Tag Archives: nature

One-shot Wednesday: Hawk moths suck!

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

I admit it—I give short shrift to Lepidoptera compared to other groups of insects. This is not because I don’t think they deserve attention; they are a stunning group with an amazing suite of adaptations to life on earth. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Lepidoptera, Sphingidae | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

A winter longhorned beetle

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

According to the calendar it’s still autumn; however, in practical terms winter has settled in across much of the U.S. For those of us who study wood-boring beetles in the families Buprestidae (jewel beetles) and Cerambycidae (longhorned beetles), our time … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Q: How do you photograph cactus beetles?

Posted on November 24, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

A: Very carefully! This past June I went out to one of my favorite spots in northwestern Oklahoma—Alabaster Caverns State Park in Woodward Co. The park, of course, is best known for its alabaster gypsum cavern—one of the largest such in … Continue reading →

Posted in Cactaceae, Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Red-eyed poop!

Posted on November 22, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

I was looking at some of my older files and ran across these photographs taken in early 2011 in Campinas (São Paulo state), Brazil. They’re not my best photos from a compositional and technical perspective, as I was still on … Continue reading →

Posted in Formicidae, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Membracidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The “Dagger Butt Weevil”

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

In April 2012 I spent some time in northern Argentina collecting insects, and while collecting was not that great (late in the season after a protracted drought) I saw enough of interest to make it a worthwhile effort. Among the … Continue reading →

Posted in Coleoptera, Curculionidae | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Sunday scarab: Phileurus valgus

Posted on November 17, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Few beetles enjoy more popularity than the scarabs (family Scarabaeidae)¹, and within that group certainly the members of the subfamily Dynastinae are the most popular of all due to their often enormous size and presence of highly developed horns on … Continue reading →

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

Fire ant winged reproductives: male and female

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

While in Austin at the Entomological Society of America meetings, I had the chance to tour The University of Texas at Austin’s Brackenridge Field Laboratory.  Located on 82 acres of land bordering the Colorado River, the station supports studies in biodiversity, ecosystem change and natural … Continue reading →

Posted in Formicidae, Hymenoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

ESA Insect Macrophotography Workshop

Posted on November 13, 2013 by Ted C. MacRae

Today is the last day of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas, and it has been an action packed week for me. Annual meetings such as this serve several purposes. In addition to seeing talks on … Continue reading →

Posted in Aeschnidae, Arachnida, Araneae, Buprestidae, Chrysomelidae, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Membracidae, Odonata, Reduviidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments