Greg is super handsome!
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Unfortunately as I’m on the 2nd floor and only have full pop-out screens I couldn’t let him in, but he wanted IN. He had his eyes lock on me wherever I moved for 2+ hours 
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That’s so fun! I’m glad you had a study busy on the screen.
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I saw another mantis today on the ground floor, not Greg, about half the size. I tried to convince this one to take a walk with me and she was NOT having it!! I normally am not squeamish or twitchy around bugs as a rule, but the absolute malice with which this mantis FLEW AT ME with those arms outstretched sent me into fight or flight (very much flight)
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Nothing like a bug with attitude to put the flight in a person’s fight! 
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I found 6-7 lizards while on I hike in SoCal. 5-6 western fence and what I believe was a juvenile orange throated whiptail (my dad got a good picture of it but I haven’t been able to see it well yet). I would like to mention that I was the only person out of 4 to find any reptiles lol.
I will share the pictures after I get my dad to send me the pictures he got.
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Sounds like a nice hike! Maybe the reptiles all sensed your herp-loving heart and came to check you out.
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You guys have GOT to see this! I heard a flittering buzz and I looked down at the patio mat- One of our little native jumping spiders was taking down a CRANE FLY. Look at the size difference and the chutzpah here! the spood is barely 10mm across!
Little spider is probably a California Flattened Spider.
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That’s awesome! Though I can’t say I’m surprised a jumper would take on a crane fly. Jumping spiders are pretty terrifying little predators for their size. They can punch waaaaaay above their weight class. I’ve seen some tiny jumpers with prey many times their size and weight. They’re so cute that it’s easy to forget they’re also total badasses.
Just found this pretty little katydid on the jasmine bush in my carport.
It’s probably only a matter of time before she becomes lunch for a jumping spider a fraction of her size, but oh well.
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This afternoon my supervisor motioned for me to follow him outside. I assumed he wanted to talk about something Very Serious, but instead he pointed out this pretty fellow on the outside wall of our classroom. 
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I think this absolutely counts as Very Serious! I can’t imagine anything more Very Serious to pause the work day for!
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I found this adorably tiny swallowtail caterpillar (exact species unknown) at the farmer’s market on some parsley. The seller told me I could just flick her into the grass if I wanted the parsley, but au contrair it was the caterpillar I wanted!
I’ll be setting her up at my apartment and seeing if I can get her through pupation and metamorphosis! Her name is Blossom 
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I love this. 
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