Tag Archives: taxonomy

Trees of Lake Tahoe – The Deciduous Trees

Posted on April 23, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

Alder, Maple, and Nuttall’s Flowering Dogwood make beautiful bowers over swift, cool streams at an elevation of from 3000 to 5000 feet, mixed more or less with willows and cottonwood; and above these in lake basins the aspen forms fine … Continue reading →

Posted in Aceraceae, Betulaceae, Fagaceae, Rosaceae, Salicaceae | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Winter botany quiz #5

Posted on April 18, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

This may be the last winter botany quiz for awhile, but I did come across this interesting little plant on my recent visit to Lake Tahoe that doesn’t fit neatly into any other category upon which I have (or will … Continue reading →

Posted in Viscaceae | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Trees of Lake Tahoe – The “Other” Conifers

Posted on April 4, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

The inviting openness of the Sierra woods is one of their most distinguishing characteristics. The trees of all the species stand more or less apart in groves, or in small, irregular groups, enabling one to find a way nearly everywhere, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cupressaceae, Pinaceae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 34 Comments

Trees of Lake Tahoe – The Pines

Posted on March 28, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

The coniferous forest of the Sierra are the grandest and most beautiful in the world, and grow in a delightful climate on the most interesting and accessible of mountain-ranges…–John Muir, The Mountains of California (1894) During the early 1990’s while … Continue reading →

Posted in Pinaceae | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 41 Comments

Sanctuary for the Betulaceae

Posted on February 25, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

Nestled on the eastern side of the St. Francois Mountains, where the craggy exposures of the Ozarks most ancient rocks begin to subside underneath the Cambrian sandstones laid down over them, lies Hawn State Park – considered by many to … Continue reading →

Posted in Betulaceae, Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Bizarre, beautiful extremes

Posted on February 15, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

No niche, it seems goes unfilled. Specialization is likely to be pushed to bizarre, beautiful extremes.–E. O. Wilson, The Diversity of Life Wilson didn’t mention treehoppers specifically when he made the above quote, referring to the exuberance of extreme behavioral … Continue reading →

Posted in Aetalionidae, Hemiptera, Membracidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

“Armoured tank beetle”

Posted on February 10, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

Photo details: Panasonic DMC-FX3 (macro setting w/ auto exposure, aperature, and focus), illumination by two 23w compact fluorescent light bulbs. Post processing details: Adobe PhotoShop Elements 6.0 to crop, adjust brightness and contrast, remove pinhead, erase background, and sharpen. In … Continue reading →

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

Tragidion confusion

Posted on February 2, 2009 by Ted C. MacRae

Back in October, I discussed a recent review of the cerambycid genus Tragidion, authored by Ian Swift and Ann Ray and published in the online journal Zootaxa.  These gorgeous beetles mimic the so-called “tarantula hawks” (a group of large, predatory … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments