Sam
LightNews LightNews
banner
sjberger.bsky.social
Sam
@sjberger.bsky.social
800 followers 240 following 320 posts
Minnesotan. Dad. Plant-lover. Bewildered denizen of the anthropocene.
Posts Replies Media Videos
sjberger.bsky.social
A Zhoran-style sign reading "Schumer for Retirement"
November 10, 2025 at 10:47 PM
sjberger.bsky.social
Any entomology folks able to help me figure what's going on in this bee balm seed head? iNat suggests Neortholomus scolopax (a seed bug) but I can't find much useful information beyond that...

Could also possibly be a fungus of some sort?

#inverts #NativePlants #entomology #mycology
A cluster of calyxes on a slender stem. The normally empty-appearing dry calyxes are all filled with a white fluffy material.
October 14, 2025 at 11:51 PM
sjberger.bsky.social
Just spotted this guy today!
Nothing to see here. Not an ambush bug hiding in the middle of a coreopsis. Nope.
September 11, 2025 at 8:45 PM
sjberger.bsky.social
Evolution is an incredible artist. I was happy to find this weird little guy in my garden yesterday.

#Inverts #NativePlants
A red, orange and black moth sits on a coneflower. The colors of the disc flowers perfectly echo those of the moth's wings.
September 11, 2025 at 2:27 PM
sjberger.bsky.social
Ain't no party like an ox-eye party
Cuz an ox-eye party has multiple bee species.

#Inverts #NativePlants
A yellow ox-eye with a pair of fuzzy long-horned bees and a shiny green sweat bee. This party don't stop.
September 4, 2025 at 2:16 PM
sjberger.bsky.social
In honor of #invertefest the black swallowtail my kids have been raising from a caterpillar decided to emerge today.

It came into the house on a native flower bouquet from our garden that included golden alexanders.

#NativePlants
A black swallowtail butterfly rests on a stem. It is mostly black with orange, blue and pale yellow markings.
August 28, 2025 at 2:49 AM
sjberger.bsky.social
And here it is!
A black swallowtail grasping to a stick, freshly emerged from its chrysalis. It's mostly black with orange, blue and pale yellow markings.
August 28, 2025 at 2:31 AM
sjberger.bsky.social
This little guy hitched inside on golden alexanders in a bouquet. My son and I are raising him in the kitchen now.
Little black swallowtail caterpillar (1st instar?) on a golden alexander carrot like flower head
July 30, 2025 at 2:55 PM
sjberger.bsky.social
Did some bug portraits in the prairie garden this morning.

#NativePlants #Inverts
Pale yellow and black tiger swallowtail butterfly in profile, perched on the dark orange center of a purple coneflower. A small yellow ruddy fuzzy friendly skipper butterfly perched on a green leaf. Sadly the insect is slightly out of focus. A dragonfly with a striking red body and white face crouched on a closed green coreopsis flower head. It looks ready to start some shit. A round bodied beetle with shiny red and black elytra crawling across an appetizing green leaf
July 28, 2025 at 3:13 AM
sjberger.bsky.social
the best part of waking up
is milkweed in your cup

(spent a spontaneous 10 minutes digging A.tuberosa volunteers from the lawn. they'll find new homes in the front yard...)

#NativePlants #FlowerReport
A white ceramic coffee mug full of baby butterfly milkweed sits in short lawn grass on the edge of a native garden. An orange handled trowel and leather gloves are on the ground next to it. Orange milkweed flowers hang above the mug, sprawling out from the garden.
July 24, 2025 at 5:27 PM
sjberger.bsky.social
Heck yeah swallowtail visiting the garden.

#NativePlants #inverts
A pale yellow and black striped swallowtail butterfly sipping nectar from pale pink bergamot. The orange and blue-great markings are visible on the underwing. A rusty gazebo is visible out of focus. The same pale yellow and black striped swallowtail butterfly sipping nectar from pale pink bergamot, this time showing the upper wing surfaces without the orange and blue-gray.
July 22, 2025 at 3:05 PM
sjberger.bsky.social
Drag queen showing off her beach bod

#inverts
A pale dragonfly, perched on the dark husk of its former self. Ready for hot dragon summer.
June 26, 2025 at 1:14 AM
sjberger.bsky.social
Today's reading. Thanks for your pinned post sharing this history.
The cover of the book The Forbidden Garden by Simon Parkin. An open book on a table. The left page is a photo of Nikolai Vavilov at his desk. The right page is the first of a chapter titled DO NOT FORGET MY NAME.
June 22, 2025 at 9:20 PM
sjberger.bsky.social
Always happy to see a new plant flowering from seed in my prairie garden. This spiderwort was seeded 3 years ago.

#NativePlants
Three vibrant purple petals contrasting six small yellow balls of pollen, all against a verdant green background. These were probably the official flower of the Minneapolis Lakers before they were stolen to LA.
June 21, 2025 at 3:00 AM
sjberger.bsky.social
Any bsky #NativePlants gardeners have experience splitting/transplanting meadow-rue? I'd like to move some of this to a new area, but it's been slow to fill in here so I don't want to kill it. Any advice welcome!
Airy, light green leaves seem to float above the ground in a large, low cloud on the edge of a cement patio.
June 16, 2025 at 9:40 PM
sjberger.bsky.social
Found this weird little guy on a soggy shoelace. Drinking water, I guess?

Per iNat, it's a Hobomok skipper (Lon hobomok).

#inverts #Minnesota
A tiny fuzzy brown butterfly with yellow markings on its folded wings. It's perched on a bright blue shoelace, apparently using it's long black proboscis to extract a refreshing drink?
June 11, 2025 at 1:26 AM
sjberger.bsky.social
Yellow Lady Slippers glowing in the woods at Lake Itasca.

#NativePlants #Minnesota #FlowerReport
Two orchid flowers with a large yellow cup-like lower petal. The side petals are long, dark purple, and twisted like a cartoon villain mustache. The effect is Wario-like. Seven Wario flowers against a background of wet green leaves. A large clump of yellow Wario flowers in a sea of lush green leaves.
June 10, 2025 at 12:50 PM
sjberger.bsky.social
Even in the rain, the bitty pollinators love the bitty figwort flowers.

#NativePlants #Inverts
A tiny bee-mimic fly with large black eyes perched on the top petals of an equally tiny tube-shaped figwort flower.
June 3, 2025 at 3:33 PM
sjberger.bsky.social
In a couple of years, this will be filled with native Minnesota prairie plants. Always grateful for clients who dream big (and have patience and trust, lol)

#NativePlants
A large, pine straw-covered slope in front of a suburban home. It's a large space, about 1/8 acre. Under the straw is a heavy dusting of seeds from native plants. There are a few green sumac and goldenrod plants within the garden space.
May 28, 2025 at 10:50 PM
sjberger.bsky.social
I saw a monarch in my garden today, so that was good.

#NativePlants #inverts
A perfect orange butterfly with black veins and white speckles. A miracle of nature, all the way from Mexico to eat my milkweed and procreate.
May 24, 2025 at 2:58 AM
sjberger.bsky.social
Or, if you are less patient (like me) rent a sod cutter and go to town! Rake the exposed soil, then hand broadcast a native seed mix. Wait a couple years, et voila!
A two year old native seed-planted garden, busting at the seams with black-eyes susans among other native plants.
May 1, 2025 at 1:25 PM
sjberger.bsky.social
Saw some fantastic woodland flowers at Interstate Minnesota State Park.

#NativePlants #FlowerReport
White flowers with yellow stamen hanging upside down above mottled fishy leaves. White pantaloon flowers above a spread of lacy green leaves. Two pink five-petals flowers next to a clump of green sedge. Brown leaves and grass are out of focus in the background. Delicate light purple flowers float on fuzzy stems above dead leaves and new green shoots.
April 28, 2025 at 1:35 AM
sjberger.bsky.social
I found this Weird Little Guy in the garden this morning. In flight, it sounded exactly like a bumblebee. iNat says it's a Bumble flower beetle.

Plant native plants, get weird little native inverts!

#NativePlants #inverts
A dark brown insect on a light brown leaf. It has a fuzzy body under a hard, mottled brown and tan pair of elytra. Short, tri-forked antennae protrude from it's head.
April 23, 2025 at 9:02 PM
sjberger.bsky.social
White-headed things from my backyard this morning:

#NativePlants #Birds
The bright white petals of a hepatica flower, still partially enclosed in the bud White pasque flower hidden inside an emerging bid. A bald eagle perched on a sturdy branch
April 12, 2025 at 5:48 PM
sjberger.bsky.social
This tree has a weird knot on it.

🪶 #Birds #Owls
A vertically striped white and brown owl perched on a small branch close to a tree trunk. Its dark eyes appear to be squinting.
March 19, 2025 at 11:07 PM