"I would not sacrifice a single living mesquite tree for any book ever written. One square mile of living desert is worth a hundred 'great books' ― and one brave deed is worth a thousand."
― Edward Abbey
This is going to be a rather colossal post on account of two days of insecting and nature photography at some of my favorite tiger beetle haunts: Spring Green Prairie, Sauk Prairie Recreational Area, and the beaches near Sauk City along the Wisconsin River. My focus and concentration wasn't on birds, but my ears were always identifying every avian vocalization ― the bird detector switches to autopilot. Perhaps the best discovery was a Yellow-breasted Chat at the recreational area. Other birds included Henslow's Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Bell's Vireo, Scarlet Tanager, Eastern Towhee, Yellow Warbler, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Indigo Bunting, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Wood Thrush, Orchard Oriole, Clay-colored Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark, Eastern Kingbird, Dickcissel, Killdeer, and many more.
Now that the birds are out of the way, let's move onto buds and bugs!
The large sandlot at Sauk Prairie Recreational Area is a haven for tiger beetles, especially Festive, Big Sand, Ghost, Punctured, and Oblique-lined. It isn't exactly well-maintained habitat for these particular insects, but they don't need much. It's essentially a sandpit on the moraine where the US Army took out material during the active years of the ammunition plant. More sand was removed during the plant's deconstruction and was used to fill foundations, ditches, and smooth out the ground surface throughout the area. For now it's at least stable.
While there is a lot of invasive knapweed here, there are also native wildflowers like Dwarf Dandelion, Black-eyed Susan, Purple Coneflower, and Prairie Clover. It's important to have some flowering plants as it attracts the host of insects that tiger beetles (and robber flies) will stalk and ambush for prey. Usually if I witness a takedown, prey is in the form of ants, which are quite abundant as you might guess. To be sure, there isn't much that preys on the tiger beetles with the exception of some of the larger robber flies like Proctacanthus hinei.
Feeding on flower pollen, this is an Orange Blister Beetle in the genus Zonitis ― perhaps Z. perforata, but it could also be Z. vittigera of this curious complex. It wasn't critical to know the exact species as it was entertaining watching it use its mouthparts to probe and pull for pollen.
This is Bembix americana, a sand wasp. Harmless to humans, these medium-sized wasps often follow me around throughout my visits to sandy areas. Long ago I thought they were irritated at my presence and made pests of themselves with their episodic sorties around my head. To the contrary, I later learned they're doing me a favor nabbing small flies that actually are pestering me. An interesting and cool adaptation to be sure, and I've long ago shed the notion that they had any malicious intent. Indeed, they are welcome company as I pilot my macro lens over the sand-scape.
A Velvet Ant! I seldom encounter one that isn't on the move, so having one pause for a moment was a rare opportunity. They actually aren't ants at all, but flightless female wasps in the family Mutillidae in the order Hymenoptera. Apparently, they have a super-painful sting ranking up to 3 (out of 4) on the Schmidt Sting Pain Index. No thanks! Photos only, please.
Digging for ... prey? Shelter from the heat? It entered and did not come back out.
Of all the flying insects at the sandlot, the Three-banded Robber Fly Stichopogon trifasciatus is the most abundant. At this particular location they tend to perch atop larger stones as a lookout platform to launch their attacks on prey. This particular robber fly is too small to take on a tiger beetle, and instead goes for small gnats and flies. However, if these insects were the size of golden retrievers, they could carry off small children with minimal effort. Tiny horrors indeed, but cool as all get-out.
And now for tiger beetles! One of my target species for the outing was Punctured Tiger Beetle Cicindelidia punctulata, a veritable harbinger of summer. Named for the "punctured" pits on their elytra, these particular beetles generally prefer more textured and darker colored substrate, but I do occasionally find them on open sandy areas.
