Eric R. Eaton

@bugeric.bsky.social

7612 Followers 4994 Following

Nonfiction author, blogger, insect identifier, ally. Presenter/speaker. #SciComm, entomology, urban nature, human conflict with other species, other humans. Opposed to colonialism, capitalism. Married Progressive in Kansas, USA. he/him/they

Large, delta-winged moth with narrow wings, overall brown in color with numerous crisscross white stripes, and pink on the slightly exposed hind wing, resting on the bottom of a white sheet and lawn.
Elongate, pear-shaped beetle, orange with iridescent blue on the rear third of the elytra (wing covers). Elytra with longitudinal ridges, and less noticeable transverse ridges in the grooves between the ridges, creating a net-like pattern. Antennae are long and black, legs also black. Beetle is sitting on a leaf in daylight.
A pair of female paper wasps on their nest, having divided a caterpillar prey item to feed to their larval siblings. Nest suspended from a door frame.
Large, elongate, amber-brown beetle with very long antennae. Each elytron (wing cover) is marked with a pair of ivory quotation marks. Insect is sprawled on a white background (casserole dish).
Cover of Audubon magazine, summer 2026 issue, featuring a photo of an Osprey flying off with a fish in its talons.
Large “clubtail” dragonfly, dark brown (nearly black), with broken yellow stripe running down the entire length of its body. Slightly swollen tip of abdomen. The insect is resting on a large rock in a forested habitat near a large, shallow river.
Relatively large beetle, iridescent blue with a broad orange-yellow band across the middle, and long, hooked antennae, facing northeast, sitting on an elderberry leaf.
Large brown bird with ivory bill, resembling a cross between a cormorant and a gull, sitting on a rock wall around the edge of a man made lake in an urban park.
Large brown bird, similar to a gull or cormorant, flying over a man made lake in an urban park, and landing on the edge of a wall.
Two books. Orange one is “Insectpedia: A Brief Compendium of Insect Lore.” Green one is “Bugwatching: The Art, Joy, and Importance of Observing Insects.”
Several people fanning out from a mowed trail through a prairie. Tree line in distance, and mostly cloudy skies.
Very small, linear moth cocoon, with vertical ribs, and encircled by a “picket fence” of short tufts of silk. On the underside of an oak leaf.
Mosquito, black with ornate white stripes and bands, feeding on my hand.
Beautiful pale brown moth with a pair of thin, transverse lines across each wing, and two tiny white dots between those lines. Moth is on a white sheet, facing up, head hidden.
Very slender fly with long legs, sitting on a leaf. Body of fly is black, eyes red, legs broadly banded with black and dull yellow in basal half, black otherwise. Front feet are white. Wings are clear, with a transverse black band, and black wingtips.
Small, bullet-shaped beetle, metallic blue, sitting on the tip of a leaf, facing northwest.
Broad-winged moth, facing southeast, on an algae-stained wooden fence. Overall color of the moth is pale grayish brown with many fine, wavy black, horizontal lines across the back half of the wings.
Small, silvery gray beetle, with black “Batman” mark, and smaller black markings. Long antennae swept back, but held close to the body. Resting on algae-stained wooden fence.
Elongate beetle, gold in color with four oblique black hash marks midway down the back, and long orange antennae, perched at the tip of a twig in a brush pile.
Large, narrow beetle, with extremely long antennae, facing right. Color is velvety brown, not terribly evident in this photo, with a pair of oblique, ochre hash marks about halfway down the back.
Moth, triangular in shape, overall brown in color with broad, horizontal bands of purplish gray, and a trio of tiny silvery dots near the center of each wing. Resting on a post on our wooden porch.
Small moth, facing southwest, under our front porch light. Mottled white and mossy green, with a few black marks and spots.
Our back yard, with a wooden perimeter fence, what passes for a “lawn,” a prefabricated pond ringed with stones, plus a little waterfall, and bird feeders. A female House Finch is perched on the right side of the cylindrical seed feeder, and two male Baltimore Orioles are on the arm with the dish featuring orange halves and jelly.
Front of library with poster of scheduled events, on lawn, with trees, on a sunny day.
Moth, with angular wings, resting on fallen leaves. Overall color is beige, with darker lines and patches, especially near wingtips.
Small butterfly, perched head down on a honeysuckle twig, in the sun. We are seeing the underside of its wings. Wings are overall warm brown with a flush of bright ochre visible on the forewing. There are a few white rings, and random white “frosting.”
Sunset over a wetland, through smoke from distant rangeland seasonal burns.
Moth with triangular shape, head up, on a wooden fence at night. Color of moth is pale gray with black patches, and black crescents near wingtips.
Moth on inside latch of screen door. Moth has broad, triangular wings with broad, transverse bands of gray and brown-ochre.
