"To a rough approximation, and setting aside vertebrate chauvinism, it can be said that essentially all organisms are insects."
— Robert May
Did you like those two videos? I've been super busy so I haven't had much time to sort through recent blog material, but I have been getting out on weekends. The Jonny Thompson video came up as a suggestion (he's new to me), but I've read most of Sean B. Carroll's books. If you've not read it, check out The Serengeti Rules.
I love this month. September is sort of like May in reverse—southbound migrating birds come through, insects have a resurgence (or final emergence), and fall prairies put on a dramatic show. It's all very amazing and I'm grateful to be immersed in it.
With spring-fall tiger beetle species, my favorite to re-visit is Splendid Tiger Beetle (Cicindela splendida). Summer species like Ghost, Sandy Stream, and Punctured, have a single adult emergence in July or July and do not overwinter—alas, they perish at the end of the season. Spring-fall species emerge as adults mostly in August or September, feed for several weeks and then prepare burrows for overwintering. It isn't until the following spring that they mate and lay eggs.
By my read, Splendid Tiger Beetles uncommon to kind of rare in Wisconsin, found reliably (with considerable effort) at Spring Green Preserve in Sauk County. While a few scattered sightings exist elsewhere, its small range means it probably deserves Special Concern status in the state, but I couldn't find it on WI DNR's Natural Heritage Inventory page. Perhaps I'll reach out.
As I've written here many times before, finding them requires a trip to the top of the bluff to the rocky outcroppings—this is where you'll find them hunting atop the flat rock surfaces.
Like this ...
And this ...
Here's one now!
While most are decently skittish, some occasionally allow me to get so close I can set my camera on the rock for low-angle portraiture.
The stilting and sun-facing postures are both strategies for thermoregulation. Stilting keeps their bodies elevated above hot surfaces, while the sun-facing posture minimizes exposure of the abdomen and thorax to direct sunlight. Maintaining a suitable body temperature is essential for optimal hunting and mating activity. When they get too hot, tiger beetles may engage in what's called “shuttling”—scurrying into the shade to cool down before returning to the open to resume hunting. For tiger beetles, it's all about maintaining the right body temperature.
This female Splendid was patrolling her own rock. Even when I spooked her a few times, she eventually came back to the same spot on the outcropping.
What a gorgeous beetle ...
I just can't stop!
To add to the post, I thought I'd photograph a few wildflowers found around the outcroppings and elsewhere. There's Harebell, False Foxglove, Blazing Star, Flowering Spurge, and various asters.
I was photographing this aster when ...
A "fly bee" came in. Actually, it's a hoverfly in the genus Syrphus. Lori and I still can't let go of the fact that, back in our old Wisconsin Naturalists Facebook group, someone repeatedly called these "fly bees." So now, we almost always refer to them that way. They're not bees—they're flies (diptera). They're also commonly, but incorrectly, called "bee flies." Really, though, they're mimics, using their bee-like appearance to fool potential predators.
I also observed my first "fall" Oblique-lined Tiger Beetle on the way back to the parking lot ...
I'm thinking it's time to return to the Pheasant Branch Creek Corridor this weekend and watch the fall warbler parade. I'm not sure I'll do any digiscoping, but we'll see where the weekend takes me. I've accepted that 2026 will go down as a 12-species tiger beetle year, and that's OK. I do have to admit, though, that I get a little concerned when I miss species that are normally easier to find—or at least reliably findable with some effort.
All images © 2026 Mike McDowell