Tag Archives: science

“62nd” Annual “Season-Opener-Birthday-Bug-Collecting-Trip”

Posted on April 26, 2019 by

This past Tuesday was my birthday, and as I have done for my entire adult life I took the day off and went on my traditional “Season-Opener-Bug-Collecting-Trip”. In the past I’ve usually just had one friend go with me, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Berberidaceae, Buprestidae, Caryophyllaceae, Cerambycidae, Coleoptera, Crassulaceae, Geraniaceae, Iridaceae, Nymphalidae, Reptilia, Vertebrata | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

When hardcore botany meets hardcore nature photography—nature geekery at its finest!

Posted on April 10, 2019 by

Last Saturday, the Webster Groves Nature Study Society (WGNSS) Nature Photography Group was joined by several members of the WGNSS Botany Group and Missouri Native Plant Society to look for one of Missouri’s rarest plants—Geocarpon minimum, a.k.a. tinytim or earth-fruit … Continue reading →

Posted in Brassicaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Crassulaceae, Montiaceae, Papaveraceae, Rosaceae | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

T.G.I.Flyday—Black horse fly (Tabanus atratus)

Posted on March 20, 2019 by

In my previous post, I talked about a day trip to a sand scrub remnant in the Lake Wales Ridge of central Florida to find and photograph the endemic Highlands tiger beetle (Cicindelidia highlandensis). Ironically, the dry sand scrub/pine woodland … Continue reading →

Posted in Diptera, Tabanidae | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Revisiting the Highlands tiger beetle (Cicindelidia highlandensis)

Posted on March 13, 2019 by

In September 2016, I had the opportunity to attend the Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America in Orlando, Florida, which was being held in conjunction with the International Congress of Entomology. My first thought when I made plans … Continue reading →

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

Another look at North America’s most beautiful longhorned beetle

Posted on March 5, 2019 by

My love affair with the bumelia borer, Plinthocoelium suaveolens, has been well-chronicled on this blog. The combination of its large size, striking iridescent green elytra, brilliant coppery head and pronotum, and marvelously elongate antennae and legs – both black but the latter … Continue reading →

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

A “superb” southwestern Missouri cicada

Posted on June 23, 2018 by

Back in the summer of 2015, I made an early August trip to the White River Hills region of extreme southwestern Missouri. I was actually looking for one of Missouri’s more uncommon cerambycid beetles – Prionus pocularis, associated with shortleaf pine in … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicadidae, Hemiptera | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

When is an ant not an ant? When it’s a jumping spider, of course!

Posted on May 30, 2018 by

This past weekend my good friend and long-time collecting partner Rich and I visited one of our favorite insect collecting spots in all of Missouri – Victoria Glades Conservation Area. Together with an adjacent parcel owned by The Nature Conservancy, … Continue reading →

Posted in Arachnida, Araneae | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Ellipsoptera lepida – ghost tiger beetle

Posted on August 1, 2017 by

In the early 2000s, Chris Brown and I were beginning our general survey of Missouri tiger beetles. Our goal was to characterize the occurrence and distribution of all species within the state. At the time, 22 species were known to … Continue reading →

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