Did you know that this week was the Great Pollinator Census week for the state of Georgia? National Pollinator Week is in July, but different states will hold different timed events based upon local phenology (plant and animal emergence timing). All you need is a good camera to help out on some great Citizen Science projects on places like iNaturalist and eButterfly. Please consider joining a nationwide team of professionals and amateurs documenting our important native pollinators.

And sorry, European honeybees are not included. They are not native to North America and as a farmed species are actually doing fine, despite the "save the bees" hype.

Photo is of a Hedgerow Hairstreak (Satyrium saepium), photographed by me near Denver, Colorado.

We only have 9 members, please join our group! As a teaser, here is a rare green salamander, Aneides aeneus, I found last week with students. It's not always this easy to see them and I'm so happy they cooperated for us! This species occupies moist (but not wet) rocky crevices but will climb trees to feed on insects high in the canopy where they occur in the southeastern United States. Talk about a cool animal!

Did you know the southeastern United States has the highest salamander diversity on the entire planet? This endemic red-cheeked salamander (Plethodon jordani) only occurs in high elevation Frasier fir forest at the top of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. It was great visiting this site again with students this past week.

Adorable hatchling chicken turtle (Deirochelys reticularia) I found a couple of days ago along the Peace River in Florida. The species epithet refers to the reticulated pattern on the carapace, which sliders (Trachemys stricta) lack. They also tend to have a black stripe on the bridge scutes and a broad yellow band on the forelegs.

Invasive brown anole in Chalmette, Louisiana