Tag Archives: Missouri

Pseudomethoca simillima – a model for Enoclerus ichneumoneus?

Posted on April 27, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Last week, I posted the above photograph of Enoclerus ichneumoneus (orange-banded checkered beetle) and mentioned its possibly mimetic appearance to velvet ants in the family Mutillidae (order Hymenoptera).  By some stroke of serendipity, I encountered a species of Mutillidae the very … Continue reading →

Posted in Cleridae, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Mutillidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Revision of the Formicidae of North America

Posted on April 26, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

I recently came across this ant in the southeastern Missouri Ozarks sitting in a hole in the trunk of a standing dead black oak (Quercus velutinus) tree, apparently guarding the entrance to its nest. This big black ant is frequently … Continue reading →

Posted in Formicidae, Hymenoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , | 66 Comments

Orange-banded checkered beetle

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

As a student of woodboring beetles for more than a quarter-century now, I’ve had occasion to encounter a goodly number of checkered beetles (family Cleridae) – both in the field and as a result of rearing them from dead wood. … Continue reading →

Posted in Cleridae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Taum Sauk Mountain – Missouri’s High Point

Posted on April 20, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Although spring is now well underway in the middlin’ latitudes of Missouri, it was only a few short weeks ago that winter was still with us.  For my last winter hike of the season, I returned to perhaps my favorite … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Friday Flower – Ozark Witch Hazel

Posted on March 26, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Spring is beginning its “march” across the nation, and in typical fashion the month started out with the promise of pleasant weather but is throwing a few tantrums before giving way to April. For most folks in the lower Midwest, … Continue reading →

Posted in Hamamelidaceae, Plantae | Tagged , , , , , | 22 Comments

The Inexorable March of Spring!

Posted on March 19, 2010 by jtrager

Granted, the progress of spring seems to advance in halting baby steps with occasional falls onto its muddy bottom, rather than as a determined forward march, but spring is welcome, no matter how it arrives. When little green tips start poking up and there’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Arachnida, Araneae, Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Reptilia, Vertebrata | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Clubmoss along the Ozark Trail

Posted on March 17, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

It has been a long, hard winter – one of the toughest I can remember during my years here in Missouri in terms of amount and frequency of precipitation and persistent cold temperatures. Tough winters, however, are no deterrent to … Continue reading →

Posted in Lycopodiaceae, Plantae | Tagged , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Monday Ménage – Brachyleptura rubrica

Posted on February 22, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

This mating pair of longhorned beetles represents Brachyleptura rubrica, one of several so-called “flower longhorns” (including the rare Typocerus deceptus) that I saw on flowers of Hydrangea arborescens last June at Trail of Tears State Park in southeastern Missouri.  Flower … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments