As long-time readers will know, I have used “bucket traps” with fermenting liquid bait for many years to collect Cerambycidae. In fact, I discovered my first new species (Purpuricenus paraxillaris) soon after I began using these traps back in the mid-1980s. The traps are simple—a bucket (2-L in my case) filled to about 1/3 with diluted molasses/beer (MB) or sweet red wine (SRW). When placed in the field, the bait ferments, releasing ethanol and other volatiles that attract a variety of longhorned beetles (as well as some other groups of beetles and insects). Beetles attracted to the trap drown in the bait and are retrieved by pouring the bait through a kitchen strainer. The bait, thus, acts as both an attractant and a killing agent. Other collectors of Cerambycidae have used these traps as well for many years, and in fact Marlin Rice and I have just completed a manuscript on a 4-year study comparing the efficacy and relative attractiveness of bucket traps baited with MB vs. SRW in Missouri, Iowa, and Florida—look for that paper to appear (hopefully) later this year in The Coleopterists Bulletin.
More recently, however, I have switched from bucket traps to “jug traps.” These differ obviously in that they are jugs with “windows” cut into them rather than open-top buckets. More importantly, however, instead of fermenting bait, the bottom of the jug (i.e., “reservoir”) is filled with dilute propylene glycol. Like fermenting liquid bait, propylene glycol forms a trap from which the beetles cannot escape, but it plays no role in attracting the beetles to the trap. Instead, it acts as a preservative to prevent deterioration of the trapped beetles after even prolonged submersion. Attraction to the trap is still accomplished with bait, but in this case it is isolated inside a bottle that is suspended inside the jug above the reservoir. A wick inserted into the bait and extending above the top of the bottle enables the release of ethanol and other volatiles from the bait to serve to attract beetles to the trap. A variety of baits can be used—I have been comparing the relative efficacy of three: pure ethanol, sweet red wine, and a 50:50 mixture of the two (look for a manuscript on the results after this season).
The advantages of jug traps are several-fold. First, beetles trapped in propylene glycol do not deteriorate (beetles trapped in fermenting bucket traps will deteriorate if not removed within about a week). Second, wicked bottles of ethanol-based baits last much longer (several weeks) than fermenting liquid baits in open buckets (10–12 days). These features drastically reduce the frequency with which traps must be serviced, allowing placement of traps at much more distant locations and enabling sampling of more distinct faunas. In all the years that I used bucket traps (1984–2021), the vast majority were restricted to east-central Missouri (within about an hour’s drive from my home). On the other hand, in the past three years of using jug traps, I have been able to place them across southern Missouri (2022), the Oklahoma panhandle (last year), and throughout eastern New Mexico (this year)!
I mentioned above my plans to publish the results of my first three seasons using these traps and comparing relative efficacy of the different baits (in fact Marlin Rice and I will be combining again to publish data collected not only in Missouri, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, but also Iowa and south Texas). Each time I’ve mentioned using these traps, however, I’ve received questions about how to make and deploy them. This will, of course, be fully detailed in the eventual publication, but since “a picture is with a thousand words,” I’m posting some of the details with photographs here to allow folks to begin using them without waiting for my published paper.
Trap construction
Almost any plastic jug will do, but a minimum size of 1-G is suggested. The finished jug shown below is from the cheapest drinking water I could find (99¢ per gallon). I will note that these jugs are made of low density polyethylene (LDPE), and after a couple of seasons of use in the field, those that were exposed to full sun eventually became brittle and cracked. For this reason, I’ve been replacing them with jugs made of high density polyethylene (HDPE) (of which you will have plenty after purchasing ethanol and propylene glycol!). Either way, I used a utility knife to cut a “window” into each side of the jug. The windows should be large enough to allow free access to the jug interior, but take care to keep the bottom edges of the windows high enough above the bottom of the jug to accommodate at least one liter of propylene glycol in the reservoir. You may also notice two additional modifications that I made: 1) the presence of a nylon cord loop at the top of the jug (allows the trap to be hung in the field), and 2) a metal S-hook inserted into the cap (allows hanging of the bait bottle inside the trap). The cord loop is simple—a 6-inch length of nylon cord threaded through two holes drilled below the mouth of the jug and tied to form a loop. The S-hook hanger installation is described further below.
Modified 1-G jug ready for use as a trap.
I used 250-ml water bottles for the bait bottles, which, in the conditions I’ve experienced, is enough bait to last 4–5 weeks. I will be trying larger (500-ml) bottles this season to see if they will last longer (hoping for two months). I drilled a hole into the center of the bottle cap that was large enough to accommodate a 5.9-inch long by 0.3-inch wide cotton humidifier stick. The stick acts as a wick that provides a continuous releases of ethanol and other volatiles from the bait. I also fashioned a hanger for the bottle using an ~10-inch length of plastic-coated copper wire (it’s what I had sitting around) to suspend the bottle inside the trap.
Modified 8-oz water bottle. A stiff cotton stick is inserted through a hole in the cap, and a wire hanger is added.
To suspend the bait bottle inside the trap, I installed an S-hook in the cap of the jug by drilling two small holes in the cap and threading the S-hook through them. If you make the holes slightly closer together and squeeze the S-hook with pliers while threading, the S-hook will end up being held more securely in the cap with little likelihood of popping out.
Cap of milk jug with S-hook installed.
Deploying the trap
In the field, find a suitable spot to deploy the trap. The “perfect” spot will depend upon the habitat, but I always look for a tree in relatively open (i.e., accessible) habitat with an unobstructed branch around 8–12 feet above the ground. Tie a rock or heavy stick to one end of a long nylon rope and throw it over the branch. Tie the other end of the rope to a carabiner, which is then clipped to the cord loop at the top of the trap. Hoist the trap to eye-level and keep it in place by tying the cord to a nearby trunk or branch. Fill a bait bottle with your choice of bait (right now, the 50:50 mixture of ethanol and wine seems to be the most effective) and hang it from the S-hook inside the trap (see photo below). I also like to give the bottle a twist or two so the wire wraps around the S-hook, securing the bait bottle and reducing the likelihood it will be dislodged by high winds. The photo shows a red plastic plate above the trap to act as a rain shield; however, I have found this unnecessary and no longer use them.
Bait bottle hanging inside trap.
Once the bait bottle is in place, fill the jug reservoir with 50:50 diluted propylene glycol. I have been using about 750–1000 ml per trap, which usually is enough to last for about a month. Areas with low humidity, high temperatures, or heavy beetle populations may require a higher volume to last that long, so adjust accordingly.
A carabiner is used to hang the assemble trap from a nylon chord strung over a tree branch.
Once the bait bottle is in place and the reservoir filled, hoist the trap up until there is about a foot of rope between the branch and the trap (closer makes the trap more vulnerable to spillage from high winds and also provides easier access for “raiding” by raccoons). Secure the rope again to keep the trap in its fully hoisted position, then stand back and admire your handiwork!
Traps are serviced about every four weeks. Photo by Art Evans.
Servicing the trap
You can check the traps at any time, but as mentioned the advantage of this trap is its ability to not only attract beetles, but preserve them over an extended period of time so that remote or difficult to access habitats can be sampled. Servicing the trap is similar to servicing bucket traps in that the reservoir contents are poured over a kitchen strainer placed on top of another bucket to catch the liquid. The liquid can be reused and the volume topped off, but I like to replace it completely if it has become diluted due to rain or discolored due to large numbers of insects attracted to the trap.
Trap contents ready for cleaning and sorting. Photo by Art Evans.
If the catch is not overwhelming, it can be sorted in the field, but in many cases the number of insects—not just the target beetles (in my case, Cerambycidae), but other beetles (especially Elateridae and cetoniine scarabs) and even other insects (e.g., noctuid moths, flies, wasps, etc.) can be so high that it is easier to simply transfer the entire catch to a ziplock bag (1-qt bags are usually sufficiently large, but if the trap catch is overwhelming a 1-G bag may be necessary) and sort the catch at a more convenient time and place. Either way, I start out by overdrenching with water to rinse the specimens and then pick out the target specimens. If the catch is large, it is easier to spread it out on a white fiberglass or plastic tray and add water to help separate the specimens. In this case, I drop the specimens that I pick out into paper toweling to blot off the excess.
Cleaned, sorted beetles ready for processing.
Once the target specimens are segregated from the bycatch, I place them in glass vials and add a few drops of ethyl acetate to tissue in the vial (for larger quantities, I use plastic specimen cups and a few ml of ethyl acetate) to prevent spoilage until the specimens can be further processed at a later date. Further processing involves washing the specimens to remove remaining traces of propylene glycol and other contaminants. This is done by soaking the specimens overnight in soapy water, rinsing thoroughly, and then blotting the specimens dry on paper towels before returning them to storage as above or pinning them directly. Unlike specimens trapped in fermenting MB or SRW baits, specimens trapped in propylene glycol tend to be stiff, which makes arranging the legs and antennae during pinning more of a challenge. I have found that prolonging the wash soak before pinning helps to soften the specimens—the longer the better (even specimens soaked for two months did not deteriorate). Apparently the initial period of submersion in propylene glycol provides some preservative benefit.
Euphoria fulgida showing range of color variation.
As with any new trap, the potential for optimization is great. I’ve mentioned some of the optimizations that I have tried or am currently trying such as the bait itself. Other potential improvements include the size of the bait bottle and the amount of propylene glycol used in the reservoir to allow trap placement for even longer periods of time before it needs to be serviced; the type of wine used—perhaps one with the highest possible sugar content to prolong or increase the intensity of fermentation; and a more secure method of hanging/attaching the bait bottle inside the trap (zip ties?). I’m sure a readership as erudite as mine will be able to come up with any number of other possible improvements, both to the trap itself and to the methods I’ve outlined for deploying the traps and processing the catch.
Trap hanging in a gum bumelia (Sideroxylon lanuginosum) tree.
Welcome to the 14th “Collecting Trip iReport” covering an 11-day insect collecting trip to eastern New Mexico on May 14–25, 2024. Joining me (again!) for the trip was Mike Arduser, melittologist-extraordinaire with whom I’ve collected on and off for nearly 40 years! This is actually the first of two planned trips to New Mexico this summer—not only to collect, but also to set (on the first trip) and pick up (on the second) “jug” and “bottle” traps placed at several locations. Thus, this will be the third (and final!) season of data collection for a jug trap study that I have been conducting for the past two years (2022 across southern Missouri and 2023 in the Oklahoma panhandle). For this season, my plan was to collect and set traps up and down the eastern half of New Mexico (which seems to have been largely ignored by insect collectors and, thus, could yield some interesting records). As with the previous two seasons, placing and retrieving traps provides an opportunity to see distant habitats at multiple times during the season, thereby increasing the opportunity to see different things. It can also help “make up” for bad weather or off-timing during one of the visits. On this trip, we ended up making 16 visits to 13 different localities (12 in New Mexico, three in Oklahoma, and one in Kansas). I also placed traps at six of the localities in New Mexico in habitats ranging from low elevation sandhill scrub to mid-elevation pinyon/oak/juniper woodland to high elevation alpine forest. I’ll return to New Mexico in late June to pick up the traps—hopefully within the 5-week period that they will have been out they will attract a nice variety of interesting beetle species.
Yesterday was a largely uneventful 12-hour drive from St. Louis to Black Mesa State Park in the northwestern corner of the Oklahoma panhandle.
Sunset in the Oklahoma panhandle.
Day 2
vic. Kenton Cimarron County, Oklahoma I’ve grown to love this spot over the past few years, and it seems to be the perfect starting point for an insect collecting trip into the western U.S. While my goal is to hang “jug” traps throughout eastern New Mexico as part of my trapping study, we had to stop at this spot just east of Kenton, a favorite because of the sandstone escarpment featuring pinyon/oak/juniper woodland—typical of further west but very unusual for Oklahoma—and the correspondingly unusual insects that we have been finding here. Spring seems to have just arrived here, as some greening has taken place and most of the deciduous trees have leafed out. However, the soapberry is just beginning to leaf out and the oaks not quite finished, so definitely on the early side of the season. Right off the bat after getting out of the car I found Moneilema annulatum (ambulated cactus beetle) on Opuntia phaeacantha (brown-spined pricklypear cactus), but from then on it was pretty slim pickings for a good while as I waited for temperatures to warm slowly through the 60s up towards 70.
As I headed towards the woodland atop the sandstone outcrop, I noted Melampodium leucanthum in bloom but saw no Acmaeodera on the flowers. I beat the oaks and pines for a bit, seeing only chrysomelid leaf beetles on the former until I came upon a dead Pinus edulis (Colorado pinyon pine) and beat Oeme rigida deserta and Haplidus testaceus—both I believe to be new state records for Oklahoma—as well as a small acanthocinine cerambycid (all singletons) from the branches.
Oeme rigida deserta (family Cerambycidae) beaten from branch of dead Pinus edulis (Colorado pinyon pine).
Haplidus testaceus (family Cerambycidae) beaten from branch of dead Pinus edulis (Colorado pinyon pine).
At the bottom of the outcropping I finally beat one Brachys sp. (prob. barberi) from Quercus x undulatus (wavyleaf oak)—finally I have found this species in Oklahoma! I continued to beat the heck out of the oaks and collected a variety of mostly cryptocephaline and chlasmisine leaf beetles but never did see another Brachys. In the plain below the outcropping I collected another M. annulatum on O. phaeacantha. Sphaeralcea coccinea (scarlet globemallow) was also abloom in the plain near and along the gravel road, and in the flower of one of the first plants I looked at I found a single Agrilus sp. (prob. malvastri). Frustratingly, no more were seen in the many flowers that I looked at afterwards. Xanthisma spinulosa (golden golden spineweed) was also blooming along the gravel road, and for awhile I only saw and picked up a couple of meloids, but finally I saw one Acmaeodera sp. on one of the flowers. This individual looks very much like the eastern A. tubulus, which would be an extraordinarily western occurrence for the species! Meeting back up with Mike back at the parking area, we discussed our respective successes and looked around a little bit more. These final efforts resulted in another Moneilema—this one M. appressum—on O. phaeacantha. Mike also gave me a meloid he collected from the flower of Oenothera lavandulifolia (lavenderleaf sundrops).
Mills Rim Campground Harding County, New Mexico After a quick ice stop in Kenton, we headed towards Mills Rim in northeastern New Mexico. I’ve been to this canyon-edge where the toe slopes of the Rocky Mountains drop down to the western edge of the Great Plains proper. Temps were nice and skies sunny when we left, but after entering New Mexico we kept our eye on a large thundercloud in the distance that seemed to be right where we were going. The closer we got, the more it seemed that was the case, and as we entered the grassland it was raining hard with plummeting temps. It eventually blew through, but alternating periods of light rain with cold winds and calm conditions with patchy sun ensued. I took the opportunity while conditions were iffy to place the first set of jug traps for the trip around the rim of the canyon, and on the way back I placed a white bottle trap in the rock plain where I’d had such good luck last July collecting Acmaeodera.
Mills Rim looking towards Mills Canyon.
By the time I returned to the car, conditions had improved to the point that we decided to continue to look around and see if any insects might be active. I found a patch of Sphaeralcea coccinea (scarlet globemallow) and searched the flowers and foliage hoping to find Agrilus malvastri. All I found instead were a few bees, which I gave to Mike. (Ironically, these would be the only bees that Mike would leave with from the visit!)
Echinocereus coccineus coccineus (scarlet hedgehog cactus—family Cactaceae) in pinyon/oak/juniper woodland.
I had spotted a freshly dead Pinus edulis (Colorado pinyon pine) along the campground road (off which I also collected a few longhorned beetles last year) and headed over to start beating it. Right off the bat I got an Anthaxia sp. (something in the subgenus Melanthaxia, but who knows what it is?!), and continued beating produced another Haplidus testaceus (not a new state record for New Mexico) and a clerid (Enoclerus sp.).
Scathophaga stercoraria (golden dung fly—family Scathophagidae) in pinyon/oak/juniper woodland.
I then started beating the oaks (Quercus x undulata—wavyleaf oak) and at first got only cryptocephaline leaf beetles, but quickly I got another Anthaxia sp.—this one in the subgenus Haplanthaxia (I can’t think of an oak-associated species that might be out here)—followed quickly by not one but two Brachys sp. prob. barberi! That provided plenty of motivation to continue beating the oaks, and I did so for another couple of hours, alternately dodging rain drops, having my arm nearly torn off by wind gusts, and getting some respite during brief sunny periods. I did collect a few more Haplanthaxia during that time as well as a variety of cryptocephalines, but no more Brachys.
Dalea formosa (feather dalea—family Fabaceae) in pinyon/oak/juniper woodland.
Eventually, hunger and the need to set up camp forced me back to the campsite, where we enjoyed bourbon salmon cooked in our trademark “dirty skillet”. After dinner and the ensuing darkness, I went out to walk the roads to see if anything might be out and about. I didn’t expect to see anything—and didn’t, but I also wanted to check out the dead pinyon pines and found two more H. testaceus on one nearer the canyon.
Mills Rim Campground after sunset.
Day 3
The forecast for the day was not good—scattered thunderstorms and very cool temperatures. This was true not only for Mill Canyon, but anywhere else in New Mexico for that matter. That being the case, instead of remaining here in not ideal conditions, we decided to make ground to the south while we had the chance. Perhaps on the way back we can revisit Mill Canyon—likely the rains and a week of sun and warm temperatures will do a lot to move things along. We drove through a spectacular canyon south of Mill Canyon—all apparently private land, unfortunately—but eventually ended up in driving rain for most of the way to Roswell (though not before we were able to check out a fascinating abandoned homestead).
Abandoned homestead in Newkirk, New Mexico.
We had intended to check out Bosque Redondo Park along the Pecos River near Fort Sumner, but heavy rain forced us to cancel that idea. After passing through Roswell, we checked out Bottomless Lake State Park just east of town in the Pecos River valley as a possible place to camp, then continued on to Mescalero Dunes (and checking out an even more fascinating abandoned homestead!).
Abandoned homestead east of Roswell, New Mexico.
10 mi W Caprock Chaves County, New Mexico There had been a break in the clouds while we were at the park, but as we approached the dunes we drove back into heavy clouds, light drizzle, and cold winds. We debated whether to camp there that night and then decided to defer our decision until after I placed a set of jug traps in the soapberry stands along the highway in the north side of the recreation area.
“Jug” trap baited with a 50:50 mixture of sweet red wine and 99% ethanol hanging in soapberry tree.
On the way back to the car I found a Batyle suturalis (sutured longhorned beetle) hunkered down on the flower of Hymenopappus flavescens (collegeflower)—the first insect of the day (and what I thought would be the last of the day!). Back at the car, we decided that it was simply too cold and windy to camp here and that it would be (somewhat) more comfortable at Bottomless Lakes where it was a little bit warmer and probably better protected from the wind. That would turn out to be an incredibly fortunate decision!
Batyle suturalis (sutured longhorn beelte—family Cerambycidae) on flower of Hymenopappus flavescens (collegeflower) along roadside through sand dune habitat.
Bottomless Lakes State Park Chaves County, New Mexico We picked out a nice, relatively isolated campsite bordering a rocky gypsum/red siltstone slope and immediately started exploring. There were a few plants in bloom, and almost right away I found an Acmaeodera mixta on the flower of Thelesperma magnicamporum (rayless threadleaf). I would eventually collect a few more on the same a bit further up the slope and also on the flower of Prosopis glandulosa (honey mesquite).
Acmaeodera mixta (family Buprestidae) on flower of Thelesperma magnicamporum (rayless threadleaf) in mesquite/saltbush chaparral.
Mike also found a large Eleodeslongicollis doing its classic headstand. Further up the slope we started finding buprestids on the mesquites—without the aid of a beating sheet! The beetles were torpid because of the cool temps (and possibly also the late hour) and we easily picked off the plants by hand. I collected another A. mixta but was more excited to find several Acmaeoderopsis hulli and then very excited to find first a male and then a female of Chrysobothris humilis—a strikingly sexually dichromatic species that I had never collected!
Acmaeoderopsis hulli (family Buprestidae) on Prosopis glandulosa (honey mesquite) on rocky gypsum/red siltstone hillside in mesquite/saltbush chaparral.
A few Agrilus sp. and other Chrysobothris spp. were also collected, along with Plionoma suturalis and Aethecerinus latecinctus—the former not uncommon and the latter not rare but always nice to find.
Plionoma suturalis (family Cerambycidae) on Prosopis glandulosa (honey mesquite) on rocky gypsum/red siltstone hillside in mesquite/saltbush chaparral.
Aethecerinus latecinctus (family Cerambycidae) on Prosopis glandulosa (honey mesquite) on rocky gypsum/red siltstone hillside in mesquite/saltbush chaparral.
With a little over an hour left before sunset, we decided we’d best get dinner cooked (burgers!) and the tent set up, and afterwards I went back up onto the slope with my beating sheet and collected nice series of the buprestids and cerambycids I’d collected earlier (but no more C. humilis, unfortunately). I also picked up a few darkling beetles, including another E. longicollis.
Eleodes longicollis (family Tenebrionidae) on rocky gypsum/red siltstone hillside in mesquite/saltbush chaparral at night.
However, the prize of the night was when I found an Amblycheila picolominii (plateau giant tiger beetle) crawling on the slopes—a species I do not have in my collection! I kept my eye out hoping to see more and did not, but who knows what tomorrow will bring?
Amblycheila picolominii (plateau giant tiger beetle—family Cicindelidae) on rocky gypsum/red siltstone hillside in mesquite/saltbush chaparral at night.
Night lights of Roswell.
Day 4
This location was not originally in our sights as a possible collecting locality, and our original plan was to return to Mescalero Sands and spend the day collecting there. However, we were so surprised by the diversity we saw last evening after our late arrival at this spot that we decided to spend at least the morning here instead and then regroup around lunch to decide what we wanted to do. This being the case, it was nice to be able to relax a bit after breakfast while catching up on our field notes instead of breaking down camp and moving on.
One of the many “cenotes” (water-filled collapsed underground cavern) along the base of the slope along the east side of the park.
Things started off good almost immediately! I found a single clump of Senna roemeriana (two-leaved senna) across the road from the campsite, from which I beat Acmaeodera pubiventris lanata—seems like an unusually eastern occurrence for the species! After making my way to the Bluff trail, I started beating Prosopis glandulosa (honey mesquite) around the vicinity of the trailhead and collected several Chrysobothris spp. (likely C. octocola and C. lateralis) and more Aethecerinus latecinctus along with a few clytrine leaf beetles.
Brephidium exilis (western pygmy blue—family Lycaenidae) on flower of Xanthisma spinulosum (spiny goldenweed) in riparian saltbush chaparral.
The fun really started, however, when I started taking a closer look at the stems of living Atriplex canescens (fourwing saltbush). I remembered cutting Amannus vittatus from such near El Paso, Texas a couple of years ago and, thus, knew what to look for—emergence holes on not-too-small, still-living stems. I found such almost immediately when I began looking closely inside the plants, and on the very first stem that I decided to break open I found not only a larva in its gallery but a teneral, unemerged adult! I broke open more stems and found a few more larvae, so I went back to the car to retrieve a saw, where I encountered Mike and us both agreeing that we should just spend the rest of the day here. Hiking back to the saltbushes, I cut the stems in which I’d found larvae, along with several more that seemed like they might be right for infestation, and bundled them up to bring back for rearing.
Amannus vittatus (family Cerambycidae) unemerged teneral adult in stem of Atriplex canescens (fourwing saltbush) In mesquite/saltbush chaparral.
It was then past noon and I’d had made it no further than the vicinity of the trailhead; progress was further delayed when I got back on the trail and encountered a stand of Thelesperma magnicamporum (rayless greenthread) in bloom. I looked at the flowers hoping to find some interesting Acmaeodera spp., but all I found were a few A. mixta and Trichodes orestes. The name of the trail led me to believe it would go up on top of the bluff, where I thought the habitat might be more interesting than the mesquite/saltbush chaparral that I was following, so I continued further. That never happened, so I began bushwhacking the slope where I found the occasional Opuntia macrocentra (black-spined pricklypear cactus) in bloom. Pricklypears flowers are normally Acmaeodera magnets, so I inspected each blossom that I encountered carefully but found only a single A. mixta for the effort.
By then curiosity was getting the better of me and I just had to see where the trail actually went. The mesquite/saltbush chaparral gave way to more of a tamarisk wasteland, and I began to suffer a bit from heat and thirst as I carefully metered my water bag, but at o e point along the trail I encountered a patch of yellow asters in flower that remain undetermined (they key to Senecio flaccidus in “Flora Neomexicana” but are precluded from that species by their succulent, linear, undissected leaves). Edit: these were determined by George Yatskievych at the University of Texas in Austin to be Pseudoclappia arenaria, or Trans-Pecos false clapdaisy). I monitored the patch for a while but collected only a small series of A. mixta from its flowers.
Lordotus striatus (family Bombyliidae) on flower of Pseudoclappia arenaria (Trans-Pecos false clapdaisy—family Astersceae) in alkaline flat of tamarisk/saltbush chaparral.
The trail, disappointingly, terminated not in some interesting blufftop habitat, but at the RV campground on the south end of the park, so I turned around and made the long, hot, thirsty slog back to the tent campground where I chugged a bottle of sport drink and scarfed down a can of sardines on crackers (a favorite field lunch!). Mike had done exceedingly well collecting bees near the campsite on a variety of flowers and in bowl traps that he’d set on the lower slope behind the campsite. He also gave me the few buprestids that had been attracted to the latter, most being the common A. mixta but also a female Chrysobothris humilis, bringing to three my series of this fine, uncommonly encountered species!
On our first trip into the park to look at the campground, I spotted the alkaline shore of “Lazy Lagoon.” I thought there must be tiger beetles there, so after a bit of rest and rehydration I went back to the lake and hiked down to the shore to see what cool tiger beetles I would find.
Late afternoon sun over “Lazy Lagoon” at Bottomless Lakes State Park.
I stalked and scanned and searched and surveyed, but nary a tiger beetle was to be seen! If I hadn’t found Amblycheila picolominii the previous night, I would have begun to wonder if I was losing my tiger beetle mojo.
Stalking tiger beetles!
I ended up walking the entire perimeter of the southmost lakebed and saw few insects at all except Erynephala puncticollis (beet leaf beetle—family Chrysomelidae) feeding on the fleshy, succulent foliage of Allenrolfea occidentalis (iodine bush), so I headed back to the campsite to process the day’s catch and work on my field notes.
Erynephala puncticollis (beet leaf beetle—family Chrysomelidae) on Allenrolfea occidentalis (iodine bush) in dry alkaline lakebed.
After a dinner of bison steaks, I had considered setting up the lights to attract nocuturnal insects, but my motivation was dampened by the strenuous day and waxing, now first quarter moon. I was also more interested in walking the rocky gypsum/red siltstone slope behind our campsite to see if I could find more Amblycheila picolominii to go with the one I found the previous night and beating the Prosopis glandulosa (honey mesquite) in hopes of finding more individuals of Chrysobothris humilis to go with the three I had. Beating the mesquite was productive, but only for Chrysobothris octocola and C. lateralis—no C. humilis were seen, nor were any of the other buprestids I’d seen the previous night such as Acmaeoderopsis hulli or Agrilus spp. I also struck out with A. picolominii, finding only a single small tenebrionid (darkling beetle) crawling over the rocks. The nighttime views, however, were spectacular—with the moonlit slope behind the campsite, the stars featuring a prominent Big Dipper, and the hauntingly beautiful flowers of Anulocaulis leiosolenus (southwestern ringstem—family Nyctaginaceae), being the standout memories!
Rocky gypsum/red siltstone slope at night.
Night sky featuring the Big Dipper.
Anulocaulis leiosolenus (southwestern ringstem—family Nyctaginaceae) on rocky gypsum/red siltstone slope at night.
Day 5
Mescalero Sands Recreation Area Chaves County, New Mexico We were happy to be leaving the area this morning and heading to Mescalero Sands, as the day’s forecast was even hotter than the previous day and the slightly higher elevation at the dunes would help to mitigate some of that heat. We arrived at the dunes mid-morning, and almost immediately I noticed dung beetles flying low to the ground. The culprit was freshly deposited droppings from a dog, and while most of the beetles flying around and tumbling over the pieces were Canthon sp., I did pick up a female Phanaeus vindex.
Canthon sp. (dung beetle—family Scarabaeidae) rolling dog dropping in sand dune habitat.
One of my priority species for the locality was Agrilus hespenheidei, which I have collected only sparingly during previous visits; however, I also hoped to see other species associated with the stands of Quercus havardii (shinnery oak) that dot the sand dunes and surrounding areas here such as Brachys barberi and Chrysobothris mescalero. Sweeping the oak immediately turned up both species, and continued sweeping a few C. purpureovittatus and a nice series of a very tiny Agrilus sp. (possibly something I’ve not collected before) along with a few Cyrtolobus sp. (treehoppers) and some very tiny Enoclerus sp. (checkered beetle). In between sweepings of the oak patches, I saw several small dung beetles (possibly Boreocanthon sp.) rolling rodent scats, one Aethecerinus latecinctus a small meloid in flight, and a much larger meloid—Lytta reticulata—perched on the underside of a leaf on Phacelia integrifolia.
Lytta reticulata (family Meloidae) on foliage of Phacelia integrifolia in sand dune.
Hiking north out of the dunes into the chaparral I encountered the first of several Prosopis glandulosa (honey mesquite), off which I beat one Plionoma suturalis along with another small meloid and tiny clerid, but further beating of mesquite was not productive and I turned my attention to other things. One was a lone, fading flower on Oenothera albicaulis (most other plants of this species seemed to be finished blooming, off which I took a single Acmaeodera quadrivittatoides, and a bit further to the north I started encountering Hymenopappus flavescens (collegeflower) in bloom, almost all that I looked at hosting one or two resting Batyle suturalis. Though I was now well north of the dunes, patches of Q. havardii still dotted the area, and sweeping them produced not only more C. mescalero as expected, but also several Acmaeoderopsis hulli and another A. quadrivittatoides. The former especially was a bit of a surprise to me, as I have collected that species exclusively on mesquite; however, in checking the Nelson catalogue I see that oak has been reported as a larval host for the species. From that point on I focused on finding flowers which might be hosting Acmaeodera or longhorned beetles and encountered Lorandersonia pulchella (southwestern rabbitbrush) hosting several B. suturalis on its flowers.
Batyle suturalis (family Cerambycidae on flower of Lorandersonia pulchella (southwestern rabbitbrush) in mesquite/oak chaparral.
