"The natures of solitary people are apt to have more unmapped country in them than worldly folk imagine. They see and think and do things peculiar to themselves, and one may turn up buried treasure in them at any moment."
― Julian Hawthorne
After birding the creek corridor yesterday (no FOYs), I decided to check to see if the Six-spotted Tiger Beetles had emerged along the stone fence at Pope Farm Conservancy. I prefer this particular location for photographing this species for several reasons: 1. It's ergonomically more comfortable. 2. They're easier to get close to. 3. They don't fly as far during escape flights. 4. Better lighting conditions. 5. A variety of photographic angles. 6. More interesting background textures.
Nearly 500 yards long, the stone fence was constructed by George Seibert and his sons in the 1850s as they cleared the land for agricultural purposes. Could the tiger beetles have been around as long as the fence has been there? An interesting thought. Though that may seem like a long time ago, the oldest fossil tiger beetle yet found, Cretotetracha grandis, comes from the Yixian Formation in Inner Mongolia, China, and dates to the early Cretaceous Period, 125 million years ago. Truly remarkable creatures that have been on the planet far longer than we have. Evolution rendered near-perfect little predators. Apart from size and color, the overall anatomical structure of tiger beetles has been relatively unchanged over millions of years.
Along the base of the stone fence are piles of dead oak leaves from the previous season. Though I got to the fence around noon, I didn't find any beetles for about an hour. By 1pm there were several of them actively hunting on the stones and leaves.
From their maculations you can tell my photographs reveal a couple of different individuals. This particular Six-spotted with 8 spots was very accommodating during the duration of my outing. It's interesting to note how maculations vary among populations. For example, the ones I photographed at Indian Lake Park a few days ago were not as well marked.
The colorful lichens make this shot almost look like a painting.
After spending a couple of hours with the tiger beetles, they suddenly vanished. About to call it a day, I saw one last beetle circling atop a a small boulder. I knelt down to observe and it appeared to be inspecting various crevices. It finally settled for one, tucked itself into a safe spot where it likely spend the night. I had to use my flash to get a photograph if it. I've often wondered if they returned to burrows or used rocks in some way to protect themselves when resting at night ― now I know.
All images © 2023 Mike McDowell