#august2024

[natur-nah-dran]

colors and ferns

[tears-of-xion]

Have some Chiyos to make your day a little brighter!!

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Please do not use or re-post my artwork without my permission. Thank you!   (reblogs, however, are welcome and appreciated)

I do not own Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, nor it’s characters. All rights to their owners.

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

Tiger Bee Fly - Xenox tigrinus

Earlier this week we examined another specie of Bee Fly which had an appearance reminiscent of this larger, more common specimen. It's as if this large, robust insect is the big brother here. In all seriousness, it helps to have a comparison between the 2 species to make identification more simple when searching for insects in the neighborhood and wilderness. While size is the biggest factor here between these two Flies, the easiest way to distinguish this Tiger Bee Fly from an Anthrax genus relative is by looking at the wings. The wing veins are always prominent on a Tiger Bee Fly. In addition, the patterning along the wings is much more saturated and pronounced compared to Anthrax Bee Flies who appear to have more of a splotchy look. Of course, with this Fly's size, it's more likely to be mistaken for more rotund, fuzzy insects which hover and buzz around flowers and live in a hive or (preferably) in a wooden cavity. This specie is particularly keen on finding Carpenter Bees for the same reason that an Anthrax Bee Fly is keen to find certain types of Digger Wasps: flicking their eggs near or into the nest/cells as they hover near the entrance. If you wish to try and observe this behavior for yourself, it would help to know which Xenox is male and which is female.

Although the first may be to look at the head of this variety of Fly and measure the gaps between the eyes, quit while you're ahead for this specie. This specie doesn't follow the convention of eyes being "close or apart", which is strange as other species within the Bombyliidae family do have compound eyes differences. For example, the Greater Bee Fly males have eyes that are closer together, while the females have their eyes further apart (as can be seen with this blog's first specimen). I suppose the question is, "Among Bee Flies, what is the exception and what is the rule?" Getting back to our Tiger Bee Fly friend: since the eyes aren't reliable, we will discover the differences between males and females by carefully observing their bodies. There's likely to be variation between individuals, but it seems that male Tiger Bee Flies have darker bodies and a "collar" of white tufts behind their head. Meanwhile, the first abdominal segment (just behind the thorax) of a female features lighter hairs, and the overall coloration of her thorax skews toward greyish brown. So it looks like we have a male in these pictures today. There is one other clue: if you find a similar-looking Fly hovering in place and focusing dead ahead on an opening or a crevice, it's very likely that you've found a female. Please snap a picture if possible!

Pictures were taken on August 28, 2024 with a Google Pixel 4. For additional information (and a visual aid), you can review this Bugguide submission of a pair of Flies found in Pennsylvania.

[punkpillowprincess]

SZIGET '24

Louis Tomlinson - Budapest, Hungary ✶ Festivals Era Collection ✶

✦

[theartoflovingthomashunt]

'In one kiss, you know all I haven't said' ~Pablo Neruda

I love this quote for them. It really speaks to the depth of their love. Alex wears her heart on her sleeve, Thomas doesn't. But, he can't hold back his feelings when he kisses her, and she knows that. She has patience to let him express his feelings in his time (even if she enjoys teasing him and challenging him on it.)

Thomas and Alex will always be my OTP. They bring me more joy than I can share. This art by @chryzure just captures them perfectly. It is absolutely adorable and so sweet! I can't get enough of it!!!

[All Thomas Hunt x Alex Masterlists] [Halex Commission tag]

[storyofmychoices]

A Night to Remember by ArtbyAinna (IG)

Happy birthday, @lilyoffandoms!!!! You are such a lovely, wonderful, talented, and all around incredible person. I think the world of you! I am so grateful to have met you through this fandom. You've always been such an amazing and supportive friend. I am so lucky to have you in my life (even luckier than Daenarya is to have Maiele 🤭). I hope your birthday brings you all the most wonderful things. You deserve only the best on your special day! Love you!💛

[sherlockchallenge]

Hello and welcome to the next Sherlock Challenge (and thank you for your patience!). The prompt for August is language.

Have fun! Before you start please read the rules & FAQ - you can find them at the top of the page or here.

Reblog for signal boost and don’t forget to invite your favourite artists and writers to take part :) If you enjoy the challenges, please consider leaving a small tip via ‘buy me coffee’ - thank you <3

❤️ I have made an Amazon Wishlist if you want to buy me a gift ❤️

(Remember you can still enter the previous challenges as there are no deadlines. Also, if you have an idea for a future prompt, the askbox is always open and waiting - see FAQ for details)

IMPORTANT: Don’t wanna miss a challenge? Simply send me message and I will notify you every month via messenger when a new challenge comes up! :)

[clarkeycentral]

*NEW* Eminem in L.A. for the Crawford vs Madrimov fight.

📷: Scott Hirano

[fayeyoko-universe]

[paraguayansea]

[coffeenuts]

[natur-nah-dran]

curvy

[tears-of-xion]

She's going to keep dancin' like there's no tomorrow!

Bonus extra pink version under the 'read more'!

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Please do not use or re-post my artwork without my permission. Thank you!   (reblogs, however, are welcome and appreciated)

I do not own Helluva Boss, nor it’s characters. All rights to their owners.

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

Giant Lacewing - Polystoechotes punctata

Nearly a year from a previous sight, my dear friend has once again found and shared with me this rather elusive Lacewing. It was found in the same location too! It's sightings like this that give me hope that this specie is still going strong (in some capacity), and that we need to learn more about its behavior and lifecycle. Particularly as details on the latter are minimal, at time of writing. If more specimens of this Lacewing's larvae were easier to discover and monitor over time, it may spell out a multitude of knowledge to be gained over many a scientific journal publishing. At the moment, it seems that they remain elusive due to living beneath soil. Underground, they use their enlarged mandibles to carve into plant roots and feed on material that flows through them. This is quite a shift from the more common Lacewings whose larvae feed carnivorously on soft-bodied insects using their sickle shaped mandibles. Although different, it seems that the strategy finds success since adults are able to emerge into a B.C. summer and use their flight time to secure mates. Such is the goal of the beautiful specimen seen here, and yet its more likely to be mistaken for a Caddisfly or a Moth as it flits its net-veined wings into the night. Hopefully the future gives this insect a boost in renewed interest so that more can be learned about its behavior and lifecycle (especially given its fossilized lineage). Perhaps ideal egg-laying sites would be a good place to start, but with how short-lived the adults are, luck may be a factor.

Video was recorded August 20, 2024 in Squamish with an iPhone 12. Today's specimen has concealed its short abdomen beneath its head. With such large wings and hairs on its body plus a (possible) attraction to outside light, it's no wonder it is sometimes mistaken as a Moth on a porch.

[theartoflovingthomashunt]

Only Her

[All Thomas Hunt x Alex Spencer Masterlists] [Red Carpet Diaries]

Pairing: Thomas Hunt x Alex Spencer (F!OC)

Book: Red Carpet Diaries

Word Count: ~450

Rating: General: no warnings, just fluff

Synopsis: Thomas and Alex enjoy a quiet sunset at the beach. (Set around mid RCD 3 as Thomas is still struggling to find his next project, but he's coming to terms with it)

The once brilliant sun dipped lower on the horizon. Its rays scattered through the atmosphere, painting the sky with strokes of oranges, pinks, and purples. The ocean below mirrored the beauty of the sky in its dark surface. The gentle waves lapped against the sandy shore of the secluded beach, almost drowning out the distant cries of the seagulls catching their dinner.

Alex rested her head on his shoulder, nuzzling closer as the cool breeze swept over the waters. It was truly a beautiful sight, and one she was grateful to be able to share with him. 

Thomas laced his fingers with hers, his thumb brushing softly over hers. His gaze flickered down toward the woman who would soon be his wife, a title he hadn't expected to fill, but she was different, or maybe he was different because of her. Either way, the future he expected was forever changed. He wondered if that also included the path of his career. It was a fear that had been slowly consuming him, eating away at him day by day, moment by moment. Yet, here, with her—the corner of his lip twitched up at the thought—with her, it was always easier. Between her and this view—his gaze fell once more to the serene landscape before them—here with her and no distractions, just the quiet song of the earth, he could breathe. 

He exhaled softly, allowing his breathing to sync with the tides. As they rolled out, he let go of the weight of his artistic doubts and fears that he'd never find his next project. He had to trust that inspiration would come when the time was right... and if it didn't. He shook the thought away and pressed a kiss on the top of her head. If it didn't, it would be okay. He had learned there were more important things than work. She was the one thing he truly needed to be happy—only her. He could get through anything with her by his side. 

Her attention shifted to his thought gaze, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "You okay?"

He met her gaze, nodding softly in reply. "I have everything I need right here."

The salty scent of the sea swirled around them. Her hair danced across her face in reply, tickling her features. A slow smile spread across her face as she shook her head, tossing her hair back.

"Let me," Thomas offered. His fingers gingerly brushed the loose hair strands away, tucking them back behind her ear. His hand lingered on her cheek, cradling her face.

She rested her hand over his, guiding his lower across her lips. She pressed a tender kiss to his palm. "I love you," she whispered.

He rested his forehead against hers. "I love you, too, my Alex." His lips brushed over hers, savoring the salty taste on her lips.

A/N: While I'm still desperately struggling with writer's block, I did manage to write this. It took 3 days to write 450 words, but here we are. A couple years ago when I had writers block, I started a series of drabbles with the theme of "forehead kisses", then I did a "holding hands" series, so I'm trying a stolen moments/brushing hair back series. I can't promise I can get through it, but my hope is to write really short scenes with that tender touch as a focus for each of my pairings to just try to write something!

Anyway, thank you for reading ❤️❤️❤️

[storyofmychoices]

Farah: The Femme Fatale 🖤 💋 The Deadliest Game

Farah's hair took far longer than I anticipated but I think it came out okay! After I finished her hair, I realized I've never created a portrait with this much exposed skin. I'm not sure this style fits that as well as it does clothes, but I tried! For those interested, this has 353 shapes!

[Angelina] [Crystal] [Dante] [Jun] [Medhani] [Nick] [Geometric Art Masterlist]