Eric R. Eaton

@bugeric

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. he/him/they

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Bluesky

¿Es tu perfil?Reclámalo y bugeric.dirty.social es tuyo.Reclamar perfil

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· 21d

How is your #mothweek going? This large White-lined Sphinx, Hyles lineata, was the star of the show at our backyard blacklight last night. Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. Please share *your* moths. #bugsky #bugwatching #nationalmothweek #insects #moths

Large, delta-winged moth with narrow wings, overall brown in color with numerous crisscross white stripes, and pink on the slightly exposed hind wing, resting on the bottom of a white sheet and lawn.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· 24d

Spotted this lovely End Band Net-winged Beetle, Calopteron terminale, on a redbud leaf behind our backyard fence today. It is about 20 millimeters or so, and obviously colorful. Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. #bugsky #bugwatching #insects #beetles

Elongate, pear-shaped beetle, orange with iridescent blue on the rear third of the elytra (wing covers). Elytra with longitudinal ridges, and less noticeable transverse ridges in the grooves between the ridges, creating a net-like pattern. Antennae are long and black, legs also black. Beetle is sitting on a leaf in daylight.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· Jul 12

This paper wasp nest is on the frame of our front door, between the screen door and the heavy door. We’re allowing it because other nests are failing. Here, two wasps are chewing up a caterpillar to feed to their larval siblings. Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. #bugsky #bugwatching #insects

A pair of female paper wasps on their nest, having divided a caterpillar prey item to feed to their larval siblings. Nest suspended from a door frame.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· Jul 10

Flipped on the front porch light tonight, and this spectacular longhorned beetle, the Ivory-marked Beetle (Eburia quadrigeminata), flew in. Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. #bugsky #bugwatching #insects #beetles

Large, elongate, amber-brown beetle with very long antennae. Each elytron (wing cover) is marked with a pair of ivory quotation marks. Insect is sprawled on a white background (casserole dish).

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· Jul 4

A wonderful interview I had with @ryanfm.bsky.social has borne fruit in this article in the new issue of Audubon magazine. He is a wonderful human being, who has a Substack called “Wild NYC.” #bugsky #bugwatching #article #Audubon

Cover of Audubon magazine, summer 2026 issue, featuring a photo of an Osprey flying off with a fish in its talons.

A page in the summer, 2026 issue of Audubon magazine, with an article titled “Bugwatching is the New Birding,” with a sidebar on how to “Build a Bug Hotel.”

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· Jun 30

We just returned from field trips and national meeting of Dragonfly Society of the Americas, this year based in Hot Springs, North Carolina, USA. We saw relatively few species, among them the Black-shouldered Spinyleg, a female of which is shown here. #bugsky #bugwatching #dragonflies

Large “clubtail” dragonfly, dark brown (nearly black), with broken yellow stripe running down the entire length of its body. Slightly swollen tip of abdomen. The insect is resting on a large rock in a forested habitat near a large, shallow river.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· Jun 15

An unexpected benefit of tagging along on @heidi-eaton.bsky.social ‘s breeding bird survey was finding this gorgeous Elderberry Borer, Desmocerus palliatus. Leavenworth County, Kansas, USA, this morning. #bugsky #bugwatching #beetles #insects

Relatively large beetle, iridescent blue with a broad orange-yellow band across the middle, and long, hooked antennae, facing northeast, sitting on an elderberry leaf.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· Jun 14

I will put my camera photos on Flickr eventually.

Large brown bird with ivory bill, resembling a cross between a cormorant and a gull, sitting on a rock wall around the edge of a man made lake in an urban park.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· Jun 14

Brown Booby has been hanging out by Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, much to the excitement of local birders. Today, June 13. #birdsky #birding #birds

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· Jun 11

I will personally donate copies of books I have written, if you want. These two, plus “Wasps: The Astonishing Diversity of a Misunderstood Insect,” and “Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America.” Keep up the great work!

Two books. Orange one is “Insectpedia: A Brief Compendium of Insect Lore.” Green one is “Bugwatching: The Art, Joy, and Importance of Observing Insects.”

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· Jun 8

This weekend, @heidi-eaton.bsky.social and I led “bug walks “ as part of a bioblitz in Lordi Marker Prairie, managed by @moprairie.bsky.social. This is a great annual event, each time at a different prairie. South of Sedalia, Missouri, USA. #bugsky #bugwatching #bioblitz #iNaturalist

Several people fanning out from a mowed trail through a prairie. Tree line in distance, and mostly cloudy skies.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· Jun 3

Finally found a fresh cocoon of a ribbed cocoon-maker moth, genus Bucculatrix, complete with the tiny, circular “picket fence” of short tufts of silk. Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. #bugsky #bugwatching #moths #mothing #insects

Very small, linear moth cocoon, with vertical ribs, and encircled by a “picket fence” of short tufts of silk. On the underside of an oak leaf.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· Jun 3

This female Asian Tiger Mosquito has no sympathy for me after I just finished donating blood.

