Monthly Archives: August 2013

Dr. Charles L. “Chuck” Bellamy—Tribute to a friend

Posted on August 27, 2013 by

Early this week I lost a good friend. Actually, just about everybody who has ever studied jewel beetles in any serious way lost a good friend. Dr. Charles L. Bellamy, arguably the most ardent and prolific buprestophile of our time (possibly … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , | 20 Comments

Flown the coop

Posted on August 25, 2013 by

Ted has flown the coop and will be roaming the vastness of the Great Basin for the next week or so to collect and photograph beetles and other insects. Ted has asked me to watch over BitB while he is … Continue reading →

Posted in Bombyliidae, Diptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

An interesting flightless May beetle

Posted on August 21, 2013 by

I suppose you are an entomologist? Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name. No man can be truly called an entomologist, sir; the subject is too … Continue reading →

Posted in Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The one that got away!

Posted on August 16, 2013 by

It was disappointing to reach Black Mesa, the furthest west destination for my June collecting trip through northwestern Oklahoma, only to discover that the whole region was dry as a bone. I spent an hour or so sweeping yellow roadside … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Rattlesnakes may be present!

Posted on August 15, 2013 by

I don’t know what it is, but even though I am first an entomologist I am also a sucker for snakes. Well, not just any snakes, but rattlesnakes. It must have something to do with my psyche—my favorite color is … Continue reading →

Posted in Reptilia, Vertebrata | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Tips for photographing shiny beetles on yellow flowers

Posted on August 10, 2013 by

I really hate starting off this post with the following photo—typically it is the first photo in a post that readers see in syndicated feeds; however, I use it in this post to make a point. This photo was taken … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Another new record for northwestern Oklahoma

Posted on August 8, 2013 by

You would think that finding two new state records on the first day of my June collecting trip to northwestern Oklahoma would be fortune enough—it is rare to get two new state records on an entire trip even! As a … Continue reading →

Posted in Buprestidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Bee Assassin on Coneflower

Posted on August 5, 2013 by

While looking for longhorned beetles on prickly pear cactus (Opuntia phaecantha) at Gloss Mountains State Park, I saw a coneflower that didn’t look quite right—there was nothing on the top, but there seemed to be something on the underside. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Hemiptera, Reduviidae | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments