"Insects all business all the time."
― David Foster Wallace
As you saw in my previous post, I spent all day Saturday tinkering with guitars, but Sunday's brilliant weather demanded an outdoor adventure. Spring Green Preserve was the natural choice—I'm weary of exploring sandbars after so many failed attempts looking for Sandy Stream Tiger Beetles.
Avian-wise, the birding highlight was a Blue Grosbeak still singing on territory, though I didn't have my digiscoping rig with me to get a photo. I also encountered a handful of Field Sparrows, a calling Eastern Towhee, and a few singing Indigo Buntings, but most of the grassland birds had already departed. Lark Sparrows and Grasshopper Sparrows were absent or silent, as were Eastern Meadowlarks. Dickcissels were gone, too. It's a much quieter place now.
Naturally, the plan for the day was a Bug Hunt. My target species was Virginia Metallic Tiger Beetle (Tetracha virginica), but none were found. I didn't find any last year either, but there's still time. In fact, I think most of my records for this species are September ones. Speaking of September, how'd we already get to mid-August? The time just flies.
Spring Green's sandy trails are perfect habitat for tiger beetles.
Present were Festive, Big Sand, and Punctured.
Let the portraiture begin!
Here's is a very metallic-green Festive Tiger Beetle, demonstrating their polychromatic nature. Generally, most individuals I encounter are brownish, but one occasionally finds them with brassy green highlights. Recall that Festives at Sauk Rec SNA are more ruby-colored. Some years back I found one that was blue and purple—an absolute stunner.
Polychromatism means that an insect species can exhibit different colors instead of all looking the same. Rather than using paint-like pigments, many insects render bright colors using microscopic layers on their shells that bend and reflect light like a prism. Tiny genetic tweaks or environmental changes during development can change how these layers bounce light. Observing them from different angles also can change their iridescence.
Big Sand Tiger Beetles were out in big numbers. The particular individual has a very coppery pronotum (dorsal shield). Typically the ones I encounter are more brownish on the thorax and head, like these next ones.
Variable cloud cover provided a dynamic mix of lighting, ranging from harsh, direct sunlight to soft, diffused light. I welcome the variation; direct sun often creates high-contrast glare that washes out finer structural details and textures. With clouds continually drifting through, a little patience lets you time the exposure to catch ideal light.
Above, a Punctured Tiger Beetle—it looks like it may have been ovipositing.
Look at this ...
A Dung Beetle! There used to be more of them at Spring Green.
Here's a robber fly (Proctacanthella sp.) with prey ...
Rough Blazing Star (Liatris aspera) is a defining highlight of the late-summer prairie, anchoring sandy barrens and oak savannas with its bold, magenta-purple blooms from August into September. Unlike species with dense, crowded spikes, aspera sets distinct, button-like flower heads spaced along its rough, rigid stems, with rounded, translucent bracts that make field identification straightforward. Blooming from the top down, it serves as a critical late-season nectar stop for migrating Monarchs and native bees when earlier forbs have gone to seed.
This is the jungle-like trail leading up to the top of the bluff ...
I don't encounter Ghost Pipe (Monotropa uniflora) very often, so this was a cool find.
At the top!
Above, Cylindrical Blazing Star (Liatris cylindracea), below Dotted Horsemint (Monarda punctata).
White Goldenrod (Solidago ptarmicoides) ...
It's about two weeks early, but I thought to check for Splendid Tiger Beetles—none were found on the rocky outcroppings, but it's still a spectacular view of Spring Green's bluffs. Plus, it's great exercise hiking up the slope's forested trail.
It's no longer a secret that Six-lined Racerunners (Aspidoscelis sexlineatus) are at the sand prairie, and I'm not sure what the poaching situation is these days. They're a species of special concern in Wisconsin, but do not have a Federal conservation status. Many years ago, I would occasionally encounter people capturing herps to keep as pets or sell. This is highly illegal, and I've personally made them release animals they had captured. I can be pretty persuasive and I'm not afraid of confrontations when it comes to protecting wildlife.
The Nature Conservancy once discouraged people from publishing specific herp locations, but they've since done so themselves. For example, I know they assisted the author of this Artful Living article, which shows a tell. Word is that someone was recently fined and banned from the preserve for poaching herps, though enforcement remains a mystery given how rarely wardens or TNC staff are on-site. Regardless, reptile numbers appear to be declining, suggesting that illegal collecting likely persists.
They're remarkable little reptiles, and their speed is truly impressive. Spotting one stationary in the open is a rare treat—this kind of shot that would normally be much easier to capture from a distance with my digiscoping rig. Fortunately, this cooperative individual held still long enough for me to creep within just a few feet before it finally darted off into the vegetation.
Tiger beetle season isn't over yet—September remains promising, and I’ve seen Bronzed as late as November. Still, after six months of bug hunting since March, the season is coming to an end. While I'm bummed to miss Sandy Stream this year (fingers crossed for a comeback), there are still opportunities for Twelve-spotted and Cow Path. That said, my primary focus through September will be Virginia Metallic. However, this effort will be punctuated by warbler migration at the Pheasant Branch Creek Corridor.
All images © 2026 Mike McDowell