Mosquito, black with ornate white stripes and bands, feeding on my hand.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· May 30

Wednesday night through a little after midnight, I put up the blacklight in our front yard. This White-dotted Prominent moth, Nadata gibbosa, was easily the star of the show. Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. #bugsky #bugwatching #moths #mothing #insects

Beautiful pale brown moth with a pair of thin, transverse lines across each wing, and two tiny white dots between those lines. Moth is on a white sheet, facing up, head hidden.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· May 24

Stilt-legged flies, like this Rainieria antennaepes, are such cool wasp mimics. From our back yard in Leavenworth, Kansas, USA, yesterday. #bugsky #bugwatching #flies #insects #Diptera

Very slender fly with long legs, sitting on a leaf. Body of fly is black, eyes red, legs broadly banded with black and dull yellow in basal half, black otherwise. Front feet are white. Wings are clear, with a transverse black band, and black wingtips.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· May 22

Beautiful little jewel beetle, Anthaxia cyanella most likely, on a dogwood leaf. From my neighborhood walk this morning in Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. #bugsky #bugwatching #beetles #insects

Small, bullet-shaped beetle, metallic blue, sitting on the tip of a leaf, facing northwest.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· May 21

The Brown Bark Carpet, Horisme intestinata, is always a nice geometer moth to see. Leavenworth, Kansas, USA, May 20. #bugsky #bugwatching #mothing #moths #insects

Broad-winged moth, facing southeast, on an algae-stained wooden fence. Overall color of the moth is pale grayish brown with many fine, wavy black, horizontal lines across the back half of the wings.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· May 20

Considerably cooler today in the wake of strong storms last night, but I still found yet another new longhorned beetle for our yard: Urgleptes querci. This one is under 10 millimeters. Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. #bugsky #bugwatching #beetles #insects

Small, silvery gray beetle, with black “Batman” mark, and smaller black markings. Long antennae swept back, but held close to the body. Resting on algae-stained wooden fence.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· May 17

When I went out to check the blacklight Friday night, I noticed this golden beauty on the door frame, away from the light. A female Linden Borer, Saperda vestita. Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. #bugsky #beetles #insects #bugwatching

Elongate beetle, gold in color with four oblique black hash marks midway down the back, and long orange antennae, perched at the tip of a twig in a brush pile.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· May 16

Put the blacklight out in the back yard last night, and this big, amazing male Hickory Borer, Knulliana cincta, flew in. Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. #bugsky #beetles #insects #bugwatching

Large, narrow beetle, with extremely long antennae, facing right. Color is velvety brown, not terribly evident in this photo, with a pair of oblique, ochre hash marks about halfway down the back.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· May 15

Tonight’s moth du jour is a male Ambiguous Moth, one of the “litter moths” in the family Erebidae. Our Leavenworth, Kansas, USA front porch light. #bugsky #moths #mothing #insects

Moth, triangular in shape, overall brown in color with broad, horizontal bands of purplish gray, and a trio of tiny silvery dots near the center of each wing. Resting on a post on our wooden porch.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· May 12

At our front porch light a few minutes ago: Black-dotted Glyph moth, Maliattha synochitis. Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. #bugsky #moths #mothing #insects

Small moth, facing southwest, under our front porch light. Mottled white and mossy green, with a few black marks and spots.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· May 10

At one point today we had nine Baltimore Orioles and six Orchard Orioles in our little back yard. We put out multiple orange halves and some grape jelly. Leavenworth, Kansas, USA, about one block south of the federal penitentiary. #birdsky #birding #wildlife

Our back yard, with a wooden perimeter fence, what passes for a “lawn,” a prefabricated pond ringed with stones, plus a little waterfall, and bird feeders. A female House Finch is perched on the right side of the cylindrical seed feeder, and two male Baltimore Orioles are on the arm with the dish featuring orange halves and jelly.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· May 2

At the Linda Hall Library in Kansas City, Missouri, right now.

Front of library with poster of scheduled events, on lawn, with trees, on a sunny day.

Poster of scheduled events, on lawn, outdoors.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· Apr 23

I was afraid the #CityNatureChallenge was going to be a washout here in the Kansas City area, USA, but if we survive the storms tonight, the next couple of days are favorable. Please participate via @inaturalist.bsky.social. Moth is Macaria sp., Leavenworth, Kansas. #bugsky

Moth, with angular wings, resting on fallen leaves. Overall color is beige, with darker lines and patches, especially near wingtips.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· Apr 21

Apparently I just missed #butterflyweek, but I spotted this Harvester only yesterday. Its caterpillar stage feeds on woolly aphids instead of foliage. These are briefly common in spring. Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. #bugsky #insects #butterflies

Small butterfly, perched head down on a honeysuckle twig, in the sun. We are seeing the underside of its wings. Wings are overall warm brown with a flush of bright ochre visible on the forewing. There are a few white rings, and random white “frosting.”

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· Apr 20

Smoky sunset over Baker Wetlands in Lawrence, Kansas, USA this evening. We were looking for King Rail birds that have been heard there recently. We heard maybe two, but, like everyone else, didn’t see them.

Sunset over a wetland, through smoke from distant rangeland seasonal burns.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· Apr 15

Quite blustery tonight, but warm and humid, so turned on the light by our garage. This Baltimore Snout, Hypena baltimoralis, was one of the few visitors. Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. #bugsky #moths #mothing #insects

Moth with triangular shape, head up, on a wooden fence at night. Color of moth is pale gray with black patches, and black crescents near wingtips.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· Apr 8

Doing chores can have its rewards. Taking out the trash just now, I found this Barberry Geometer moth on the inside latch of our screen door. Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. #bugsky #moths #mothing #insects

Moth on inside latch of screen door. Moth has broad, triangular wings with broad, transverse bands of gray and brown-ochre.

Eric R. Eaton@bugeric· Apr 7

Luna Moth selfie! This male was hanging from a branch of invasive honeysuckle close to the forest floor. Leavenworth, Kansas, USA, April 6, 2026. #bugsky #moths #mothing