Tag Archives: nature

A classic fall ‘bycid

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

In eastern North America, autumn is the beginning of the end for most insect groups. Preparations for winter are either complete or well underway—eggs have been laid, nests have been provisioned, and larvae (hopefully) have eaten well enough to endure … Continue reading →

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

Not quite a one-shot

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

This little jumping spider (~8 mm in length) was in one of my soybean fields in west-central Illinois last week. She(?) was quite fidgety and kept jumping from the leaf on which I found her as I tried to carry … Continue reading →

Posted in Arachnida, Araneae | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The very dirty tiger

Posted on September 6, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

In my post Very wary tigers!, I lamented my inability to photograph one of our state’s less commonly encountered tiger beetles, Ellipsoptera cuprascens (Coppery Tiger Beetle), on an open Mississippi River beach under a blazing sun. There are solutions to such problems, however, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Unexpected visitors

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

In late July I began blacklighting on a weekly basis at different locations along the Mississippi River in an effort to gain more detailed information on the distribution of certain tiger beetles along that great watercourse. While attraction of tiger beetles to ultraviolet … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Ghosts in the night

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

This summer I’ve spent quite a few nights hanging out along the Mississippi River—lamp on my head, vials in my pocket, and an ultraviolet (UV) light setup on the sandy banks. UV light collecting for insects (also called “blacklighting”) is … Continue reading →

Posted in Arachnida, Araneae | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Program Announcment: 2012 ESA Annual Meeting

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

The Entomological Society of America recently posted the 2012 Program for their Annual Meeting this November in Knoxville, Tennessee, and I’m honored to announce that I’ll be giving a presentation in the Section A Symposium “Entomologists Beyond Borders: Hands on Macrophotography … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Life at 8X—soybean aphid

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

Although my first attempt at adding extension tubes to my Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens, effectively converting it from a 1–5X to a 1.7–8.0X lens, was nearly a year ago, it has only been recently that I’ve actually started experimenting with … Continue reading →

Posted in Aphididae, Hemiptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

ID Challenge #20

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Ted C. MacRae

Has it really been seven weeks since the last ID Challenge? BitB Challenge session #6 overall leaders Brady Richards (66 pts), Mr. Phidippus (58 pts), and Sam Heads (54 pts) must think I’m trying to duck the final standings so I … Continue reading →

Posted in Arachnida, Araneae | Tagged , , , , , | 47 Comments