Snake River Outing

[JWRay]

On June 22nd I took a trip out to the north shore of the Snake River, primarily to hunt down some Cicindela oregona I had agreed to catch for some colleagues in California, but also in hopes of finding the season's first Cylindera terricola and Cicindela haemhorragica. Here is the typical habitat in the area I was searching:

 

 

C. oregona, can be tricky to catch here. This species has a pretty long, and often high, escape flight, and once it warms up individuals often fly and land on top of the cliff to the right. Although at peak abundance, they are so thick here you can catch 20 per net swing.

 

Near the wet-dry line, tiger beetle larvae are abundant. Here are some of their burrows:

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While beetles are my primary target, I often get distracted by other interests - like watching this wasp drag away a spider for 15 minutes.

 

Finally, I did find many C. oregona. However, they were not nearly as abundant as a few weeks earlier. This species has a spring-fall life cycle. Adults emerge in the fall and overwinter, reproducing in the spring. Adults die off early summer and new adults emerge again in the fall. This may be catching the late end of last year's adults, so hopefully in a few weeks the fall crop of fresh adults will start emerging. As to my hopes of finding other species, I managed to catch a lone Cylindera terricola.

 

After this I decided to peruse the field behind my house in hopes of finally getting some Trichodes ornatus, and was highly successful, although photos from this expedition will have to wait for another time.

[Lucanus]

I love the view of that place! Also, nice find