It was described as a species brand new to science in 2025, found living in the button mangroves of the Florida Keys. As a caterpillar, it spends its early life tucked inside a single leaf, leaving winding "mines" behind as it feeds.

Meet Urodeta conocarpi, a leaf-mining moth so small you could easily go right past it without noticing. (Though, maybe not after reading this!) ⤵️

Without those observers in the right place at the right time, this 147-year-old mystery might never have been solved!

But between 2020 and 2023, community scientists posted photos from multiple locations across South Africa that became the first-ever images of this species alive.

Until recently, only two specimens of Axiodes insciata — an emerald-green geometrid moth — existed in the world, both collected in 1875 and held at the Natural History Museum in London.

For 147 years, people thought this moth was extinct. Community scientists on iNaturalist changed that. 🧵⤵️

Semifinal matchups are here! The Moth Cup continues, and these four moths are up for a spot in the finals. (Psst, the Large Yellow Underwing was our wild card from the first round!) Voting starts the morning of 7/21 Pacific time in our Instagram stories, one match per day. Who's your pick?

Just a few of the many spectacular friends seen during this year's #MothWeek celebrations!

📣 HAPPY MOTH WEEK! 📣 From now until July 26, things are going to be extremely moth-y on this page (prepare yourself). Here's a delightful little moth face (species Xanthodirphia amarilla) to kick things off.

The Moth Cup is on! Six moths from six continents, head to head, and it’s up to you to crown a champion for the year. Voting starts tomorrow in our Instagram stories, one match per day. And remember, the moth that loses by the smallest margin will have a second chance in the next round!

A rare find: Galeatus spinifrons, an Old World lace bug species introduced to North America. There are only 11 iNaturalist records of the species around the world, and you're looking at the only one from Eastern Canada (so far)!

Contestants, part 2:

Contestants, part 1:

Y'all hear we're hosting a totally serious and not at all silly competition in honor of #MothWeek? A peek at the contestants in thread. Voting starts July 17 in our Instagram Stories, so stay tuned. Feeling like we left out a moth that deserves to be in the competition? Let us know which one! ⤵️

Grass Snakes (Natrix natrix) primarily eat amphibians, but this one chose a different kind of snack.

Only ~10 iNaturalist observations exist of Pitcairnia alata — a stunning bromeliad endemic to Ecuador and known from just two subpopulations!

never gets old 🪲😌🐞

Calling all naturalists: become an iNaturalist Ambassador! Love sharing the natural world with others? Ambassadors are community members who help introduce new people to iNaturalist through talks, bioblitzes, guided walks, tabling at local events, and more. 🧵⤵️

When mycologists described this fungus in 2011, its spongy, folded body reminded them so much of a certain sea sponge that they made the tribute official — even after journal editors originally dismissed the name as "frivolous."

Meet Spongiforma squarepantsii. Yes, it's named after who you think.

Slime molds (like this Willkommlangea reticulata) never fail to impress ... especially as you zoom in closer.

Others string out long silk lines of their own — so that a passing web-weaver, anchoring its own web, fastens onto one of them and follows the thread straight to the waiting pirate spider. Either way, dinner is served.

Pirate spiders (family Mimetidae) hunt other spiders. Many species slip onto a neighbor's web and pluck at the silk, imitating the movements of a trapped insect or a courting mate to lure the resident close ...

We're looking for a CV/ML Engineer to help us improve the machine learning systems that power iNaturalist's species identification and geographic range modeling. If you're excited to help build tools that help millions of people engage with nature, we'd love to hear from you! Apply: buff.ly/YZqaW6c

These bright yellow frogs are male Indus Valley Bullfrogs (Hoplobatrachus tigerinus). They turn this color only during the breeding season — outside it, they're a more muted green or brown ... but still always look a little like they've seen something bewildering.

These are likely the first living photos of the isopod Nesodillo medius! According to iNaturalist community member and isopod identifier Grant Wang (ponerinecat), these photos could be the first record of the species in about 80 years.

There are only a handful of records of this beautiful crab, Geothelphusa aramotoi, on iNaturalist ... so far!

A cute, not-so-little snail face for your feed: meet the Red Giant (Indrella ampulla), a stunning species native to the Western Ghats of India.

You're currently face-to-face with a short-legged springtail likely in the subfamily Pseudachorutinae. Consider this encounter to be your sign to go look at some dirt a little closer; you'll probably find something cool!

Ah, to be a Greater Painted-Snipe (Rostratula benghalensis) hanging out along a muddy shoreline.