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Traveled to just outside of Blacksburg, VA today to sample Jefferson National Forest for a lost species of prairie spider, Goneatara eranistes. This is day 1 of 5 days of sampling NC and VA to try and find this elusive species that hasn't been seen in 101 years!

Today I collected spiders at Suther Prairie near Charlotte and then at Penny's Bend NP near Raleigh, NC. Suther is pristine. Never plowed and stayed in one family since the 1700's! Now it's under a conservation easement and is a true North Carolina treasure.

I was lucky enough to sit down with Global Center for Species Survival at the Indianapolis Zoo to talk about spider conservation for a few minutes. It was a fun time, and I encourage you to give it a listen!

Look 👏 at 👏 her 👏! 😍 That beautiful face belongs to Mastophora stowei, a bolas spider. During the day she’ll curl up and sit on a leaf, which is how I photographed her here. They rely so heavily on their disguise as bird poop (or galls?) that they won’t move even when prodded

Today our paper was published on the decline of taxonomic expertise, using the example of Hungary, based on several lines of evidence. It is open access in Biodiversity and Conservation. doi.org/10.1007/s10531…

Sci-comm at its finest! Shahan Derkarabetian and I just published a systematic study of arachnids in the Magic: The Gathering card game (Magic: The Gathering). We discuss the evolution of spiders and other arachnids across the multiverse! Check it out: virginianaturalhistorysociety.com/wp-content/upl…

Sometimes I worry I'm growing numb to it. Then I see a photo that breaks me into a million fucking pieces