Xanthisma spinulosum (golden spinyweed), usually a good at attracting Acmaeodera, were sparse, but I did find a few hosting A. quadrivittatoides, and along the roadside I found a few Psilostrophe tagetina (woolly paperflower) blooming, with one or two A. mixta on the flowers. The floral host prize, however, went to the lone pricklypear cactus that I found in bloom—Opuntia macrorhiza (prairie pricklypear cactus), which was literally overwhelmed with A. mixta and especially A. quadrivittatoides.
Opuntia macrorhiza (prairie pricklypear cactus—family Cactaceae) in mesquite sand chaparral.
By this time I was hot and tired and thirsty and started heading back towards the car, collecting a few A. mixta and B. suturalis on the flowers of Thelesperma magnicamporum (green threadleaf). I met up with Mike back at the car—he himself had also collected a nice diversity of bees off the flowers in the area, and we decided we’d seen what we needed to and that we’d head south to Eddy Co. for the next day’s collecting. On the way out of the area, I stopped inside the entrance and set a white bottle trap near the pay station.
Our next insect collecting destination was the southernmost tract of the Lincoln National Forest, where I suspected species more typical of west Texas may be found. Along the way, we decided to check out the campground at Bentley Lake State Park—we were extremely unimpressed and decided to drive to Dog Canyon Campground in Guadeloupe National Park just over the Texas state line.
Crossing the state line into Dog Canyon in the Guadeloupe Mountains of west Texas.
We were taking a chance—drop-in camping at a National Park on a Saturday night is generally unsuccessful, but the season was still early and we managed to snag the last site available in the tent loop. The three-quarters moon was spectacular as it rose above the massive cliffs across the canyon, and the cool night air was a welcome change from the blistering 100°F that we experienced most of the day at lower elevations.
Our campsite in Dog Canyon Campground.
Day 6
In the morning we broke camp and headed back into New Mexico to a spot where the Davis Mountains specialty Purpuricenus opacus was recently taken, expanding its known range to beyond the confines of west Texas. Before we had gone very far, however, we had to save a prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) that we saw stretched out across the road. Of course, we had to stop and gawk at it and take photos. He was none too happy with us, quickly assuming a ready-to-strike pose and rattling persistently as I approached from various angles to photograph it (from a safe distance).
Prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) on road through juniper chaparral.
After finishing, we had little faith that the next person that came along would be as snake friendly as us, so we decided to move him off the road. We couldn’t find a stick long enough with which to push it and still keep a safe distance, so we got my telescoping insect net, extended it all the way out, and pushed him gently with the net bag. Of course, instead of “running” away from the net, he struck at it several times and then crawled inside it! We then carried it in the net to well away from the road and laid the net out along the ground so that it eventually found its way out. Now that it was on a natural surface, I needed more pics, to which he took just as much offense as he did during the previous photo session. We decided to name him “Ryan the Rattlesnake,” and he was probably very happy to see us leave.
The rattlesnake was no less angry after being placed on a more natural substrate!
“Hamm Vista” Klondike Gap Rd EddyCounty, New Mexico After saving Private Ryan, we arrived shortly at this locality southwest of Queen. Like we had seen driving in yesterday, the area was bone dry—apparently none of the rains that rolled through New Mexico earlier in the week had touched this mountain range. As a result, there was no fresh foliage on the oaks to beat nor flowers from which to pick insects. Despite this, I was motivated to hang a set of jug traps in the hope that rain would eventually hit the area and trigger emergence. Should such be the case, having traps hung in the area would be my best chance of trapping P. opacus. I hung the traps in a roughly equilateral triangle centered on the road pull-off and set a white bottle as well for good measure. With no insects actually seen, however, we decided to cut bait and move on.
View from Hamm Vista along Klondike Gap Rd. in Lincoln National Forest.
“Wooded draw” XBar Rd Eddy County, New Mexico As we were driving, I mentioned to Mike that I’d like to hang one more set of traps in the area, and that an ideal spot would be around 5000’ elevation and still in the oak zone—preferably a wooded draw that crossed the road so I could hike up into and place the traps. As we approached the 5000’ mark east of Queen, we saw just such a draw off to the east, and almost immediately afterwards we came to a road that turned off the highway towards the draw. We took it, and about ½ mile down we found a pull out right next to the draw, which was filled with oaks! Amazingly, the elevation where we parked was exactly 5000’—talk about fate! It was as bone dry as the last spot, but again I hung the traps anyway—all three in the ravine with a white bottle trap near the parking area just above the draw.
Wooded draw through pinyon/oak/juniper woodland.
As I was setting traps, I found a couple of Opuntia camanchica (tulip pricklypear cactus) in bloom, one of which was drawing lots of Acmaeodera. Most appeared to be A. quadrivittatoides (although I must now be on the lookout for a lookalike new species that we found in west Texas a couple of years ago); however, one seems to be the recently described A. natlovei, and another seems to be A. gillespiensis—a west Texas specialty that I’m not sure has been reported from New Mexico. Upon returning to the car, Mike gave me a vial of Acmaeodera that he had collected from bowl traps that he’d set out—again, most appeared to be A. quadrivittatoides but with at least one A. natlovei and one A. gillespiensis. Thus, despite the dry conditions I walked away with a few good finds.
Opuntia camanchica (tulip pricklypear cactus—family Cactaceae) in pinyon/oak/juniper woodland.
Switchback Trailhead Otero County, New Mexico It was a frustrating drive from Eddy Co.—temperatures through the low elevations soared up to 100°F, and the landscape provided little of interest. As we climbed in elevation, however, the temperatures began to decrease, and as we entered the national forest I was happy to see pines and oaks beginning to replace mesquite. Our first locality after entering the national forest, however, was a bust—conditions were still bone dry, and with nothing but pines and junipers on which to collect there was no point in even trying. Perhaps on my next trip back here in late June there will be a reason to stop and look for conifer-associated buprestids. We decided to continue on towards Cloudcroft, but before we did we stopped at a gas station in Mayhill for ice. As I was approaching the front door, I found a Zopherus concolor sitting on the sidewalk—freshly dead but intact and apparently having crawled there sometime during the previous evening before expiring. One of the best gas stations finds I’ve ever had!
Shortly afterwards we arrived in Cloudcroft, where I had two localities I wanted to check out. One was Trestle Depot Recreation Area, and the other was Switchback Trail. We went to to former first but were unimpressed by the closed coniferous forest with only small patches of small Gambel’s oaks. The trailhead area for Switchback Trail was much more interesting—a large open expanse with a variety of flowers and many large patches of mature Gambel’s oaks.
Alpine meadow at Switchback Trail trailhead.
The latter was my primary interest, as I believe the recently described Brachys rileyi—collected on Gambel’s oak at several high mountain locations in southeastern New Mexico and west Texas—should also occur here. The leaves, however, were just beginning to expand—a consequence of the +8000’ elevations, so I considered it unlikely that Brachys would yet be out. I used the telescoping tropics net to sweep the high branch tips anyway, and while I did not find B. rileyi, I did collect a series of alticine leaf beetles that, curiously, resemble B. rileyi in their size and coloration—metallic blue with a narrowed reddish “apex.” In the case of these beetles, however, the narrowed reddish apex is the head and pronotum, while in B. rileyi it is the elytral apex. Satisfied that further sweeping would not yield any buprestids, I set about hanging the jug traps—again in a roughly equilateral triangle along the edges of the forest with a white bottle trap in the open area near the parking area.
Conopholis alpina (alpine cancer-root—family Orobanchaceae) in alpine forest under Quercus gambelii (Gambel’s oak). This achlorophyllous (lacking chlorophyll) plant is a root parasite (holoparasite) of oaks.
With evening approaching, we wrapped up the collecting and headed to Lower Karr Canyon, where we enjoyed “dirty burgers” for dinner and a very pleasant night of sleep (elevation 7830’—it got quite cold!).
“Dirty” burgers!
