Spring's Tiger Beetle
I've identified the tiger beetle I wrote about last Tuesday as the Six-spotted Tiger Beetle, Cicindela sexguttata . It's a beautiful and common tiger beetle, and is usually connected with wooded areas. I found this one during a field trip for my Lower Plants class (yes yes, it's not a technically correct term, but it's a much easier name for the course than some alternatives), where it was hanging out around a dead log with a few other tiger beetles. I haven't found many tiger beetles before, so I was very excited. I didn't have an insect net with me, nor would it have helped me much, so I crouched down and slowly crept forward. I got as close as I could without scaring it away, and pounced like a cat, cupping it in my hands. Surprisingly, I caught it on my first try. I tried to find it in my fist full of leaves and didn't want to hold it too tightly, in fear of squishing it. I wasn't worried that it had escaped my grasp since I kept feeling it bite me. ...