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After finding some Willow leaves covered with tiny galls, I opened one up with a razor blade and examined the inside with a Hitachi SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope, courtesy Merritt College, Oakland, CA). I found several dozen mites inside the gall (see attached SEMicrographs). The average length of each mite was about 90um.

He's so cute but so hard to photograph! Whenever he rested in a perfect position, I would get ready to take a photo, but then he would decide to look away from the camera. I am not as satisfied with the photos as I had hoped (I spent literally 4 hours trying to get photos of him), but some is better than none! Unfortunately, it was windy, cold, and our friendly neighborhood cat kept following me around, so I had to continuously relocate while photographing this stubborn little guy!

Raríssima e pouco conhecida, essa planta parasita fungos micorrízicos. São conhecidos apenas dois indivíduos que estão depositados em uma coleção cientifica do Rio. Essa é a primeira foto na natureza dessa espécie.

Drama. These guys all normally get along pretty well, but here a squirrel decided to start something and nearly got kicked in the head as reward. Moments later they were back to munching sunflower seeds side-by-side again.

My first attempt at diatoms cleaning.

Three specimens observed, from the same sample of my previous observation https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/141202070 taken on 2022-11-05.

Stria density: 7-8 per 10 μm (center), 10-11 (extremities).
Puncta density: 11 per 10 μm.
Length 213-225 µm, width 41-44 µm.

Stigmata visible near the central nodule.

According to Diatoms of Europe vol.3 by Kurt Krammer, 2002, it looks like Cymbella peraspera:
“Valves moderately to distinctly dorsiventral, dorsal margin rather evenly arched, ventral margin with a slightly gibbous central portion. Valve ends not protracted and broadly rounded. Length (130)154-320 µm, breadth 44-52 µm, maximal length/breadth ratio about 6. Axial area moderately wide, linear, widening at mid-valve to form a shallow central area, about ¼ to nearly ⅓ of the valve breadth. Raphe slightly lateral, tape ring near proximal and distal ends, becoming filiform near the proximal and the distal ends. Proximal raphe ends with moderately large roundish central pores which are slightly ventrally deflected; terminal fissures sickle-shaped and dorsally bent. Striae throughout radiate. Puncta distinctly and more or less roundish in focus high and low. A large number of stigmata on the ventral side of the central nodule, in focus low differently shaped from the puncta, commonly distant from the middle ventral striae. Striae 5-8/10 µm, becoming up to 10/10 µm near the extremities. Puncta 7-10(11) in 10 µm.”

Dikenli buğday başağına benzer bir peygamber devesi türüdür. Ot gibi sallanarak kamufle olmaya çalışırken yakaladım, tenebrio molitor ile beslemekteyim, gayet sağlıklı ve iştahlı, bakalım diğer bedenlerini görebilecek miyiz.. En çok mayıs ayı ve eylül ayı görülürmüş, eylül ayında buldum.

I found these eggs on the underside of a Bladderpod leaf. There were 3 Harlequin Bugs on the plant.

Host plant observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/167833349

Photos 3-5 were edited to have a Flash White Balance in Photoshop. Photo 9 shows a measurement in centimeters.

Location a bit imprecise.

A couple of House Sparrows used our deck as a dining table for dismantling & eating Cicadas. Maybe an hours worth of feeding resulting in a pile of wings of which this is a small sample. I'm surprised the Sparrows could fly off at the end.

Floral arrangement by me - not the Sparrows