Leg cleaning.

It's finally Leaf Time, and someone is very excited about it

Ecuadorian Hillstar (Oreotrochilus chimborazo), male, family Trochilidae, order Apodiformes, Ecuador

photograph by Ignacio Yúfera (@ignacio_yufera)

Taxonomy Tournament: Insects Finale!

Coleoptera. This order is made up of beetles. It is the largest of all orders, containing 25% of all known animal species. Members include ladybugs, fireflies and hercules beetles

Hymenoptera. This order is made up of wasps, ants, and bees. Their mouthparts are adapted for chewing, or in many species have become a proboscis for sucking nectar.

@gothwasps

@waspsinyouryard

@a-wasp-in-the-hand

@xylocopavirginica

@addicted2wasps

@waspfriends

@wasp-apologist

@sherry-the-wasp

@jupiterswasphouse

@antposting

I hate to pit two whole orders of innumerable bad bitches against one another but I've been called upon to fuel this raging war! Thusly, I must give my "I'm sorry, I love you", and share with everyone some of my favorite hymenopterans

The great golden digger, Sphex ichneumoneus! (Source: Myself)

The american pelecinid, Pelecinus polyturator! (Source: Myself)

Cuckoo wasps! (Source: Myself)

Paper wasps! (Source: Myself)

Red velvet ants/wasps, Dasymutilla occidentalis! (Source: Myself)

Marietta genus Aphelinid wasps! (Source: Texas AgriLife)

Monoctenus juniperi sawflies! (Source: Insecta.Pro)

Iridescent sweat bees! (Source: Myself)

Carpenter bees! (Source: Myself)

Honeypot ants! (Source: Fact Animal)

and big-headed ants! I mainly mean visually here, come on, look at this guy (Source: Alex Wild)

I could go on for a whiiiile with waspaganda if need be ^^

[VIDEO AND PHOTOS TAKEN: JUNE 9TH AND JUNE 8TH, 2023, RESPECTIVELY | Video and Image IDs: A video and five photos of orange, yellow, and black great golden digger wasps digging nests in dirt. In the video, the wasp is in the middle of digging before it notices a piece of glass and attempts to carry it away from the dig site, seeming satisfied with where it ends up putting it, proceeding to go back to move more things around /End IDs.]

This is the thing I've been looking forward to posting the most this month!! This wasp simply does not like the presence of the glass it seems- Honestly I think great golden digger wasps are some of my favorites just from a visual standpoint :]