First Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) observation of the year

 

Last year, I made my first Lycorma delicatula observation on 13 April 2025. This year, it was 10 days earlier (3 April 2025) in nearly the same spot. With the large number of (visible) egg masses in my neighborhood, I fear it will be another booming year. 

In 2025, I made 1,519 observations in Arlington, Virginia.

My iNaturalist Year in Review: 7,304 observations | 1,164 species | 114 identifications

A very busy year with iNaturalist. Of course many of those observations (1,575!) were Spotted Lanternflies (Lycorma delicatula). My species count was also helped by visiting New Zealand, Colombia, and San Francisco.

You can see the full 2025 report here.

iNaturalist Observations: In and Around London (23 December 2025 - 2 January 2026)

I was back in the United Kingdom again in later December, spent most of the time in Richmond Upon Thames, but had a few side visits around London and also a day trip to Lewes. 

At right is a Pellitory-of-the-Wall (Parietaria judaica): 

Parietaria judaica, spreading pellitory, is a species of herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Urticaceae. It is native to the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, and is widely established worldwide as an urban weed. Its pollen is a significant cause of asthma and other allergies in warmer countries, but it is also valued as a contributor to biodiversity in polluted cities and it has been used as a medicinal herb. -- iNaturalist

My Observations

Total: 23 December 2025 - 2 January 2026 (as of 4 January 2026)

• Observations: 67

• Species: 29

Notables

• 46 of the 67 observations were birds!

iNaturalist Observations: In and Around London (30 November - 8 December 2025)

I spent some time in and around London in early December 2025 to attend the Fantastic Futures 2025: AI Everywhere, All at Once at the British Library. I spend most of my time in London proper, but did have a few side-trips to Richmond and Greenwich/New Cross.

At right is a Missing-Sector Orbweb Spider (Genus Zygiella):

Zygiella is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by F. O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1902. In 2015, Parazygiella was determined to be a taxonomic synonym of Zygiella, and its species were moved to Zygiella. 

Identification
Zygiella species are distinguished by the structure of the web, which has a missing sector containing a signaling thread leading to a retreat. Zygiella x-notata, a species in the Zygiella genus, is well-researched for its missing-sector web construction behaviors. -- iNaturalist

My Observation

Total: 30 November - 8 December 2025 (as of 9 December 2025)

• Observations: 34

• Species: 17

Notables

• Noble False Widow (Steatoda nobilis)