"We are often taught to look for the beauty in all things, so in finding it, the layman asks the philosopher while the philosopher asks the photographer."
― Criss Jami
We (me, Lori, Mark, and Lester) went for Boreal Long-lipped Tiger Beetle last weekend, but dipped. Our intel was as good as May 2020 with a few GPS coordinates of previous sightings. We scoured those areas plus a few others I found on Google Earth, but no luck. It's really OK, though ― I look forward to trying again in April or May of 2022!
I did find a poorly maculated Oblique-lined Tiger Beetle that got my heart going for a bit, but upon closer inspection I realized it was not our target species. With four adept tiger beetle aficionados participating in the search, if they had been there I'm pretty certain we would have found them. For our effort, we did observe five tiger beetle species, including a Twelve-spotted, which is always a nice find.
Naturally, it was impossible to be too disappointed with dipping on Boreal Long-lipped, as the scenery and other critters were wonderful. A trip highlight was finding a Milbert's Tortoiseshell butterfly, which I haven't seen for many years. It was a lifer for Lester and he was over the moon with the observation and photograph he got. I especially enjoyed the fascinating ground coverings ― lichens and stunning fall colors beginning to emerge.
The search! And taking a break ... again, nothing is sacred.
This is Parfrey's Glen State Natural Area, a deep gorge cut through the sandstone of the south flank of the Baraboo Hills intersecting with the Ice Age Trail. During late spring and summer you can hear Louisiana Waterthrushes singing throughout. The glen really is one of the most beautiful hikes you can take in southern Wisconsin, though duration-wise it isn't a very lengthy one at around 3 miles total.
The waterfall at the official end of the trail!
Later on at nearby Devil's Lake I decided to scan the shoreline for tiger beetles ― to my absolute astonishment I found a single Twelve-spotted:
This pretty much wraps up Tiger Beetle Season 2021, as I do not think I'll be making any more trips for the little monsters for the remainder of fall. To be sure, adding Cow Path Tiger Beetle was a major highlight of the season and it's still nice to have something to look forward to (long-lipped).
Alas, while at Devil's Lake, a 55-year-old man drowned. I don't know anything else about him other than he was with his family ― he went under, and was gone. It was alarming to have sirens and rescue vehicles descend upon the lake not knowing what was going on, but the assumption was a fall or drowning.
Do the things, my friends.
Most images © 2021 Mike McDowell