Jen Cross

@jencross

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Jen Cross@jencross· 20d

Yep! Got to see Volcano Hummingbirds there. It’s a great place.

A small hummingbird perched on a bare branch. He has gray/purplish/green forget feathers.

A small hummingbird hovering over colorful flowers.

A small hummingbird perched on a leaf. She had a white chest and a speckled throat.

Jen Cross@jencross· Jun 6

Happiness is a cozy pile of laundry. #caturday

A white cat curled up amid a pile of shirts, pants, and a pair of athletic shoes.

Jen Cross@jencross· May 31

When you’ve had enough for the day. #caturday

A white cat curled into a ball with his tail over his face. He is laying on a striped comforter.

Jen Cross@jencross· May 25

Kinda big. 😉

A photoshop showing a giant weevil standing in the middle of a city street.

Jen Cross@jencross· May 25

A weevil with a pseudoscorpion attached to its front leg, hitching a ride. Pseudoscorpions will often use other insects as Ubers to carry them around the forest, a commensal relationship called phoresis. It was exciting to see this in action. #invert El Septimo Paraiso Lodge, Ecuador

A tan weevil with black eyes and a reddish rostrum. It has a small scorpion looking critter attached to its front leg. This a pseudoscorpion hitching a ride. The weevil is standing on a leaf.

Jen Cross@jencross· May 24

I looked up this warbler to see if it migrates and Birds of the World said nope, "sedentary". The Spectacled Redstart calls the Andes Mountains home from Colombia south Bolivia. Like our North American warbler friends, this bird feeds on insects. 🪶 Guango Lodge, Ecuador

A bird with a red cap black on the face, and gray coloring on the wings and tail, with bright yellow around the eyes, chin, chest, and belly. It is perched on a thin branch with leaves and sun in the background.

Jen Cross@jencross· May 24

Some weevil goodness. This little friend has excellent camouflage for life in a mossy environment. (Coelosternus sp.) El Refugio de Intag, Ecuador #invert

A greenish-yellow weevil with black patches on the elytra, black eyes, and a black rostrum. It is standing on an orange leaf.

A greenish-yellow weevil with black patches on the elytra, black eyes, and a black rostrum. It is standing on an orange leaf. Side view near the stem of the leaf.

A greenish-yellow weevil with black patches on the elytra, black eyes, and a black rostrum. It is standing in a mossy patch and very hard to see.

Jen Cross@jencross· May 24

These birds have a very stylish crest. Carunculated Caracara, Pichincha Mountain, Ecuador

Head shot - A bird with a black feathers on the head and neck and black crest. It has orange skin on the face and a whitish-silver beak.

Jen Cross@jencross· May 24

Carunculated Caracara spotting the landing. These birds are only found in the high Andes Mountains of Ecuador and southern Colombia. They will feed on almost anything including worms, maggots, rodents, birds, and lizards. Caracaras are in the same family as falcons. 🪶 Antisana National Park, Ecuador

A bird with a black cap and black on top side of the wings, white on the underside of the front of the wing, strong black and white banding on the chest and belly, white leg feathers, and a black and white tail. The bird has its wings spread and is landing on a muddy roadside with dry grass in the background.

Jen Cross@jencross· May 18

These two moths were hanging out on a wall making baby moths. The color of the wall makes the photo look like an old-timey science illustration. Pug Moths (Tribe Eupitheciini) El Refugio de Intag, Ecuador

Two moths with mottled green and brown coloring on a tan wall. They are abdomen to abdomen and facing away from each other.

Jen Cross@jencross· May 18

The bug light at El Refugio de Intag was pretty good. Here are some fancy moths that made an appearance. Still working on ID's for them. El Refugio de Intag, Ecuador

A dark yellow moth with bluish black markings on its wings. It is standing on a white sheet.

A greenish moth with patches of burnt orange and tan on its wings. It is standing on a white sheet.

A brown moth with a pattern of light yellowish markings on the forward part of its wings. It is standing on a white sheet.

A yellow moth with metallic patterns on its wings. It is standing on a white sheet.

Jen Cross@jencross· May 18

This cartoonish caterpillar will pupate into a large sphinx moth. I'm guessing the disguise is to fool birds into thinking it's a snake? A very, very goofy snake. Not a snack. (Xylophanes crotonis) #invert El Refugio de Intag, Ecuador

A chonky pale green caterpillar with bright blue eye spots. It is standing on green leaves. Side view.

A chonky pale green caterpillar with bright blue eye spots. It is standing on green leaves. Front view.

Jen Cross@jencross· May 18

A lacewing larva carts around a bunch of debris, including the husks of conquered prey, to help disguise itself. El Refugio de Intag, Ecuador

A small tan insect with a bunch of debris on its back. It is walking on a leaf.

Jen Cross@jencross· May 9

One of the best feathers I’ve found, very obviously from a yellow-shafted Northern Flicker. It’s incredibly cool to see it up close. 🪶

A feather with a dark brown wavy pattern in the middle and tan at the edges. The shaft of the feather is bright yellow.

