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splodinvark.bsky.social
splodinvark
@splodinvark.bsky.social
320 followers 1.3K following 490 posts
low-vision creature lurking in the undergrowth

Gardening for wildlife in USDA zone 6 (previously 5! climate changed!) #NativePlants; she/her

PFP: passionflower in the garden
Banner: bullfrog in the pond
Posts Replies Media Videos
splodinvark.bsky.social
Black witch moth on the garage today. Wingspan around four inches.
#inverts
Large brown moth with intricate markings. One of her wings has taken some damage
October 5, 2025 at 4:31 AM
splodinvark.bsky.social
Here’s a smaller one, still in the Very Hungry phase
#Invertefest
A small brown and white caterpillar on a half-eaten spicebush leaf. Dark spots on its back and the larger front part of its body make it look like an extremely truncated snake is looking at you
August 27, 2025 at 9:05 PM
splodinvark.bsky.social
Not sure why this large spicebush swallowtail caterpillar is hanging out on a yellow leaf. Maybe thinking about pupating?
#Invertefest
Spicebush swallowtail in its final caterpillar phase, viewed from above on a yellow leaf. It resembles a very short brown snake
August 27, 2025 at 4:40 AM
splodinvark.bsky.social
Weighing in late but it looks like one to me. Right now there are some larvae in the garden here in the leaf tent stage
Spicebush leaf that has been folded over along a long trail that the caterpillar ate earlier
August 9, 2025 at 10:33 AM
splodinvark.bsky.social
Happy International Cat Day
August 8, 2025 at 7:01 PM
splodinvark.bsky.social
My partner accidentally captured #bee drama at this Kankakee mallow in our garden today, and I’ve watched it approximately fifty times
#NativePlants
August 4, 2025 at 4:38 AM
splodinvark.bsky.social
Spooky Flora
#Caturday
A calico cat’s head eerily rises above an upward-facing lamp in front of a red wall
August 3, 2025 at 4:36 AM
splodinvark.bsky.social
Feels like fireflies are widely appreciated
Firefly with an orange-red helmet with a black spot. Its wings are black with light edges, and it’s resting on a large leaf
July 26, 2025 at 12:30 AM
splodinvark.bsky.social
Every sundown I hear a tree frog commuting over the patio roof from the wall to the trellis. Last evening I heard rustling in the hop leaves soon after and managed to spot the frog. #Herps
June 17, 2025 at 2:55 AM
splodinvark.bsky.social
Frogs are holding a festival down by the old train tracks, dogs are barking about something, and over here it’s a firefly sanctuary. Also it smells great because the basswood is blooming. #Inverts #Herps
June 17, 2025 at 2:45 AM
splodinvark.bsky.social
First harvest, June 7. Three suppers for two of this amount of peapods (cooked with Chinese sausage, onion, garlic, and ginger) so far
A blue plastic basket containing several handfuls of snow peas
June 16, 2025 at 3:23 AM
splodinvark.bsky.social
Purple milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens)
#BloomScrolling #FlowerReport #NativePlants
An umbel of small, bright magenta flowers
June 10, 2025 at 9:33 PM
splodinvark.bsky.social
Pasture rose (Rosa carolina) flowering for the first time
#BloomScrolling #FlowerReport #NativePlants
Pale pink five-petaled flower with lots of pollen in its center
June 10, 2025 at 4:36 AM
splodinvark.bsky.social
Native to eastern North America, the purple-flowering raspberry (Rubus odoratus) is a magnificent, thornless perennial shrub
#BloomScrolling #FlowerReport #NativePlants
A striking magenta flower with five petals and a circle of bright yellow pollen in its center. Several unopened fuzzy flower buds are nearby among the leaves, rising on purple stalks A bright green leaf reminiscent of a maple leaf, larger than my hand shown for reference
May 28, 2025 at 4:10 AM
splodinvark.bsky.social
First snow pea flower of the season
#BloomScrolling #FlowerReport
Closeup of a small, delicate flower dangling from its stem like a gooseneck lamp, in shades of pale pink. It’s surrounded by leaves, and another flower is starting to emerge nearby
May 25, 2025 at 2:20 PM
splodinvark.bsky.social
Red admiral butterfly on a blackberry flower
#inverts #insects #butterflies #BloomScrolling #FlowerReport
A black butterfly with red bands and white spots feeds on one of several pale pink flowers
May 24, 2025 at 3:04 AM
splodinvark.bsky.social
Sweetshrub (Calycanthus x “Aphrodite”) in bloom with southern arrow-wood buds (Viburnum dentatum)
#BloomScrolling #FlowerReport #NativePlants
A large, dark red flower with several unopened buds around it on a smooth-leafed shrub, and in the foreground a big cluster of unopened white flower buds accompanied by veined serrated leaves
May 22, 2025 at 4:09 AM
splodinvark.bsky.social
At one point today, we had eight simultaneous weather alerts in Central Illinois
4:58 Weather Alerts Severe Weather Statement Expires at 5:45 PM Today Tornado Watch Expires at 10:00 PM Today High Wind Warning Expires at 7:00 PM Today Dust Storm Warning Expires at 6:45 PM Today Severe Thunderstorm Warning Expires at 5:45 PM Today Special Weather Statement Expires at 7:00 PM Today Special Weather Statement Expires at 6:00 PM Today Blowing Dust Advisory Expires at 7:00 PM Today
May 17, 2025 at 4:11 AM
splodinvark.bsky.social
American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens)
#BloomScrolling #FlowerReport #NativePlants
Many big, drooping clusters of light purple flowers on a vine with delicate leaves
May 16, 2025 at 2:53 AM
splodinvark.bsky.social
A study in contrast
#BloomScrolling #FlowerReport
Three yellow irises with deep red veins on the outer petals rise stepwise, dividing their green blade leaves on the right from the deep purple of rounded smokebush leaves on the left
May 13, 2025 at 1:11 AM
splodinvark.bsky.social
Black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis) is my favorite garden fruit, and all of ours were planted by birds
#BloomScrolling #FlowerReport #NativePlants
A small white flower on a thorny, leafy stem, surrounded by many flower buds
May 11, 2025 at 1:23 AM
splodinvark.bsky.social
Wild geranium (Geranium maculatum)
#BloomScrolling #FlowerReport #NativePlants
Five petaled pink flowers shading to white at the center and with darker pink stripes radiating out
May 10, 2025 at 2:37 AM
splodinvark.bsky.social
Told my partner that I thought I heard a northern waterthrush in the garden (using the Merlin app). He saw a bird in the pond out the window, and I asked him to take video. Ohoho, migrating waterthrush stopover confirmed
#birds
May 8, 2025 at 2:55 AM
splodinvark.bsky.social
Virginia waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum)
#BloomScrolling #FlowerReport #NativePlants
A cluster of pale purple five-petaled flowers with long sepals amid serrated green leaves
May 8, 2025 at 1:32 AM
splodinvark.bsky.social
We have some old doors set up as garden features, seen here with native spicebush and decorative (and hummingbird-supporting) flowering quince
#BloomScrolling #FlowerReport #NativePlants
An old door painted black with a crystal handle. Bright green spicebush leaves are in front, and bright red, roselike quince flowers peek out from behind
May 6, 2025 at 12:20 AM