Tag Archives: Missouri

My favorite of Missouri’s milkweeds

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Milkweeds of the genus Asclepias are among my favorite plants, although I’m not fully sure why that is the case. Sure, their blooms are conspicuous and colorful, but so are those of many other plants. Perhaps one reason is their status … Continue reading →

Posted in Asclepiadaceae, Plantae | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Backyard gems

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

I’ve been fortunate to have the chance to travel far and wide in my searches for insects—from the Gypsum Hills of the Great Plains and Sky Islands of the desert southwest to the subtropical riparian woodlands of the Lower Rio Grande … Continue reading →

Posted in Betulaceae, Buprestidae, Coleoptera, Cupressaceae, Orchidaceae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

You know what bugs me about dung beetles?…

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Okay, I know this isn’t a true dung beetle, but this earth-boring scarab (family Geotrupidae) is close enough that I’ll take the opportunity to use one of my favorite dung beetle jokes.¹ This is one of several individuals that I … Continue reading →

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

These are a few of my favorite trees

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Adrian Thysse recently posted a video of a talk by Wayne Maddison titled “Jumping Spider Melodies,” given November 2012 at the Joint Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of Canada and the Entomological Society of Alberta. It was a fascinating talk that … Continue reading →

Posted in Fabaceae, Juglandaceae, Pinaceae, Plantae | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

His name is Ralph!

Posted on January 20, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Until the past few years, I could probably count on my two hands the number of snakes I’d seen in the field. This despite nearly weekly outings throughout each season going back to young adulthood. I’m sure this has something to do … Continue reading →

Posted in Reptilia, Vertebrata | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

An elegant living fossil…

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

In the insect world, hyperdiversity is the norm. More than a million species are known, and perhaps several million more await discovery. Beetles alone represent nearly a quarter of the earth’s described biota, with one genus (Agrilus in the family Buprestidae) bursting at … Continue reading →

Posted in Hymenoptera, Pelecinidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Ovipositing Pigeon Horntail

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

By early July, woodboring beetle activity is at its peak in southern Missouri. Even though many of the smaller species of jewel beetles (family Buprestidae) and longhorned beetles (family Cerambycidae) have already come and gone, bigger species in genera such … Continue reading →

Posted in Hymenoptera, Siricidae | Tagged , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Best of BitB 2012

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

Welcome to the 5th Annual “Best of BitB”, where I pick my favorite photographs from the past year. 2012 was one of the most intensive travel years I’ve ever had—I spent 8 weeks in Argentina from February through April, made separate … Continue reading →

Posted in Blaberidae, Blattodea, Bombyliidae, Carabidae, Cerambycidae, Chloropidae, Chrysomelidae, Cicindelidae, Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Dictyoptera, Diptera, Fulgoridae, Hemiptera, Lampyridae, Lepidoptera, Milichiideae, Noctuidae, Reduviidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments