My two most significant observations probably don't look that significant

I had made a lot of observations this January. Some of them were pretty, some of them were blurry brown blobs, some of them were interesting to me, others were just things I took because I had an opportunity to take them.

The two observations that are probably most significant were some Onion Earthballs, taken west of Philomath, Oregon, on the 25th, and a Planthopper (of some sort) taken in the Mary's River natural area on January 13th.

According to iNaturalist, there are only 174 observations of Planthoppers in the US in January, and only two in Oregon. And there are only 14 observations of Onion Earthballs in the US in January, and only two in Oregon. So these two organisms, which would be so easy to overlook, which would be so unremarkable for someone who wasn't looking, are the two rarities I managed to capture. Maybe they have scientific interest---maybe they are a sign of climate change -- or maybe of some other scientific curiosity. But to me, they are a sign of just how much is out there when we go looking, and how much things that used to just be a fuzz on the edge of my vision are now of interest to me.

Posted on January 30, 2021 01:34 AM by