"Joy in the universe, and keen curiosity about it all—that has been my religion."
— John Burroughs
On Saturday, I took a bike ride through the Pheasant Branch Creek Corridor for a birding-by-ear outing. I ended up detecting 13 warbler species — a bit of a surprise for late May. But go back just two decades, and it wasn't unusual to tally over 20 around this same time. Dozens of other non-parulid species were singing as well, filling the corridor with the familiar spring chorus.
For Sunday, I figured it was time to switch gears and check for Northern Barrens Tiger Beetles (Cicindela patruela) at the West Unit of Spring Green Preserve. If found, this would be the third time at this particular location. A bonus was a Blue Grosbeak that sang on and off for a few hours. Sue and I arrived a little early for peak tiger beetle activity, so we tracked down the grosbeak first and managed a brief glimpse of it singing from a treetop.
Scouring the woodland trails, I came across a Six-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sexguttata). As I crouched down to begin my approach for a photo, a Northern Barrens Tiger Beetle flew in and landed just inches away — an unexpected side-by-side encounter.
Superficially similar in appearance to C. sexgutta from a distance, upon close inspection the larger maculations become apparent. C. patruela typically has a darker, more metallic forest green or bronze-green coloration, often with a slight bluish or purplish iridescence depending on the angle of light. It's a deeper and more subdued green compared to the more common Six-spotted.
Judging by maculations, there were at least two individuals, maybe three.
Once it warmed up, this Northern Barrens headed for some shade to cool down. Like all tiger beetles, it's exothermic — relying on external sources of heat to regulate its body temperature. When the sun gets too intense, they often retreat to shaded spots or burrow into the sand to avoid overheating.
This is the type of oak (or pine) barrens habitat you want in order to find this species in Wisconsin.
At the same patch, here are two different Six-spotteds: one with the full set of six spots, and the other with just four. There's quite a bit of variation in this species — some individuals even lack spots altogether.
Nearby wildflowers included Fringed Puccon ...
And Frostflower ...
A final stop before heading home was the sandbars at the Arena Boat Landing on the Wisconsin River. With mostly sunny conditions, I figured there had to be tiger beetles out — and I was right. Whether it was still too early for Hairy-necked Tiger Beetles (Cicindela hirticollis) was a question I hoped to answer soon.
Prospects seemed good, and I wasn't disappointed — dozens upon dozens were scurrying and flying across the nearest sandbar just off the trail from the parking lot. There were a few Bronzed Tiger Beetles (Cicindela repanda) among them.
Perhaps one of the most skittish, this tiger beetle species is super challenging to get this close to.
After a couple of hours in the sun with the tiger beetles, I figured it was time to call it. Not a bad weekend: 13 warbler species on Saturday, and 5 tiger beetle species (Festive and Big Sand, too) on Sunday — including the always satisfying Northern Barrens and Hairy-necked. Spring doesn't last long, but when it's good, it's really good.
All images © 2025 Mike McDowell