Day 7
“Point of Sands” Vista Eddy County, New Mexico After breaking camp, but before heading to other locations further north, we made a quick detour to this cool place where White Sands National Monument spills across the park border and down onto Hwy 70. Three years ago when Jeff Huether first took me to this spot, I found a carcass of Sphaerobothris ulkei, which likely breeds in the Ephedra torreyana (Torrey’s jointfir) growing here. I brought Jason Hansen, Joshua Basham, and Tyler Hedlund here the following year hoping to find Sphaerobothris—we did not, but we did find Acmaeodera recticollis, another species associated with Ephedra and one which I had not collected before. I was hoping to find either/or this time, but the dry conditions made it clear from the start that it was unlikely.
Scanning the dunes for signs of insects.
We walked the area anyway—down the E side of the highway and back up the W (sand dune) side where we parked. It wasn’t until I reached the sand dune that I saw anything of note—a few bees in the flowers of Thelosperma megapotamicum (rayless threadleaf), which I collected for Mike. I half expected an agent or two from the Border Patrol station up the road to pay us a visit (which happened to me last time I stopped here), but no such visit occurred. No longer desiring to beat a dead horse, we decided to travel back north to the Lincoln National Forest and see if some localities even further north might be more productive.
Paradise State Park Union County, New Mexico The localities further north in the Lincoln National Forest around Ruidosa were just as bone dry as further south. We actually stopped and got out of the car at Grindstone Lake, but the combination of high elevation with no deciduous trees, lack of plants in flower, and crowds of people choking the trails caused us to get right back in the car. An hour’s drive to another small mountain range to the east was equally disappointing, with the same dry conditions and the campground unexpectedly closed to overnight camping! At that point, we decided we needed to bite the bullet and blast as far east as we could, where we knew rains had soaked the area the previous week, and decided on Oasis State Park as a place that might offer the combination of moist conditions, interesting habitat, and ability to camp that we desired. The shift from brown, dusty dry to verdant green across the landscape once we got east of Roswell was sudden and striking, and the landscape remained green the rest of the way to the park, which appears to be a northern extension of the same sand dune system that is found further south in Mescalero Sands and still further south near Kermit, Texas. We were quite hopeful as we found a campsite and got out of the car to start exploring. There was a nice variety of dune-type plants in bloom, including pricklypear cactus—always a favorite of mine for hunting jewel beetles in the genus Acmaeodera.
Opuntia camanchica (tulip pricklypear cactus—family Cactaceae) in sand prairie.
Sadly, there seemed to be very little insect activity going on—perhaps a result of our relatively late hour of arrival (6 pm). I checked the pricklypears in the prairie near the campsite for a while, but after not seeing insects in the flowers I decided to walk the Sand Dune Trail. There wasn’t nearly as much pricklypear in the dunes as in the area near the campsite, but I checked them anyway. On the back end of the trail I finally found a buprestid beetle—Acmaeodera mixta bedded down inside a curled petal on the flower of Helianthus annuus.
Acmaeodera mixta (family Buprestidae) bedded down for the evening on a flower of Helianthus annuus (common sunflower) in vegetated sand dune habitat.
Shortly afterwards I found an Eleodes hispilabris (clown beetle) crossing the sandy trail—as soon as he saw me he assumed the classic “headstand” defensive pose and allowed me to take a pic.
Eleodes hispilabris (family Tenebrionidae) doing the classic “headstand” in sand dune.
Nothing else was happening (although Mike did get a small variety of bees off the various blooms), so we setup camp and cooked “dirty bratwursts”!
Cooking “dirty brats” on a propane stove.
After dinner, I went to check out the restroom lights, as they were nice and bright (not the “yellow” anti-bug lights that most parks use!). Unfortunately, there were no beetles to speak of, but there were a few moths and a very large, very cool Hogna carolinensis (Carolina wolf spider—family Lycosidae) that actually “hopped” to escape my molestations and eventually ended up in a great pose for photos.
Hogna carolinensis (Carolina wolf spider—family Lycosidae) in sand dune at night.
A face only a mother could love!
Day 8
“Caprock Amphitheater” Quay County, New Mexico We spent the morning catching up on our field notes before breaking camp. No new insect activity was showing up by the time we were packed up, so rather than spend more time here we decided to head back up to Mills Canyon where we had started the trip last week. The landscape north of Portales is stunningly featureless, so imagine our surprise when we happened upon a spectacular escarpment that dropped precipitously as we approached San Jon just east of Tucumcari. Unlike the unendingly treeless plains above and below, the escarpment itself was covered with pinyon/oak/juniper woodland. Mike and I had the same idea at the same time—find a place to pull over and give the place a look!
“Caprock Amphitheater.”
Right off the bat I found Acmaeodera mixta on the flowers of Thelosperma magnicamporum (rayless greenthread), but further inspection of various “Acmaeodera flowers” (e.g., Opuntia and Melampodium) was fruitless. Beating oaks was fruitless as well, so I went back to examining flowers.
Opuntia phaeacantha (brown-spined pricklypear cactus—family Cactaceae) in pinyon/oak/juniper woodland.
After about half and hour to 45 minutes, activity seemed to pick up—I started seeing Acmaeodera ligulata on the flowers of both Melampodium leucanthum (blackfoot daisy) and Opuntia phaeacantha (brown-spined pricklypear), and over the next hour or so I continued to add to the series and found a few A. quadrivittatoides on each as well.
Acmaeodera ligulata (family Buprestidae) on flower of Melampodium leucanthum in pinyon/oak/juniper woodland.
I also resumed beating and picked up a few misc. insects before finally beating a single Brachys barberi from the branch of Quercus x undulata (wavyleaf oak). I beat a lot more oak after that but never found another Brachys, then turned my attention to Prosopis glandulosa (honey mesquite). The very first branch I whacked yielded a large Chrysobothris merkelii, but afterwards all of my beating produced only a few other misc. insects. The area around the pulloff was limited in area by steep cliffs on one side and the road on the other, so I crossed the road where Mike was already monitoring flowers. I did collect more A. ligulata on the flowers of Senecio flaccidus (threadleaf ragwort), but the hillside was steep, difficult to traverse, and yielded only more A. ligulata on M. leucanthum.
Senecio flaccidus (threadleaf groundsel—family Asteraceae) along roadside through pinyon/oak/juniper woodland on sandstone escarpment.
Feeling like I’d gotten a good sampling of what was out, I decided that this would also be a good spot to hang a set of traps, as it was far removed from any of the other sets of traps that I’d hung in the state. I hiked up the road to the top of the canyon (finding a single A. ligulata on the flower of Erigeron sp. along the way), hung a trap from a tree in the drainage, hiked back down to the parking pulloff to hang another trap, then crossed the highway and hiked down about 1/8 mile to the top of the slope to hang the third trap.
Echinocereus reichenbachii ssp. perbellus (family Cactaceae) in pinyon/oak/juniper woodland on sandstone escarpment.
When I returned to the car, Mike was picking up his bowl traps (in which he’d also collected several Acmaeodera spp.). Considering that a melittologist thought it was a good spot to place bowl traps to attract flower-visiting bees, I decided it should also be a good spot for placing a bottle trap to attract flower-visiting Acmaeodera. By the time I had all my traps in place, we’d spent about four hours at the spot—an unexpected end to our frustrating (and literal) dry spell!
Mills Rim Campground Harding County, New Mexico Fresh from success at the previous spot, and seeing how green the landscape had become as we continued further north, we were filled with optimism about what we might find at Mills Rim after rains had soaked the area a week ago a d sunny skies had warmed the landscape since. The landscape also had become much more interesting than further south, as hints of canyonlands appeared with greater frequency (with the occasional abandoned homestead still dotting the landscape).
Abandoned homestead near San Jon, New Mexico.
