Domenic Pennetta

I must acquire all sea bunnies

What a great photo! ❤️ Wasps are so misunderstood, but you made this little guy look so peaceful.

Don’t worry, I’m not great at identifying plants either! 🌿

I think people who don’t like pill bugs are weird! 💔 Like, how could you NOT love a little guy who can roll into a ball?! Crazy!

I’m surprised you were able to get a photo of one! 📸 They’re so fast! Looks like this guy is on some bee balm? They seem to really like those flowers! 🌸

Twisted wing insects! I’ve always loved how bizarre they look—especially their trilobite-like eyes. Love seeing art of parasitic insects. 💖 Awesome work!

If #bug not friend, why #bug friend shaped?! 🪲❤️

I almost stepped on a little roly-poly out on a walk today 😭 Remember folks, look before you step!

#krita #digitalart #sciart #scientificillustration #nature #invertebrates #invert #isopods #bugsky

What flowers do they seem to like the most in your garden?! 🌼 And yes—I feel blessed whenever I see one of these little guys fly by. They’re fun to watch!

You’re quite welcome. And thanks commenting! Hopefully we’ll both get to see more moths this summer 😊

So what you’re saying is every moth is your favorite moth?! 💖

Wow Peter 😮 That photo is incredible! ❤️ I’ve never seen a Luna moth in person—I can only imagine how much more impressive they look up close!

Clearwing moths and sphinx moths belong to the same family, Sphingidae. ✨ So they look alike because they’re both related! :)

Classic choice. ✨ Luna moths are magnificent!

Thank you! 😊

Digital illustration of the clearwing moth, Hemaris thysbe. Art by Domenic Pennetta.

Do you have a favorite #moth? 🦋 Mine is the hummingbird clearwing! These moths are active during the day and are excellent #pollinators of native plants like wild bergamot, buttonbush, milkweed, and thistle. 🌼

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#sciart #scientificillustration #wildlifeart #nature #invert #bugsky

Thank you so much Bernard! ❤️

This beetle owes hymenopterans royalty fees for stealing their black and yellow color pattern!

Oh I love hairstreaks! 🦋 I was just working on an illustration of a gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus) last week. They have the coolest false antennae!

Digital illustration depicting two raspy crickets, Glomeremus orchidophilus, pollinating a species of orchid flower, Angraecum cadetii. These crickets pollinate at night—feeding on the plant's nectar before their nectar-spurs become lodged on the cricket's head. The crickets then bring the spurs to neighboring orchids for pollination.

When we think of insect #pollinators, bees or butterflies come to mind. 🐝🌺 But on the island of Réunion, raspy #crickets are known to pollinate #orchid flowers at night. 🦗 Check out my illustration that depicts this interaction!

#sciart #scientificillustration #wildlifeart #nature #invert #bugsky

This is possibly the best compliment I’ve ever received 🤣 thank you!

I take pride in my weirdness. My hope is that I can show the world all these weird yet wonderful inverts that live around us! ✨

I feel the same way! ✨ Sponges evolved early on the timeline of life and they’re still around today—they definitely need way more appreciation! Especially when it comes to paleoart!

If you visit Wikipedia, editors have already replaced my original illustration with n earlier one that doesn’t include the proboscis.

Yeah… my commissioner made the suggestion to add that proboscis. It’s possible that maybe it did have one? But there’s no evidence for such a structure in the fossil record (and taxonomy points otherwise). I pushed back some but I didn’t want to loose the commission 😅

Digital illustration of the early Cambrian sponge, Falospongia ramosa. Art by Domenic Pennetta.

Happy #fossilfriday! ❤️ Here's my reconstruction of the Cambrian #sponge, Falospongia ramosa. 🪸 This genus is known from the Burgess Shale—where they once used their 'radiating fronds' to capture food.

#digitalart #sciart #scientificillustration #paleoart #paleontology #invertebratebiology #invert

These look wonderful! 💖 May I ask where you get your art framed? I’d love to frame my larger drawings to exhibit like this one day!

Amazing! I find eye spots so interesting—especially on this guy in particular. It looks like the eyes of a frog, or perhaps an owl? Very cool!

Ah thank you! 😊 Actually, all these illustrations were published in the journal “Inland Seas”. It’s a historical journal about the Great Lakes region, not a science book—I’m still happy I was able to get my illustrations published though! 💖

You’re so lucky to have caught it on camera!!!

Amazing! I’ve seen ants rest that way but it’s cool to know bees share the same behavior. 🐝 This shouldn’t be surprising since they are both hymenopterans!