Collecting at Kickapoo State Park (26 Apr. 2014)

With the weather on Saturday being gorgeous, it was high time to go on another collecting trip. This was a small outing (only three of us went exclusively to collect), but it was still a great time. What was really nice was that even in areas where there weren’t many things to collect, the scenery was still beautiful and there were still plenty of inverts running/flying around to make for some good pictures.

Such as this beautiful six-spotted tiger beetle (Cicindela sexguttata)

We came across loads of C. sexguttata as we wandered through the woods. Some of them were very cooperative when it came to taking pictures. Others decided we were too large and scary and would flee whenever we got close. As the day wore on and we moved to a nice, sandy area next to a creek, we found a different tiger beetle species that was much more skittish.

Bronzed tiger beetle pair (Cicindela repanda repanda)

The handful of C. r. repanda were super skittish, flying off before we could get close. It took me about 15 minutes to get the shot above, but it was a lot of fun (even though the family fishing in the creek kept looking at me like I was crazy). This sandy area yielded many more interesting creatures, with gelastocorids (toad bugs), many different carabids (ground beetles) and a ton of frogs.

And we can’t forget this lovely beach wolf spider (Arctos littoralis)

After lunch, we worked our way back into the woods again to resume collecting and break up a few logs to see what treasures they contained. The first big log we cracked into was full of termites at one end, so we shifted down a little and kept breaking. After a bit more breaking, I came across a stag beetle (Family Lucanidae)! I hadn’t come across this species before, so this was a treat! Luckily one of the other collectors had his camera ready and got some good shots.

Ceruchus piceus (Image courtesy of Horace Zeng)

And luckily he was ready for the surprise we found about a foot away after breaking off another piece…

Bald faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) (Image courtesy of Horace Zeng)

All-in-all, it was a great collecting trip, with several interesting specimens being captured physically or pictorially. The trip was very enjoyable and the weather couldn’t have been better. Hopefully there will be more trips like this to come!

To see more of Horace’s photos, click here.

First Collecting Trip (12 April 2014)!

The weather has finally gotten nice (except for the snow today…) and I was able to go collecting! Though early in the season, there were some insects and spiders out. I went to a local forest (a rare island in the sea of corn that is central Illinois), packed and ready for a variety of things. While there wasn’t any vegetation I could use my beating sheet on, there were still plenty of logs that could be flipped or broken and lots of peelable bark.

The morning started off slow, but things picked up as the day went on and we figured out what logs and bark could yield the insects we were after. And what could a better find than a bunch of beetles???

Pleasing fungus beetle (Megalodacne sp.)

This beautiful erotylid (pleasing fungus beetle) was under a piece of loose bark at the base of a dead tree. The same tree had a large number of dead curculionids (weevils) and coccinellids (lady beetles) under the bark. They all seemed to be infected with fungus, but that could have occurred after they died. Perhaps the frigid temps from this past winter killed them off and the fungus began breaking them down?

Forked fungus beetle (Bolitotherus cornutus)

After waiting over a year, I was finally able to capture the amazing forked fungus beetle (Family Tenebrionidae)! She was well camouflaged in a rotting log, likely looking for fungus to eat. This is one of the few non-lucanids that show sexual dimorphism, with males having large “fork-like” horns rising over their heads. Females (like the one seen above) have small bumps. While small, they are occasionally kept in the US beetle hobby. Hopefully I’ll find a male this year so I have a pair!

Oak stag beetle (Platycerus virescens)

The log with the B. cornutus also contained several oak stag beetles (Family Lucanidae)! This small stag beetle (maxing out at 12 mm) was a very cool find. I didn’t know this beetle existed until I found it and it was a pleasant surprise to find a lucanid so early in the season.

And on an 8-legged note, a couple flipped logs also yielded young fishing spiders (Dolomedes tenebrosus) and a jumping spider (not yet identified).

Fishing spider (Dolomedes tenebrosus)

The unknown jumping spider peeking out at me

Couldn’t have asked for a better way to start the season! Here’s looking forward to collecting even more this year!

Winter Brings Dreams of Collecting

As the snow continues to fall here in central Illinois, all I can think of is going out and collecting again. The beetles I hunt for have all gone to ground and will stay there until it begins to warm up again. I’ve even been having dreams of collecting the past couple nights, though those could be due to me spending large amounts of time on Ted MacRae’s extremely informative blog, Beetles in the Bush, especially on his posts about jewel beetles (Family Buprestidae).

Last night’s dream had me wandering along the edge of a wooded area and finding a tree that had been knocked down recently. As I excitedly walked up to the tree, I found dozens of species of buprestids! Realistically this would never happen, but a guy can dream, right?

Besides all this dreaming, I’ve begun planning for what is looking to be one heck of a field/collecting season. BugGuide has been my friend as always in helping me make up a wish list of species that I’m hoping to collect and showing me where they can be found. The next steps will involve finding places to collect at and figure out what trees I should be looking for. I will likely be confined to the Midwest for most of the season, but I may be able to swing down to the Southwest in the spring (fingers crossed!).

And finally, because I can’t leave you all without a picture of some sort, here is a picture from Ted MacRae of the beautifully cryptic buprestid, Dicerca obscura.

Photo credit goes to Ted MacRae

When a Collection Comes Together

I’m an avid insect collector. As soon as it starts getting warm, I run out into the woods with my net and backpack of vials and other miscellaneous items. It’s always an enjoyable excuse to get out into nature to get some fresh air.

Though things can go wrong when you sink into water that goes over your boot tops (photo courtesy of Ellie Moen)

It really gets fun when my fellow entomophiles join me in the woods and we can really get the collecting going. We all catch interesting insects and trades undoubtedly occur as people catch insects from certain highly sought after families.

A bunch of entomologists in the woods = a great time (photo courtesy of Victoria Wong)

As a graduate student, I just finished taking an insect taxonomy course, and one of the course requirements was that I make an insect collection. Considering that I had been collecting insects and putting them in my freezer for two years, I was pretty set. The issue was that I hadn’t really pinned up all that much yet (and don’t even get me started on labeling…). But I knew I had to do it and I knew that I was going to enjoy it.

After spending innumerable hours working on it, I was finally able to turn in my collection. I did go a bit over what the requirements were, but I was just trying to empty my freezer and get things pinned up. And here it is:

Box #1, containing mainly Hymenoptera, but other orders are included as well

Box #2, containing assorted orders. Homoptera is no longer an accepted order name, but it was permissible for this class’ collection

And saving best for last…

Box #3, containing nothing but Coleoptera!

And as an added bonus, my freezer is now almost completely devoid of insects (which my roommate is super happy about)!