Like other tiger beetles, they hunt by stealth and ambush. I saw one kill a red ant without eating it, which was sort of strange behavior I hadn't observed before. I didn't think I frightened it away, but that remains a possibility ― I was motionless as the aggressive beetle destroyed the ant by crushing it with its powerful mandibles. And then it just ran away. I have questions: Did it not taste right? Do tiger beetles taste? Was it just a territorial thing? Can they remember locations of dispatched prey?
More portraits ...
When tiger beetles begin to overheat, they'll regulate their internal temperature by finding shade, usually from plants near their hunting grounds. They'll remain in the shade until their body temperature returns to an optimal hunting level, and then back out they go. This business of darting to and from shade is called "shuttling." Occasionally I've had tiger beetles use shade from my head and upper body. I'm, like, "Where are you going?" I look down from my camera, and there's a tiger beetle cooling off in my shade just below my chin.
Perhaps the lower jawbone of an opossum? Below we have one of my favorite non-native wildflowers, Deptford Pink Dianthus armeria. From a distance, the tiny pink pedals remind of of Prairie Fame Flower Phemeranthus rugospermus, but closeup the two really look nothing alike. Native to Europe abut naturalized in North America, this wildflower is often found in highly disturbed habitat. Also of note and interest, they're not often pollinated by insects, but instead rely on self-pollination.
This outing the Ghost Tiger Beetles Ellipsoptera lepida were far more numerous than they were back in late June ― widespread throughout the sandlot. This time, though, they were getting down to the business of making more. I saw a number of copulations and mate guarding behavior. If I had to make an estimate, there had to be between 150 and 200 throughout the areas I explored.
Before leaving the Sauk area, I made a stop at the canoe launch for two other target species for the day: Hairy-necked and Sandy Stream Tiger Beetles. There were none of the former, and only a small number of the later. Apart from Ghost, the only other tiger beetle in the genus Ellipsoptera found in Wisconsin is Sandy Stream E. macra. The rest are Cicindela with the exception of Virginia Metallic Tiger Beetle, which is the sole member of the genus Tetracha found in our state. I find Sandy Stream to be one of the most difficult tiger beetles to photograph an account of their speed and erratic and unpredictable escape flights. Still, I managed to obtain a few portraits of the speedy sand monsters.
While searching for Sandy Stream TBs, I came across a few highly camouflaged Shoreline Wolf Spiders Arctosa littoralis. They've not yet reached adulthood and are only around a third of the size they'll ultimate get before summer comes to an end. If you're predisposed to arachnophobia, tiger beetling along the Wisconsin River probably isn't your thing. Though harmless, these spiders might give you a fright while prone on the shore ― they're fast and hop!
Getting rather late in the afternoon, I decided to head out to Spring Green Prairie to see if the Prairie Flame Flowers Phemeranthus rugospermus were open. A species of Special Concern in Wisconsin on account of limited distribution to a few counties, they're very difficult to find until their tiny flowers open late afternoon. It isn't necessarily about a precise time as the amount of sunlight. Upon arrival around 4:15PM, none were found. The plant itself looks like tubular grass and credibly blends into the surrounding vegetation, which included Prickly Pear Cactus Opuntia fragilis.
By 4:30PM I found a few of them beginning to open. And 15 minutes later I was surrounded by dozens of them, each gradually opening ― you can sit there and watch this. I generally only see this species once each year about this time during summer, so I often recall previous encounters with them. I specifically remember last year's visit because I was feeling melancholy about the pandemic. Would I ever see them again? And a time before that I remember being pestered and criticized by an ex-girlfriend for spending too much time at the prairie.
This time, though, it was pure renewal. I watched as various insects took to the freshly opened flowers for nourishment, both ants and bees. This time there was nothing to detract me from enjoying the moment to its fullest. I recognize that I am a selfish person when it comes to time, especially time spent in Nature. I don't think I will ever settle for less. Oh sure, I do share outings with friends and also this blog, no one but me will set limits.
All images © 2021 Mike McDowell