The final ascent through a spectacular canyon south of our destination back up onto the plateau let us know our drive was almost done. We stopped at a pile of freshly-cut juniper just inside the boundary of the Grassland, expecting the branches to be crawling with longhorned beetles in the genera Callidium/Semanotus or jewel beetles in the genus Chrysobothris, but alas none were seen. Still, we arrived at the campground (unfortunately, our favorite site was occupied, so we had to settle for the neighboring site) full of optimism about what we might see in the day that was left. My first target was a stand of Sphaeralcea coccinea (scarlet globemallow) near the campsite, from the flowers of which I hoped to find Agrilus malvastri. I did eventually find one, but only after looking at a lot of plants and seeing only leaf beetles and other misc. insects.
Nemognatha nigripennis (family Meloidae) on flower of Tetraneuris acaulis in pinyon/oak/juniper woodland.
I then returned to the dead Pinus edulis from the branches of which I’d beaten both buprestids and cerambycids the previous time but this time beat only one Acanthocinus sp. and a few other misc. insects. Likewise with Quercus x undulatus (wavyleaf oak)—I’d beaten some (not a lot) of nice buprestids from their branches during the previous week’s visit, but this time only a few misc. other insects were found.
Castilleja integra (wholeleaf Indian paintbrush—family Orobanchaceae) in pinyon/oak/juniper woodland.
Mike fared little better, seeing very few bees on the flowers (in fact, the bees I collected on S. coccinea formed the bulk of his collections from this visit). We debated about whether it was too early in the season or too late in the day, but in my opinion the area still had the feel of “early” (I took a peek inside one of the jug traps that I’d hung last week and, other than moths, saw only a single beetle—Euphoria fulgida). I suspect it will be still later in May or even early June before insect activity really starts to pick up at the site.
Penstemon jamesii (James’ penstemon—family Plantaginaceae) in pinyon/oak/juniper woodland.
Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable visit (as always), and a special treat was the Texas horned lizard (a.k.a. “horny toad”, Phrynosoma cornutum) that visited the campsite and entertained us while dining on harvester ants. While it may have been on the early side for insects during this visit, I will be returning in mid-June, during which time insect activity should be in full swing!
Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) in pinyon/oak/juniper woodland.
Of all North American reptiles, these are the most “dinosaurian”-looking
After dark, I returned to the dead P. edulis after dark and found a single Zopherus concolor on the ground at the base of the trunk (I found several of these on the trunks of dead P. edulis last year at this same location).
Zopherus concolor (family Zopheridae) on ground at night at base of trunk of dead Pinus edulis (Colorado pinyon pine) in pinyon/oak/juniper woodland.
On the trunk of another dead P. edulis (on the branches of which I’d collected a couple of cerambycids during the previous visit), I found one Cymatodera sp.
Cymatodera sp. (family Cleridae) at night on trunk of dead Pinus edulis (Colorado pinyon pine) in pinyon/oak/juniper woodland.
Day 9
The lack of insect activity continued during the morning, and with forecast temperatures not even reaching 70°F, it became clear that waiting would not change anything. We had considered continuing north to Sugarite State Park very near the Colorado state line. However, the forecast there was no better—in fact, cool temperatures were forecast across northeastern New Mexico, and only in areas further east did the forecasts look more promising. Rather than beat a dead horse and try to collect in New Mexico anyway, we decided to head back to one of our favorite spots in Oklahoma—the sandstone outcropping near Kenton that we visited at the start of the trip (and from which I have already found so many great records over the past few years). We could then camp at Black Mesa State Park, drive to Gloss Mountain State Park the following day, and camp at nearby Alabaster Caverns State Park for the final night of camping before heading home in Friday. I kept an eye out for someplace to set my last set of traps (I’d brought seven sets), but all we saw before entering Oklahoma were smiling dinosaurs!
Dinosaurs are everywhere in this part of the country!
He’s smiling!
nr. Kenton Cimarron County, Oklahoma Temperatures were already well above 70°F by the time we arrived, and the sunny skies further increased my optimism. I started out checking the flowers of Xanthisma spinosa (spiny goldenweed) along the gravel road behind the outcropping but saw only a few blister beetles & bees (the latter I collected for Mike). Thelosperma megapotamicum (rayless slenderthread) was also in bloom, from which I collected Trichodes oresterus.
Trichodes oresterus (family Cleridae) on flower of Thelosperma megapotamicum in pinyon/oak/juniper woodland on sandstone escarpment.
What I was really after, however, was Brachys after beating a single specimen (prob. B. barberi) from Quercus x undulata (wavyleaf oak) last week. It didn’t take long before I found one, and it didn’t take long after that to find another one. Over the next hour or so, I accumulated a nice series of about a dozen specimens by working the oaks in an expanding zone around the tree from which I’d collected the first specimen. In addition, I also collected a very small Brachys that looks like B. aeruginosus—if that’s what it is, then it is a very unusual far western record for the species—and a variety of other misc. beetles (mostly cryptocephaline and chlamisine leaf beetles). While I was beating the oaks, I found Opuntia polyacantha in flower (the only such plant I saw all day) and collected a small bee (for Mike) & misc. beetle from its flower.
Opuntia polyacantha (plains pricklypear cactus—family Cactaceae) in pinyon/oak/juniper woodland on sandstone escarpment.
After beating all the oaks along the gravel road, I went up on top of the outcropping to continue beating the oaks situated above those I’d been beating along the gravel road, which ultimately added a few more specimens to my series of Brachys. Before doing that, however, I went over to a small area where I had seen Melampodium leucanthum (blackfoot daisy) in bloom the previous week to see if they were by now attracting Acmaeodera. Only a few were seen, all at first representing only A. quadrivittatoides (which I first collected here as a new state record in 2022), but when I returned a short while later I found a couple more plus one A. ligulata, which I believe itself to be a new state record! Returning to the oaks, I noticed some “flagged” branches on one of the Quercusmohriana (Mohr oak). This seems to be an unusual northern outpost for the species, which is more commonly found throughout much of Texas, and pulling the branches off the plant revealed cerambycid-pruned larval galleries inside, prompting me to gather and bundle the branches for rearing.
Quercus mohriana (Mohr oak—family Fagaceae) in pinyon/oak/juniper woodland on sandstone escarpment.
Quercus x undulata (wavyleaf oak—family Fagaceae) in pinyon/oak/juniper woodland on sandstone escarpment.
As I worked my way east along the outcropping, I encountered some small, recently (and apparently deliberately) cut branches of Pinus edulis (Colorado pinyon pine), and inspecting the branches revealed a couple of small Chrysobothris that must be C. cuprescens. By this time, I was near the dead P. edulis tree from which I’d beaten a few longhorned beetles the previous week (including two potential new state records!). I did not beat any beetles off of its branches this time, but I did collect one of the branches for rearing. By this time, I’d been out for more than three hours and was getting hot, thirsty, and hungry, so I headed back to the car to check in with Mike. Collecting had been a bit slower for him, though still productive, and he gave me a few Acmaeodera—two A. mixta and one A. ligulata—that he’d collected on the flowers of M. leucanthum across the highway, along with three clytrine leaf beetles that he’d collected on flowers of Eriogonum sp. I went over to the Melampodium spot to see if I could find more Acmaeodera (I did not, as it was starting to get late in the day), but what I did find might be one of the coolest finds of the trip—a perfectly complete, perfectly clean, wholly intact skull amongst the skeletal remains of a gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus)—a truly spectacular find!
Gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) cranium amongst skeletal remains along roadside in pinyon/oak/juniper woodland on sandstone escarpment. Subspecies schotii (Arizona gray fox)?
A perfectly clean, perfectly complete skull!
Black Mesa State Park Cimarron County, Oklahoma Our usual campsite was taken, so we had to “settled for the neighboring site. After setting up camp; however (and seeing the neighbor’s tent flapping noisily in the wind), we decided that our smaller but more sheltered and private site was actually even more desirable!