Jen Cross@jencross· May 9

Cape May Warbler in the yard this morning! This bird is passing through on his way north to his summer breeding grounds. A super nice find for my area. 🪶

A bird with a streaked yellow chest and bell, rusty orange cheeks and a black beak. He is perched on a bare branch with some spring leaves in front. The sky is cloudy.

Jen Cross@jencross· May 2

My coworker Snowman is very pleased I was back in the office this week. #caturday

A white cat sitting on a ran desk next to a computer minute. There is window over his should to the left and a blue wall to the right.

Jen Cross@jencross· May 2

This is a different one, but it’s about the same size.

Jen Cross@jencross· May 1

Not sure about this one, but some millipedes secrete cyanide as a defense against predators like birds and rodents. It’s not enough to harm a human and we handle them all the time. The red and black ones are super energetic!

Jen Cross@jencross· May 1

Alright, it's almost midnight here so I guess I'll wrap up #Invertefest with an epic millipede we found on a night hike in Mindo, Ecuador. More birds and bugs to come...

A black and red millipede with lighter orange legs. It is curled into a ball and on some light colored wood chips.

Jen Cross@jencross· May 1

A paper wasp watches over her brood. This is a fun shot showing all the stages of the kids - eggs, larvae, and a few cells where new wasps are pupating (bottom right). (Mischocyttarus sp.?) #Invertefest El Septimo Paraiso, Mindo, Ecuador

A yellow wasp with tan on the top of the abdominal segments, body and head. She is standing on a nest and the cells to the left have small eggs, the ones on the middle have larvae, and two on the bottom right are closed with wasps pupating inside. The nest is on the underside of a leaf.

Jen Cross@jencross· May 1

This beetle reminds me of a recent conversation @americanbeetles.bsky.social had about tiny featureless weevils. It looks like it has weevil feet, but no obvious snout. I stuck it under Coleoptera on iNat because there is no obvious ID. A weird one for the last day of #invertefest AblMindo, Ecuador

A black beetle with red around the outside of the elytra. It is sitting flat on the underside of a leaf. The front feet look like weevil paws. Dorsal view.

A black beetle with red around the outside of the elytra. It is sitting flat on the underside of a leaf. The front feet look like weevil paws. View from the front.

Jen Cross@jencross· May 1

Turning the lights out on a harvester - this gif transitions from normal light to UV light. Compounds in the exoskeleton absorb and re-emit ultraviolet light as visible light. This phenomenon is called biofluorescence. #invertefest (Phareicranaus sp.) Refugio del Intag, Ecuador

Jen Cross@jencross· Apr 30

Some beetle squeaks for you! If you listen carefully, this beetle is making a squeaking sound by rubbing its wings against its abdomen. It’s not happy with being picked up. #invertefest (Veturius sp.?) Cotacachi, Ecuador

Jen Cross@jencross· Apr 30

When you arrive at El Septimo Paraiso, one of the first insects you'll find is a stunning blue mud cricket. They are very common in the forests around Septimo. Per iNat this family of insects is not well studied and many aspects of their biology are poorly know. (Ripipteryx sp.) Mindo, Ecuador

A metallic blue cricket with white edges to its body parts. It is standing on a leaf with greenery in the background.

Jen Cross@jencross· Apr 29

White-winged Brushfinch out looking for breakfast. These birds are believed to eat insects, berries, and fruit, and call Ecuador and Peru home. 🪶 El Refugio de Intag, Ecuador

A bird with a rusty colored cap, black cheek and beak, white chin, light gray chest and belly, and dark gray on the back, wings, and tail with white wing bars. It is standing on some dead leaves with green leaves in the background.

Jen Cross@jencross· Apr 29

A treehopper mom guards her eggs from predators and parasites. Many treehoppers have an enlarged pronotum (the segment behind the head), in this case resembling thorns. (Alchisme sp.) El Refugio de Intag, Ecuador #Invertefest

A greenish yellow insect with three large horns protruding from above her head. She sits above a cluster of eggs that have been deposited in the stem of a leaf.

Jen Cross@jencross· Apr 29

I think this cute little sausage with rhinoceros horns is a Darkling Beetle in Subfamily Phrenapatinae. True to their name, beetles in this family are commonly found in dark spaces. Most species are omnivorous scavengers. El Refugio de Intag, Ecuador #Invertefest

A small warm brown beetle with small horns. It is standing on a gray rock amid yellow-green plants.

Jen Cross@jencross· Apr 29

The Olivaceous Piculet is a tiny woodpecker, only about 10cm (4in) tall, found in Central and South America. These birds eat mostly ants and termites and unlike other woodpeckers, they do not use their tail for support. 🪶 Sendero Frutti Tour, Pedro Vicente Macdonaldo, Ecuador

A small bird with brown wings and tail, black cap speckled in yellow and white, and light tan chest and belly. It is perched on a branch with green leaves in the background.

Jen Cross@jencross· Apr 25

Got my Merlin Bird of the Day, Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle… 😏 Tambo Condor, Ecuador

A photo showing a magnet with a large gray bird of prey on it and my phone showing the Merlin Bird of the Day.

Jen Cross@jencross· Apr 25

Looking for Andean Condors in all the wrong places…