Tag Archives: insects

Dainty, delicate, little fairies

Posted on December 9, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

Ever since I saw Chris Grinter’s beautiful photographs, I have wanted to see (and possibly photograph) the tiny little moths known as fairy moths (family Adelidae, formerly considered a subfamily of Incurvariidae). These dainty, delicate, little moths are characterized by their unusually … Continue reading →

Posted in Incurvariidae, Lepidoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Life at 8X: MPMI Cover

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

The January 2013 issue of Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions (volume 26, number 1) is now online. Why do I mention this? You may recall the cover photos of the soybean aphid, Aphis glycines, from my post Life at 8X—soybean aphid—one of a series of … Continue reading →

Posted in Aphididae, Hemiptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

One Bad Beetle

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

Almost every tiger beetle trip that I take has a mix of gimmes and stretch goals. That’s alright—it’s impossible to find everything every time out, and if I eschewed the common and was happy only when I found something truly … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Another autumn oedipodine

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

In September 2010, Chris Brown and I explored shortgrass/sage brushland habitat atop the Laramie Mountains in southeastern Wyoming’s Medicine Bow National Forest (location “J” on this map). We were entering the final days of our 7th Annual Fall Tiger Beetle … Continue reading →

Posted in Acrididae, Orthoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Where siblings mingle: Ellipsoptera marginata vs. E. hamata

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

When Erwin & Pearson (2008) formally broke up the great genus Cicindela by elevating most of its former subgenera to full genus rank, it caused a bit of consternation amongst some North American cicindelophiles. The argument went something like, “Now we have all these … Continue reading →

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

It’s a Mayfly…It’s a Moth…It’s Thyridopteryx

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

One of the nice things about the study of insects is the endless opportunity for discovery. It could be a new species, or it might just be something already known but not yet seen personally. I’ve been collecting insects most of … Continue reading →

Posted in Lepidoptera, Psychidae | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Approaching the unapproachable

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

Yesterday I gave a talk at the Entomological Society of America’s Insect Macrophotography Symposium, focusing on techniques that I use for photographing wary insects in the field. Turnout for the symposium was awesome (I estimate ~125 people in attendance), and as … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Persistence Pays

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

For the past three years I’ve crisscrossed the country in search of some of North America’s rarest tiger beetles, each time hoping to get that “perfect” photograph of an unconfined beetle exhibiting natural behavior in its native habitat. I’ve managed … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments