Spotted a Six-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sexguttata) eating an ant in my garden. These metallic green beetles are efficient predators—larvae wait in burrows to ambush prey, while adults chase down insects on the move. Harmless to humans, and great for natural pest control.

#Entomology #InsectID #NativeInsects #Cicindela #TigerBeetle #FieldBiology

While cleaning out my office I ran across my class notes from Field Zoology that I took as an undergraduate in 1989. This class set the stage for my career as a field biologist. I was hooked. In these notes, I have written that Dr. Walter Dalquest invented the use of mist nets for capturing bats. Three years later, Dr. Dalquest (Doc) would become my Master's thesis advisor. I had forgotten all about this little historical fact. So I did some research and confirmed it!

#bats #FieldBiology

I had not been following this but I'm glad to see that the National Science Foundation will now be requiring proposals to include a plan for Safe and Inclusive Field Work: https://beta.nsf.gov/policies/pappg/23-1/ch-2-proposal-preparation#2E9

#FieldWork #FieldInclusiveWeek #FieldBiology #Ecology #FieldEpi

This coming week is Field Inclusive week, dedicated to increasing inclusivity in field work! There are are virtual events each day, including talks, panel discussions, giveaways, photo contests, and more:
https://www.fieldinclusive.org/fieldinclusiveweek-2023/

And you can check out the discussion by following #FieldInclusiveWeek

#Ecology #FieldWork #FieldBiology #FieldEpi