Tag Archives: nature

Cleaning Tiger Beetles

Posted on December 14, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

This is Cicindela scutellaris (festive tiger beetle), one of the six species of tiger beetles that we found last September at Monroe Canyon in the Pine Ridge area of northwestern Nebraska.  The red elytra and green head and pronotum are characteristic of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , | 22 Comments

Eye of the Turtle

Posted on December 10, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Is there anything more lovable than the humble turtle?  As old as the dinosaurs, they stumbled onto a body plan that works and promptly dropped out of the evolutionary arms race.  Slow, plodding, and seemingly oblivious, they steadfastly cling to their quite, … Continue reading →

Posted in Reptilia, Vertebrata | Tagged , , , , | 60 Comments

Monroe Canyon – A Tiger Beetle “Hot Spot”

Posted on December 8, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

The vast landscape surrounding the Nebraska Pine Ridge boasts two entirely different natural communities – the High Plains shortgrass prairie atop the ridge stretching endlessly to the south, and the eerie, desolate Badlands on the north side of the ridge extending … Continue reading →

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

Answer to Super Crop Challenge #2

Posted on December 5, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

I was hoping that Super Crop Challenge #2 would prove a little more difficult than the first one, but first responder Troy Bartlett quickly sniffed out the correct answer – the top part of the abdomen of the marmorated orb weaver, … Continue reading →

Posted in Arachnida, Araneae | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Super Crop Challenge #2

Posted on December 5, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Super Crop Challenge #1 appeared not to be too difficult – let’s see if this one is any harder. This is a straight up ID challenge, more points for greater specificity. To narrow things down a bit, the photograph from which this portion … Continue reading →

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

Tiny little slivers of life

Posted on December 3, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Day 1 of the 2010 Fall Tiger Beetle Trip™ had been an unqualified success.  Not only did we achieve our top goal of the trip – seeing good numbers of the recently discovered South Dakota population of Cicindela pulchra (beautiful tiger beetle), … Continue reading →

Posted in Lepidoptera, Scythrididae | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Kirby’s Tiger Beetle

Posted on December 1, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

At the northern edge of the Pine Ridge in northwestern Nebraska, the land drops precipitously from verdant High Plains to the eerie Badlands below.  The sterile landscape of eroded slopes and irregularly shaped landforms is at once beautiful and harsh.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Litaneutria minor – agile ground mantid

Posted on November 28, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Have you ever seen a mantid that lives exclusively on the ground?  Most mantids are ambush predators, hiding amongst the bushes while patiently waiting for unsuspecting prey to happen within striking range.  However, a few small groups of mantids have adopted a different strategy – … Continue reading →

Posted in Dictyoptera, Mantidae, Mantodea | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments