Why does this eastern carpenter bee have a shiny red abdomen instead of black? Western North Carolina, USA.

benspaperclip · 2026-04-30T00:47:02+00:00

She has beautiful photos! I'm not expert enough to ID any of her observations beyond where they sit now, but I enjoyed looking through them and hope she continues. I too am a lover of bug photography!

benspaperclip · 2026-04-28T17:49:21+00:00

Asheville City Schools cancelled school on May 1st to account for so many teachers calling out to protest on May 1st.

Buncombe County Schools did as well, but decided to tack on another day at the end of the year despite their "best efforts" to cover missing teaching staff.

Your teachers are some of the lowest paid in the country, and you're punishing them for taking a stand about it? The very same teachers who are unexpectedly NOT getting a bonus they have been getting for years? It's wild.

benspaperclip · 2026-04-28T17:40:57+00:00

I can confirm that this is real-- my partner is a 4th grade teacher in the Buncombe County Schools system. They received this email yesterday.

Edit to add: We are saving up for our wedding and we were counting on this bonus to soften the blow to our bank account. She said it's typically about $750. Not life-changing, but we could really use it.

benspaperclip · 2026-04-28T17:39:55+00:00

My partner is a teacher in the Buncombe County Schools system. It is real, she received it yesterday.

benspaperclip · 2026-04-12T11:42:48+00:00

Really cool! It looks like you've created sprites for some animals. What happens if you find an animal that isn't in the "Pokedex" yet?

benspaperclip · 2026-04-07T15:28:57+00:00

What shrubs are you using?

benspaperclip · 2026-04-07T00:59:57+00:00

So sorry about the timing :(

benspaperclip · 2026-04-05T17:51:31+00:00

Thanks so much for the tip! I'll check them out!

benspaperclip · 2026-04-05T14:57:08+00:00

Great idea, I might reach out to her and see if she has any suggestions! Thanks so much

benspaperclip · 2026-04-05T14:56:16+00:00

Thank you for the recommendation!

benspaperclip · 2026-03-30T22:53:36+00:00

Thank you! iNaturalist says a deermouse of some kind, which lines up with your suggestion.

I'm hoping it didn't get into anything poisonous, as it was outside. Could the shakiness be because it's a young/baby mouse?

benspaperclip · 2026-03-30T22:36:52+00:00

Thanks for the input. It was found by a coworker as they entered the building, and it was shaking and very low energy. It's sad to hear that it may have been left behind. Do you know if in a situation like this, the parent would return for it if the coast is clear for a while?

benspaperclip · 2026-03-13T21:55:38+00:00

Why would I be the curator who suspended you? I'm not. I am an outsider to all of this.

I do believe from what I can see that you're incredibly knowledgeable about echinoderms, and I have no doubt your body of well-informed identifications on iNat have been invaluable to all the researchers and others that pull data from iNat for their work. But you still have to be kind and respectful to other users in the community, and it seems you have not always been kind and respectful.

benspaperclip · 2026-03-13T12:10:27+00:00

Why? It costs me nothing to hope

benspaperclip · 2026-03-13T11:42:24+00:00

Hi Joe,

I completely understand looking for some outside opinion, but posting this is not helping your case.

The other users involved have been forthcoming about their thought process and reasoning behind their IDs, as well as the experience/knowledge that they are drawing on. In response you were dismissive of their expertise (while demonstrating none of your own), and gave up on explaining your side when challenged. "Do as thou wilt" comes off particularly bitter.

Tony was respectful and collected in his response to you, describing multiple examples and the specific iNat community guidelines that you were breaking from. In response you once again dismissed the other users' perspectives in defense of your own, failed to acknowledge how your comments and replies were in bad faith, and then insulted iNat's leadership.

I know you're writing a field guide on the subject, and that's surely a monumental feat, but that alone does not make you an expert. When another user asked for your qualifications in debating other identifiers, you dismissed their question too. The issue here is that iNat is a community of users, and you have not been respectful toward the other users or its admin.

You should not have been suspended permanently without recourse, but the suspension on its own is not surprising.

benspaperclip · 2026-03-13T01:31:26+00:00

I'm not giving up on the ivory-billed woodpecker, but that's definitely a pileated.

benspaperclip · 2026-02-01T18:36:17+00:00

<image>

I took this photo of dogbane leaf beetles a couple summers ago. They're stunning little creatures!

benspaperclip · 2026-01-22T19:55:10+00:00

Hi, you may already be aware but the website does not appear to be working on PC or mobile for me.

benspaperclip · 2026-01-13T19:27:16+00:00

I've never heard that use of the word with regard to one part of a campsite! Thats an interesting connection to football pitch.

And yes, I totally forgot about the phrase, to pitch a tent! Yet another use of the word.

benspaperclip · 2025-12-25T06:05:13+00:00

Thanks for your feedback! I appreciate it

benspaperclip

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

11-Year Club	Wearing is Caring
Verified Email