At the start of summer 2021, I set out to discover which pollinators were spending time in my small, urban backyard in St. Paul, Minnesota. The variety of arthropod yardmates and visitors I’ve since encountered continues to surprise and hearten me, and I’ve enjoyed learning about each of them. I love the cycling of the seasons (even though winter here can seem very long, and spring far too short) and the anticipation of plants and animals’ return.

I take all of my photos with my iPhone, usually with a Moment 10x macro lens attached. On a macro iNaturalist level, I’ve found this great, global community both stimulating and spirit-sustaining, and I really appreciate any and all feedback I receive. I've recently begun doing more bee identifications, learning as I go. Please don't hesitate to tag or message me if you have questions or if an ID seems off.. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?ident_user_id=d_w_o&not_user_id=d_w_o