Full moon (almost) rising!
We cooked the last of the meat—“dirty” burgers, and after darkness had settled I went out to hunt the roads and trails to see what might be out and about. Immediately upon hitting the road, I found Eleodes longicollis lumbering across the pavement and goaded it into a headstand for photos.
Eleodes longicollis (family Tenebrionidae) on road through juniper chaparral at night.
Nothing else, however, was seen during the entire rest of the walk (other than the “pet” dinosaur outside the campground supply store).
“Pet” dinosaur!
The nearly full moon, however, was a sight to behold, especially in this area which is known for its darkest of night skies!
A near-full moon (12 hours shy) shines brightly over Black Mesa State Park.
Day 10
Gloss Mountain State Park Major County, Oklahoma Early last week as we made our way out to Black Mesa State Park at the beginning of the trip, it felt really strange to pass right by Gloss Mountain State Park without even stopping. It has been among my favorite collecting localities over the past 15 years, and nearly every collecting trip I’ve made to northwestern Oklahoma since I “discovered” this spot in 2009 has started here. Cool weather in New Mexico, however, chased us back east a few days earlier than we had planned, and we both welcomed the sudden opportunity to collect at a time of year (late May) that neither of us have been here before.
Return to Gloss Mountain!
Mike immediately found a stand of Astragalus (milkvetch) below the front slopes that were pulling in bees and stationed himself there. I knew exactly where I wanted to go—a small woody copse of Celtis reticulata (net-veined hackberry) and Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii (western soapberry) where in previous years I’ve collected great species such as Paratyndaris prosopis (on hackberry) and Agrilus limpiae (on soapberry). I had started up the trail on the slope face when I noticed an all-black Euphoria sp. (flower scarab) on the flower of Tamarix ramosissimus (saltcedar) near the trail. I thought at first that it was a species I’d never seen before, but some quick online sleuthing revealed that it was merely a color variant of the common E. kernii (Kern’s flower scarab). A little more searching in a neighboring plant also produced a few of its dreadfully common congener, E. sepulcralis (dark flower scarab).
Euphoria kernii (Kern’s flower scarab—family Scarabaeidae) on flower of Tamarix ramosissima (saltcedar) in mesquite chaparral below gypsum/siltstone slope.
The distraction over and puzzle solved, I continued up the slope, stopping at a few patches of Mimosa nuttallii (Nuttall’s sensitive-briar) along the way to pick a few Typocerus octonotatus (eight-spotted flower longhorn) and Trichiotinus texanus (Texas flower scarab) from its flowers. About halfway up the slope is another copse of hackberry and soapberry, and beating branches of the former produced numerous Chrysobothris purpureovittata (some unusually coppery-colored, and few the bright blue and green that is typical of the species), one C. caddo, several Agrilus lecontei celticola, several A. paracelti, and one A. obolinus? along with a few other misc. beetles. I’ll need to follow up on the A. obolinus—that is a species I’ve collected only once before (in west Texas). There was also one dead hackberry tree in the copse, from the branches of which I beat a few additional A. lecontei celticola and A. paracelti.
Winds were incredibly strong out of the south, and they actually helped push me up the last bit of the slope and onto the top of the mesa, where I met my old friend again—Parvindela celeripes (swift tiger beetle, formerly Cylindera celeripes)—on the clay exposures between the areas of vegetation. It had been many years since I’d seen this species, which I first found occurring abundantly in the gypsum/red clay landscape across this part of the state back in 2009–2010. I believe this is the earliest date that I’ve seen adults of the species active, which I’ve more normally recorded during June and early July.
Turning my attention to the copse on top of the mesa, I began beating the hackberry and, for a while, collected some the same species I’d collected on the slope below—C. purpureovittata, A. lecontei celticola, A. paracelti—along with a few misc. beetles. Finally, on a hackberry on the backside of the copse, I found what I was looking for—Paratyndaris prosopis! This single individual is the first I’ve seen since I collected about a dozen specimens in the exact same spot back in 2013! I also beat the soapberries in the copse, and unlike the trees on the lower slopes which produced nothing, the trees in the copse produced a nice series of Agrilus egeniformis (normally associated with honey locust but also utilizing western soapberry, thus, giving it an unusual distribution) and a few A. ornatulus. I had hoped to also find A. limpiae (a small series of which I collected here last year during mid-May) or A. sapindi (which I’ve never collected here) as well, but no such luck. I continued further around the perimeter of mesa beating the few hackberries that dot the edge but found only a few more C. purpureovittatus, A. lectontei celticola, and A. paracelti but no more P. prosopis. The wind didn’t make things easy, but I only lost a few of the specimens I’d beaten to the wind (one, however, being only the only other C. caddo that I found during the day). Hiking back towards the edge of the mesa, the winds continued unabated, making it the most difficult descent over the mesa rim and down onto the slope that I’d ever experienced—trying to hold onto my net and beating sheet with one hand while grabbing the rail with the other required a level of acrobatism that I’ve lacked for many years now! Eventually, however, I did make it down off the slope. By then, it was almost evening, and we celebrate the final day of collecting with dinner at a restaurant in Woodward before continuing on to our campsite at Alabaster Caverns.
Alabaster Caverns State Park Woodward County, Oklahoma We both enjoyed fish (and beer!) at Longshots Bar & Grill in Woodward (the last time we tried to have dinner here in May 2022, the kitchen caught fire after we placed our order and we had to find another restaurant. At least they didn’t charge us for the beer!). We got to our campsite with enough daylight left after setting up camp to allow a little beating of the trees around the camp. I beat a couple of leaf beetles from the branch of a Quercus macrocarpa (burr oak—probably planted) and a few Agrilus paracelti from the partially dead branches of a nearby Celtis occidentalis (common hackberry). Further beating of the healthier hackberries in the campground yielded nothing, so we settled down for the evening, reminisced about the past two weeks, and contemplated tomorrow’s long drive home.
Our campsite in Canyon Campground at Alabaster Caverns State Park
Day 11
Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway Information Kiosk Barber County, Kansas The final day of a long field trip is always a mixture of sadness and satisfaction—sadness that the fun is over, but satisfaction with the memories. We talked about some of the more memorable events of the trip and made plans for follow up on ideas discussed, but also looked forward to getting back home and resuming our normal lives (after a bit of rest!). We weren’t quite done with the collecting, however—I knew of this spot in south-central Kansas (sort of on the way home) where a beautiful tiger beetle species has been taken during the spring: Cicindela pulchra. Its common name is, in fact, beautiful tiger beetle, which is a direct translation of its scientific name! I haven’t seen this species in many years (since 2011 in the Black Hills of South Dakota!), so I wanted to take the opportunity as it presented itself. Arriving at the spot with sunny skies and temps above 70°F seemed promising, but it became clear fairly quickly that the tiger beetles I was after were not active at this site at this time. There were, however, flowers in bloom, and I collected a few other things from them (though nothing special). These included Batyle suturalis (sutured flower longhorn) on Thelosperma magnicamporum (rayless greenthread) and Typocerus octonotatus (eight-spotted flower longhorn), Euphoria kernii (Kern’s flower scarab), and a few more bees on Mimosa nuttallii (Nuttall’s sensitive-briar) and Callirhoe involucrata (winecups). I was really hoping to find Agrilus muticus on the latter plant, as I’ve only collected a few specimens of this species, and that was many years ago.
Typocerus octonotatus (eight-spotted flower longhorn beetle—family Cerambycidae) on flower of Mimosa nuttallii in shortgrass prairie.
Eventually, we knew it was time to go—there was no more “one more stop,” and we settled into a beautiful drive across the southern edge of Kansas before the final drive up through familiar terrain across the Missouri Ozarks!
p.s. “Little Bits” (my little black kitty cat 🐈⬛) was sure glad to see me!
Beetles In The Bush 