Serviceberry in bloom (Amelanchier arborea). I suggest we plant Serviceberries to replace all the Callery Pear trees in Ohio

Last night the first #Bloodroot flower had just barely opened, and by this morning she had fallen over. Really puts the "Ephemeral" in "Spring Ephemeral"
(Sanguinaria canadensis)

Happy #NativePlant Month to this lovely #WildLeek (Allium tricoccum). These spring delicacies can take years to mature and are vulnerable to overharvesting. The most sustainable way to harvest is to take 1 leaf from each plant.

I can't wait to try one single leaf from my backyard this year!

Take a moment to breathe and admire the way Dutchman's Breeches leaves unfurl (Dicentra cucullaria). Happy Native Plant Month, little #springephemeral friend.

Virginia #Bluebells are on their way (Mertensia virginica)! Support your local indigenous insects, your local indigenous plants, and your local community

I caught a ton of migrating Spotted #Salamanders, Wood #Frogs, and #Spring Peepers, at Allegheny State Park on Friday night. Kudos to the lovely Park Ranger who nerded out with me. I was their only Salamander Tourist!

My first backyard bug of the year is this tiny Birch Catkin Bug (Kleidocerys resedae), a tiny seed bug native to the US, Northern Asia, and Europe. I have no nearby Birch trees but they seem to be enjoying the Mountainmint seedheads!

Spotted #Salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) crossing the road to vernal pools for the spring mating season. Thanks #Cleveland metroparks for shutting down the road and letting folks make friends with these little dudes!

Happy Salamander Migration to all who celebrate! The Brecksville Metropark shuts down the road every year to protect migrating amphibians, and allows the public to bring flashlights to spot them crossing the road. This is an absolutely gorgeous Jefferson Salamander (Ambystoma jeffersonianum)