Fiery Searcher

Gawd, I love green.

Fiery Searcher, Calosoma scrutator

This beeeaaauutiful beetle was doing the dog paddle as Bear and I walked past a tiny mini-pond in my woods. The "pond" is one of those 20 gallon shells from Lowes. A few years ago, I installed it as a source of water and a tiny refugium for amphibians and whoever else might need some moisture.

I always place a big palm frond stalk in it as an escape route for lizards and other critters who fall in.
Sometimes, every so often actually, I find the frond moved out of the way ... maybe the deer adjust it.

On this walk, on this day, a large green beetle was swimming around in the mini-pond with now way out.

With a piece of broken old palm frond, I dipped him out for a few pictures, and then let him go on an oak tree ... away from the pond.

I looked him up since he wasn't anyone I knew and discovered his ultra-cool name,
Fiery Searcher.
Dude!
Very impressive.

I also learned that they are also called, "Caterpillar Hunters", since this is a favorite food.

Had I known that while I still had control of him, I might have just let him go on my porch, since the evil minions of cocoon producing hell tussock moth caterpillars are besieging my porch ceiling and gunking up the fairly new paint job.

Sigh ... we live, we learn.


Today, I am off to Aquatic Ecosystems, which is kind of a mecca for aquaculture nerds like moi.

To save shipping costs on my school aquaponics grant, I told the nice folks at AES that I would come down and pick the stuff up.

Yes, I know I am spending my own gas money on this school project, but the trip is great excuse to take the JEEP, camera, and state park pass along on a little adventure ... more blogger fodder!

Whatever happens, I will share it here.