2,000 Species
A 2000th observation, thank you everyone. It took a year to get the first 1000, and only half that time to get the 2nd 1000. I was traveling to France, where the orchids lured me out into many fields, launching me past the mark.
Mining bee https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/202359657
While I moved towards butterflies, bees and ants last year, this year I was really interested in bees and beetles. The bees have so many mimics and flying behaviors I am getting used to spotting. The beetles fly in a more frustrating pattern, but the many that walk across my path are happily greeted with an observation entry.
Beetle https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/189004016
Moth sheets continue to excite with the many nocturnal insects that may be encountered. While I knew each hour brought different species, I was inspired by Dr. Allen to try some early morning attempts and was interested in the resulting ants and micromoths.
As I work towards the next thousand, I will continue to look for insects that visit some of the hybrid plants that I am monitoring and increase the flower insect timed counts. With two new interns to work with, I am sure that it will be exciting.
