#leaf miner

[onenicebugperday]

Red and yellow leaf miner moth, Macarostola miniella, Gracillariidae

Found on the North Island of New Zealand

Photos 1-7 by invertebratist and 8 (for scale) by stephen_thorpe

[lazyevaluationranch]

06/05/2023 Caterpillar making Nonstandard Life Choices.

Marmara arbutiella is a tiny caterpillar that lives inside arbutus leaves. It leaves the waxy top and bottom layer of the leaf intact for shelter and eats a tunnel through the juicy middle layer, writing a gleaming silvery spiral into the flesh of the leaf.

The Blue Haired Girlfriend found this Caterpillar of Nonstandard Life Choices living in a salal leaf instead of an arbutus lead. These eccentrics turn up occasionally in a small area that includes our island.

We know the salal-dwellers are Marmara arbutiella, because someone sent a salal leaf with a caterpillar in it to Charley Eiseman (see @lies's Charley Eiseman Appreciation Post) and he got it DNA barcoded.

But nobody has observed a salal-dweller outside the leaf. We don't know if it has morphological differences from the arbutus-dwellers as an adult moth, like maybe a new subspecies is starting to branch off here.

So we picked the leaf and put it in a jar with a little moss to hold moisture. Hopefully there's still a Caterpillar of Nonstandard Life Choices in it, and the caterpillar will crawl out of the leaf, make a cocoon, and emerge into an adult we can send to Charley Eiseman.

The cocoon is pretty exciting too, described in the poetic words of Wagner, Loose, Fitzgerald, De Benedictis, and Davis:

The larvae exhibit a fascinating cocoon-spinning behavior which involves prolonged ornamentation of the cocoon with dozens of anally extruded compartmentalized bubbles, each of which is individually wrapped in silk and pushed through to the outer cocoon surface.

I, for one, am delighted at the prospect of a cocoon containing a moth nobody has ever seen, festively garlanded in silk-wrapped bug farts.

[igottatho]

Leaf Miner Maze - in progress

This was created in 2022-ish; I had a grand plan to create a solvable maze out of leaf miner paths. I spend a lot of time doing the leaf collection all through the green parts of the year, and when it’s frozen outside I have subjects to work with.

I completed this piece and STUPIDLY FRAMED IT AND SET IT UP AT A STATE FAIR DISPLAY AND FUCK ME SOMEKNE BOUGHT IT AND I NEVER GOT A SOLID PHOTO OR PRINT

RIP 300+ hours on that piece. Guess I just gotta do it again.

[allosaurus-fragilis]

some more blurry nature pics i took while out in the wild

European peacock (aglais io). So sad to witness butterflies disappearing over the decades

ginkgo bilboa

cool snail on a leaf

leaf with mines made by leaf miners. the babies of these insects eat their way through the inside of the leaf and leave these cool corridors behind

swampy pond at sunset

[drhoz]

#2333 - Hydrellia velutinifrons

Another shore fly species, but this one is endemic to New Zealand. The first hostplant for the species was only identified in 2012, but the text of that paper is behind a paywall.

There are more than 240 described species in the genus. Some Hydrellia species are being investigated as biocontrols of Hydrilla verticillata in Florida - two native and one each from Pakistan and Australia. Hydrilla verticillata is a horrendously invasive aquatic plant, but success with the flies has so far been limited - possibly because the flies are themselves being parasitised by a native wasp.

Mt Ruapehu, North Island Volcanic Plateau, New Zealand

[rattyexplores]

Beautiful Macarostola moth found on the glass window of a Kmart.

24/11/23 - Macarostola sp.

QLD:WET

[loveisinthebat]

Friend from Down Under

[trashcanwithsprinkles]

You ever wonder if each nation has variations of common phrases? Like fontaine would have "plenty of fish in the sea" but liyue would have "plenty of ore in the mine" or sumeru would have "plenty of leaves on the tree".

genuinely good question that i have no answer to. that sort of implies the regions all developed their phrases on their own, simultaneously, and that there was no cultural mixing at any point. like i could see there having been regional variants, but i do think it's likely the 'fish' variant spread wider by virtue of getting everywhere by boat.

but idk, i'm not knowledgable enough in how that stuff works irl to tell you if it would work like that in genshin

it does sound like a pretty funny idea though

[srlgemstone]

[letmeinimafairy]

A thing I wanted to do for a while. The Happy Prince and the swallow on grey agate, last few pieces of gold to give.

[onenicebugperday]

Leaf blotch miner moth, Caloptilia protiella, Gracillariidae

Photographed at Airlie Beach, Australia by Steve & Alison1

Shared with permission; do not remove credit or re-post!

[moths-daily]

Moth Of The Day #13

Firethorn Leaf Miner

Phyllonorycter leucographella

From the gracillariidae family. They have a wingspan of 6-9mm. They often inhabit gardens and other urban habitats. It is native to southern Europe.

[love-bokumono-fics]

Fresh Crops! August 1 - August 4, 2024

This week's newest fics and chapter updates for Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons on AO3!

A Normal Everyday Closing Time - by SummerMermaid; Complete, 1/1, 1.8k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/F Fandom: A Wonderful Life Relationship: Muffy/Pony | Aya | Jill; Characters: Muffy | Molly, Pony | Aya | Jill, Griffin | Gavin Summary: Muffy doesn't get it.

Sleepyhead Ranch: A Simple Life - by SleepyGirlWorks; WIP, 1/5, 1.3k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Category: F/M Fandom: A Wonderful Life Relationships: Gustafa/Reader, Marlin/Celia; Characters: Gustafa, Reader, Celia | Seperia, Marlin | Matthew, Flora, Muffy | Molly, Nami, Van the Merchant, Takakura, Murrey, Harvest Goddess, Harvest Sprites, Minor Characters Additional Tags: Slice of Life, Domestic Fluff, Domestic Bliss, Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Hippies, Idiots in Love, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Fluff, fluff with plot, Hijinks & Shenanigans Summary: Burnt out from the taxing obligations that come from life in the bustling city, you can’t help mulling over the letter that came in just a few days prior. Someone had extended a courtesy to you, informing you of your (estranged) father’s passing with his farm, along with any possessions, had been entrusted to you. Life was so hectic lately.. the country and some fresh air sounded wonderful!

Amor Estacional- Invierno - by Memento15; Complete, 1/1, 6.0k; Language: Español

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town Relationships: Doctor | Trent/Female Farmer, Elli/Doctor Trent | Torre, The Farmer/Gray; Characters: Female Farmer | Naomi, Doctor | Trent, Elli | Elly, Gray, Carter, Stu | Yu Additional Tags: First Love, Friendship/Love, Friendship, Fluff, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Lies, Love Triangles Summary: Naomi se da cuenta que su mejor amiga, y la persona quien más quiere, Elli, esta enamorada de Trent, el doctor del pueblo. Este descubrimiento no sería un problema si ella no sintiera lo mismo por él. Nunca se había sentido así antes, no tenía razones para deprimirse…o sí. Estaba confundida, sabia que no debía dejarse llevar así por sus emociones, debía pensar con la cabeza fría, pero mientras se calmaba pensó que seria mejor evitarla. Como si no supiera que en verdad esta posponiendo algo que no planea solucionar. El periodo invernal del amor trae consigo retos personales para quienes lo atraviesan, es deber de Naomi pasar del frío amor invernal: pasajero, apasionado, intenso, prometedor, pero al final, efímero y doloroso. A algo más.

A Story of Seasons: The Story of Jill | Volume II: Summer - by Celeste_Adia; WIP, 11/21, 67k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: Major Character Death; Categories: F/M, Gen Fandoms: DS Cute, Friends of Mineral Town, A Wonderful Life Characters: Pony | Aya | Jill, Takakura, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran, Kai, Witch Princess, Harvest Sprites, Cliff, Gray, Popuri, Pete | Jack, Lumina Summary: Months have passed since Jill began her new life in Forget-Me-Not Valley. Summer is here, and residents are preparing for festivals and the return of familiar faces from Mineral Town, including the arrival of Kai, an easygoing traveler who plans to stay for the season. Caught up in the festivities, Jill entangles herself with him and other Mineral Town folk, which can be quite a distraction from farm work. Meanwhile, the third anniversary of Jack's passing looms near, forcing his loved ones, especially his widowed wife Juliet, to reminisce on their past with him and continue to find reasons to move forward. Drought plagues the valley, causing farming to become more strenuous… And dangerous. Despite the hauntings of the past and the increasing intensity of the summer heat, Jill is determined to keep her head up and endure through her least favorite time of the year, no matter what it takes.

