Category Archives: Arthropoda

Arthropods – insects, arachnids, crustaceans, myriapods, & relatives

“Cicindelophilically”

  My good friends Kent Fothergill and Kelly Tindall passed through St. Louis last week on their way back home from a visit to Columbia.  I was happy for the chance to get together with them – if only for … Continue reading

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Ants invade Beetles in the Bush!

Discusses the origin and other insect relatives of ants, what ants carry with their famous ability to do so, and introduces some points about ants’ eating habits. Continue reading

Posted in Formicidae, Hymenoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Circus of the Spineless #47

When I started participating in blog carnivals last year, Circus of the Spineless was – for me – the pinnacle of blog carnivals.  I wanted to take my shot at hosting this venerable celebration of creepy crawlies, and even though the … Continue reading

Posted in Amphipoda, Arachnida, Araneae, Calliphoridae, Collembola, Crustacea, Danaidae, Decopoda, Formicidae, Hesperiidae, Lepidoptera, Libellulidae, Odonata, Opiliones, Passalidae, Vespidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Triple Quiz

Entomology Quiz: Name the beetle. Botany Quiz: Name the plant. History Quiz: Name the location (yes, attentive readers will be able to deduce this). While you ponder these questions, please make note of two upcoming blog carnivals: Circus of the … Continue reading

Posted in Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

A matter of diffusion

In my Best of 2009 post, I mentioned four skills that, to me, seemed to be crucial for becoming a successful insect macrophotographer: 1) composition, 2) understanding lighting, 3) knowing how to use a flash, and 4) knowledge of the subject.  Of these, … Continue reading

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

Me and my buds!

Those of you who have followed this blog for any length of time have seen repeated references to my friends and colleagues, Chris Brown and Rich Thoma. Rich and I have been collecting insects together for almost 25 years now … Continue reading

Posted in Asilidae, Cicindelidae, Coleoptera, Diptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Habitat Partitionining in Tiger Beetles

The latest issue of CICINDELA (December 2009, vol. 41, no. 4) contains an interesting paper by David A. Melius titled, “Post-monsoonal Cicindela of the Laguna del Perro region of New Mexico.” This paper continues a theme that I have touched … Continue reading

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

BitB Best of 2009

In my first post of 2009, I looked back at the photographs I had posted during 2008 and picked some of my personal favorites. I hesitated then to call myself a photographer (and still do), but I at least now … Continue reading

Posted in Apidae, Arachnida, Asilidae, Cicadidae, Cicindelidae, Coleoptera, Conopidae, Diapheromeridae, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Phasmida, Reptilia, Scorpiones | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments