Crazy Tiger Beetle Weekend!

Deckard:  You've got a little boy. He shows you his butterfly collection plus the killing jar.

Rachael:  I'd take him to the doctor.

― Blade Runner 

Saturday was overcast and dreary, but the remainder of the extended weekend was simply glorious. About a week ago there was a post to Wisconsin Tiger Beetles on Facebook by Bob Jacobson, who found a Cow Path Tiger Beetle (and other species) at a field not far from where he lives by Bloomer, Wisconsin. Bob was gracious enough to provide me with the GPS coordinates for the spot. Though I used to catch Cow Path Tiger Beetles with my brother at our uncle's farm near Pittsville back in the 1970s, these are the first ones I've encountered as a fanatical tiger beetler. 

As kids, my brother and I used to collect insects and pin them ― nets, killing jars, mounting boards, etc. I remember being very proud of the elaborate display cases we would fill with butterflies, moths, beetles, and other bugs. During the County Fair, I would see efforts of other collectors at 4H exhibits and be somewhat envious of species I hadn't yet encountered and captured. I'm not sure how prevalent collecting is today, but it isn't anything I recommend unless purely being done for valid scientific research. 

For the amateur entomologist, photography is a much more ethical way of admiring and documenting insect discoveries, knowing that very little harm was done upon leaving the field. Perhaps a few agitated beetles, but no worse for wear ― that sure as hell beats the finality of death. Speaking of death, my brother never got to know me as a nature photographer, as he died in 1997. My first foray into focal lengths, aperture, f-stops, and ISO settings began in 1998 with astrophotography. I wonder what he would think of all of this. It was money he left me that I used to purchase most of my astronomical gear. 

Lori Widmann, Mark Johnson, and I met up with Bob late morning ― he wanted to guide us to the precise location. What I didn't know until later is that he was a little stressed about us having made the long drive to see this species and come up empty. He certainly saw at least one, given the photograph he posted on Facebook last weekend. But would it still be there? Concerned, he cautioned me the day before that he was unable to locate any during an afternoon outing. Being the eternal optimist, I felt that if we were in the right habitat, there was an excellent chance there wouldn't be just a single beetle. My hunch proved correct as there were several individuals, perhaps as many as a dozen. We spent the next two or so hours photographing them. So, here it is ― Wisconsin Lifer Tiger Beetle #15, leaving only Boreal Long-lipped Tiger Beetle.

Aren't they stunning? I think I got carried away. I love how different they appear depending on the lighting. Thinking back, it's been a while since I've been able to add a new tiger beetle species to my Wisconsin list. In fact, it was 2017's Northern Barrens Tiger Beetle at Necedah NWR. Incidentally, I missed this species this year, though I did make it to the refuge. I was a little too late in the season as none were present during my visit. Mark Johnson has a real shot a seeing all 16 species in one year ― his 2021 list is at 15, the Boreal Long-lipped being a lifer for him as well. This makes it almost a moral imperative! Lester Doyle, a fellow tiger beetle aficionado, is also at 15 life species. 

At Bob's spot there were also Punctured, Big Sand, Oblique-lined, and some rather nifty looking Festive Tiger Beetles with nearly complete maculations. Again, variability (which is not evidence for supernaturalism if you're a TAE fan) was pretty remarkable: purple, green, crimson, and brown ― some with faded or no maculations as well. This one was super stunning:

A Phidippus Jumping Spider patrolling the same habitat as the Cow Path Tiger Beetles. Considerably smaller, I'm not even sure how it caught my eye. 

There's a branch that partially obstructed the view through my digiscoping rig, but it's still a nice shot of a Palm Warbler. Throughout our tiger beetling we could hear their chip-notes. The singing is over and it's time for boreal birds to move on. I'm pretty sure I heard chip-notes of Black-throated Green and Tennessee Warblers as well. 

This is Cow Path habitat at Bob's spot:

Digression Alert!

Apparently, there's great sport in photographing the tiger beetler photographing tiger beetles. 

You can actually see the Cow Path Tiger Beetle in this shot:

Nothing is sacred! You should see how many butt-shots people have taken of me while photographing insects. I almost always know when Dottie or Sylvia do it because they can't help giggling. Lori, on the other hand, is very stealth but always sends me the shots. 

Oh dear ...

Today I went back to Spring Green Preserve to see about Claybank Tiger Beetle. As predicted, there were many more Splendid Tiger Beetles patrolling the rocky outcroppings atop the bluff ― way more than just a week ago. Phenology is everything. 

I just adore the sun-facing and stilting posture Splendid Tiger Beetles regularly do in order to thermoregulate internal body temperature. This behavior is not unique among tiger beetles, but I see this species do it more often. Perhaps it has something to do with the heat absorption quality of the rocky outcroppings where these beetles seek prey.

Here are presumptive Common Claybank Tiger Beetles, putting my 2021 tally at 13 species. I say presumptive because Pearson et al notes the possibility that DNA studies suggest they and Splendid might actually be a single species. Splits and lumps in beetling, too? Say it ain't so! For now, great. There are 16 tiger beetles in Wisconsin, and there's one more for me to find and photograph. When will I try for Long-lipped? Perhaps in a few weeks if plans and intel connect. But then there's another part of my thinking that feels like leaving just one more in perpetuity. I sort of like the idea of having a remaining tiger beetle to get ― having it always to look forward to. Doubling back on that notion, I think the evidence is overwhelming that my maniacal obsession with tiger beetles will never wane. Once I have nice photos of Long-lipped, I may entertain writing a book about chasing tiger beetles.

For real!

Blazing Star and Asters ― late summer is upon us. 

Most images © 2021 Mike McDowell