Bought on Stolen Wine. - by serenibee; WIP, 1/?, <1k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: Rape/Non-Con; Category: F/F Fandom: Harvest Moon Relationship: Eve/OC; Characters: Eve, Nina, Ann the Inventor, Ellen, Maria the Mayor's Daughter, Bartender Additional Tags: Female Pete/Jack, Female Farmer, AU, Mentions of Other Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons Games, Song: I Don’t Owe You Anything (The Smiths), Lesbian Character, Eventual Romance, Trauma, Abusive Relationships, How Do I Tag, Alternate Universe Summary: “Eve Pruitt…” “What? Is it an ugly name?” “No..it’s beautiful.” “B-beautiful?” A.K.A: A farmer moves into town and Eve, the local bartender struggles with her feelings towards the new farmer and her boyfriend.

Story of Seasons | One-Shots - by Dreams_of_You; WIP, 1/?, 3.2k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi Fandoms: Magical Melody, Friends of Mineral Town, Island of Happiness, A Wonderful Life Relationships: Dia/Kurt | Hayato, Alex/Gina, Louis the Inventor | Rune/Lyla the Florist, Gray/Ellen, Maria/Ray | Lief, Katie/Joe | Shin; Characters: Dia, Kurt, Joe, Amanda, Gina, Alex, Nina, Eve, Dan, Louis the Inventor, Ann the Inventor, Maria the Mayor's Daughter, Ray, Young Ellen, Blue, Gray, Claire, Popuri, Kai, Mary the Librarian | Marie, Gwen, Lyla the Florist, Katie, Carl, Nami, Jamie, Harvest Goddess, Witch Princess, Shea | Shiba, Chelsea, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran Additional Tags: Fanfiction, Canon - Video Game, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fantasy, Slice of Life, Cute, Friendship, Developing Friendships, One Shot, Short One Shot, One Shot Collection, Multiple Pairings, Multiple Relationships, Marriage, Dating, Drama Summary: Each chapter is it's own one-shot, with different pairings, and plots.

The Village’s Flower - by WonderBun; WIP, 2/10, 2.2k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandom: Magical Melody Relationships: Amanda/All the bachelors, Amanda/Alex, Amanda/Basil, Amanda/Blue, Amanda/Bob, Amanda/Carl, Amanda/Dan, Amanda/Jamie, Amanda/Joe, Amanda/Kurt, Amanda/Louis, Amanda/Ray; Characters: Amanda, Alex, Basil, Blue, Bob, Carl, Dan, Jamie, Joe, Kurt, Louis, Ray Summary: Amanda sees Flower Bud Village’s Exciting New Ranch Plan as a chance at a new life. But the village has some strange customs, and all the men are so dashing…..

Un an dans la vallée - by CamaradeHarmonia; WIP, 4/?, 4.1k; Language: Français

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Fandoms: One Piece, Harvest Moon DS, DS Cute Characters: Gin, Original Characters, Griffin | Garfan, Ruby | Lou, Takakura Summary: Gyn a reprit la ferme de son grand père, comment sa première année va se passer dans cette ferme ?

Remedy - by copernicusjones; Complete, 1/1, 6.0k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/F Fandoms: Hero of Leaf Valley Relationship: Dia/Gina; Characters: Gina, Dia Additional Tags: Established Relationship, First Time, Porn with Feelings, Lesbian Sex, Making Out, thigh riding, Masturbation, discussion of menstruation, Tenderness Summary: Lately, Dia's had trouble sleeping, which Gina's sure can be attributed to her anxieties regarding her parents. One evening, when bringing Dia her nightly cup of tea one, Gina decides to inquire if that's all it is, and receives a somewhat unsurprising answer. What is surprising is what Dia requests for her to do about it—and Gina has never been able to refuse Dia when she needs her the most.

[pinkhairswagtourney]

Pink Hair Swag Tourney, Round One, Part Four

[drhoz]

#2332 - Hydrellia tritici - Black Pasture Fly

An Ephydrid fly found in New Zealand and SE Australia. A pasture pest, because the larvae are leaf miners in grass. Don't ask me why they were so high up on Mt Ruapehu - there certainly wasn't any grass.

Mt Ruapehu, North Island Volcanic Plateau, New Zealand

[gendzl]

fern fossil acquired!!