A male Luna Moth, green with broad wings, hind wings with long tails, hanging from a small branch. Selfie view with two people, sparse tree canopy, and blue sky in background.
Jack-in-the-Pulpit flower in bloom. Tall, green, cylindrical, with hood over central stalk in throat of flower. Background shows sunlit forest floor.
Two trout lily flowers, faded red withered, surrounded by the beautiful green leaves that are lightly mottled with purple, growing from the forest floor.
Book, titled Insectpedia: A Brief Compendium of Insect Lore, with a mason wasp pictured.
Bright pink flowers of Eastern Redbud, sprouting from bare, zigzag branches. An algae-stained wooden fence makes up the entire background.
Moth, shaped like a tall triangle, wings shivering slightly, on the side of our house, under our front porch light. Moth is overall mottled brown and gray with paler edges.
Protest sign for No Kings rally that reads “Gil O’Teen Reporting for Duty,” with pair of shamrocks as decoration.
Classic Norman Rockwell painting depicting man in pilot jacket standing up to speak at a public meeting. Other people, seated, turn to look at him.
Moth at rest on a sheet at night, attracted by a blacklight. Moth is vaguely iridescent beige, with chain-like markings of reddish brown. Moth is facing up. 🔝
Sunset over tree line, with prairie in foreground.
A blacklight suspended in front of a white sheet clamped to a wooden fence, with a dim white light shining on the sheet as well, at night, outdoors. This setup is meant to attract moths and other nocturnal insects.
Small, elongate jumping spider, beige in color with darker brown markings, crawling on the painted wood railing of our front porch, on a sunny day.
Very leggy spider sprawled across the inside of our front door frame.
Older White man with gray hair, beard , wearing glasses, and wearing a gray shirt that says “radical leftist scum,” standing in room.
Book: Moths of Western North America, by Seabrooke Leckie. In the Princeton Field Guide series. Photo is of an ivory-colored moth with terra cotta spots and pinstripes, hanging head up from a curving stem studded with flower buds.
Photo of a photo I uploaded to Flickr. Photo is of a dragonfly perched on a stem. Flickr randomly made this, and several other photos, private instead of public, and also failed to upload the titles, descriptions, and tags that I painstakingly added to each.
Bat, brown in color with black ears, wings, and nose, sprawled on sidewalk on sunny day.
Young white woman and older white man, seated at a table holding each other’s books, and smiling. Woman has dark hair, wearing dark shirt and beige jacket. Man has gray hair and beard, wearing glasses, blue gray sport coat over blue sweater with horizontal gray stripes.
Package of “loaded” Oreo sandwich cookies, with cookies and cream filling.
Package (box) of frozen Fremont brand breaded fish sticks that says”wild caught.” Pictured on the box is a plate with fish sticks and cup of ketchup, plus a spoon and bowl of peas.
Crowded city commissioners meeting for public hearing for special use permit that could be granted to a private incarceration company for operation of a vacant prison as an ICE detention facility in Leavenworth, Kansas, USA.
Familiar painting by Norman Rockwell, showing middle aged white man with dark hair, wearing aviator jacket, standing up to speak at a public meeting. Other men, seated, turn to look at him.
Wingless female moth, silvery gray in color, with long, slender legs. Sitting on plank of wooden fence, and facing up/north.
Silvery gray moth with a white bar on the leading edge of each wing. The insect is sitting on the frame of our side door.
Small, oblong spider with silvery abdomen and mosaic-like vertical, linear pattern. Legs relatively long. Sitting on a downspout on the corner of our house.
Tiny, slender fly with grayish wings folded roof-like over its back, and long, slender legs. Sitting on wooden fence, stained with green algae.
Magazine (Psychology Now) on rack at grocery store checkout.
Video of large number of Mallard ducks flying to and fro over a wetland. Cottonwood trees on horizon, blue sky. Video lasts sixteen seconds.
Screenshot of website of Audubon Society online gift guide profiling my book, Bugwatching: The Art, Joy, and Importance of Observing Insects. Book has green cover, with magnifying glass over the subtitle. Accompanying text to the right reads “swap your binoculars for a hand lens and learn to love the (really) little things with this engaging and accessible guide to‘the art, joy, and importance’ of observing insects. You likely know that many birds depend on bugs for sustenance, but this guide will have you admiring insects for their own sake. From beetles to butterflies, a whole new world of abundant, bizarre, beautiful wildlife awaits your discovery.
Smiling older white man with gray hair and beard, wearing glasses and red shirt that says “Chiefs NFL AFC Kansas City,” plus adhesive name tags, and blood pressure cuff, on reclining cot with apheresis machine in background. Donating blood.
Page from the magazine of Audubon of Kansas, featuring a photo of a smiling White woman with rather short, curly brown hair, wearing glasses and a purple T-shirt, with bookcase behind her.