Tag Archives: Missouri

Wrong lens

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

During the past couple of years, as I’ve transitioned from strictly a net-wielding entomologist to one that also carries a camera, I’ve had to start making choices about whether to keep the camera in the backpack or hold it at the ready, … Continue reading →

Posted in Reptilia, Vertebrata | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Mite on White

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

I found this velvet mite at Shaw Nature Reserve (Franklin Co.) in east-central Missouri on a trail through mesic upland forest. At 4 mm in length, this member of the superfamily Trombidioidea is a downright honker compared to most other mites. I suspect … Continue reading →

Posted in Arachnida | Tagged , , , , , , | 32 Comments

Sawfly larva – Periclista sp.

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

As I was photographing spring coralroot orchids in my front yard, I noticed a small green object clinging to the underside of one of the flowers.  Zooming in with the camera lens revealed the object to be a caterpillar, but this was no … Continue reading →

Posted in Hymenoptera, Tenthredinidae | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Dromochorus pruinina is not extirpated in Missouri… yet!

Posted on May 22, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

When Chris Brown and I began our study of Missouri tiger beetles back in 2000, our goal was simply to conduct a faunal survey of the species present in the state.  Such studies are fairly straightforward—examine specimens in the major … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Friday Flower – Spring Coralroot Orchid

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

As flowers go, I have a passion for orchids.  Despite comprising perhaps the largest family of flowering plants on earth, most people think of orchids as rare, epiphytic plants restricted to the lush, hyper-diverse, tropical rain forests of South America and southeast … Continue reading →

Posted in Orchidaceae | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Big, Bold, and Beautiful

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

Last fall I took my younger daughter to the Al Foster Trail on the western side of Castlewood State Park, just a few miles down the road from my house.  As we walked the trail through typical bottomland forest next … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Feasting on the bounty

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

Brood XIX periodical cicadas were not the only insects appearing en masse last week at Sam A. Baker State Park in Missouri’s southeastern Ozark Highlands.  As I walked the upland trail, I thought I felt ‘raindrops’ for awhile before realizing that it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Carabidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Love is in the air!

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Ted C. MacRae

My first tiger beetle photograph of the season. There’s nothing more adorable than Spring love! Photo details: Canon 50D w/ 100mm f2.4 macro lens (ISO 160, 1/200 sec, f/16), Canon MT-24EX twin flash w/ DIY oversized concave diffuser. Copyright © … Continue reading →

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