As always, I had my camera with me and I set out to photograph this beautiful metallic green beetle. Unfortunately for me, the beetles had no interest in posing for a portrait. On my knees, I would follow a likely beetle, prepare to focus, and then, just as I would get ready to click the shutter, the uncooperative insect would spurt off on a short flight before landing again at a distance just out of range of the lens. I would faithfully follow the beetle to its new landing site to try again. Of course, every time I almost reached the landing zone, off would go the beetle on its next flight. The flights were interspersed with short sprints as it searched for its prey which includes small insects and spiders.

This predatory behavior is not photographer-friendly! The tiger beetles were oblivious to me during the next forty-five minutes as I pursued them on my knees before finally getting an acceptable photo.

I had just discovered one of the characeristics of this tiger beetle species: touch-and-go landings. If you’re not familiar with this term, it refers to pilots who must make a certain number of takeoffs and landings to keep qualified for flying. They do this by briefly touching wheels down on the runway in their final approach and landing, and without slowing down, immediately take off again to repeat the process multiple times.

It turns out that the Six-spotted Tiger Beetle looks for motion and runs at breakneck speed toward the prey. It runs so fast that it can’t see the prey until it stops again. If the prey is within reach, the beetle grabs it with its jaws. Otherwise, the beetle will repeat the “touch-and-go” procedure until it succeeds.

The Six-spotted Tiger Beetle is found in shaded hardwood forests. It is one of Florida’s twenty-nine species and subspecies. There are 223 species and subspecies in North America. If you are interested in identifying tiger beetles, there are several field guides available. If budget is a concern, I suggest the paperback A Field Guide to the Tiger Beetles of the United States and Canada by David L. Pearson, C. Barry Knisley, and Charles J. Kazilek, 2006, Oxford University Press.

We were walking along a trail with our friends and had stopped to admire a nice batch of pickerelweed that was growing in the water near a small wooden bridge on a trail. We were enjoying and photographing the many butterflies that were nectaring on the pickerelweed. Then I looked down into the water and say many butterfly wings floating on its surface. I knew then that a praying mantis had to be nearby.

In fact, she was directly above the floating wings on a pickerelweed, lying in wait for her next butterfly meal. This praying mantis had lost part of one of her forelimbs, but the abundance of buterfly wings showed that it did not seem to greatly impair her hunting skills.

Several Gulf Fritillaries and sulphur butterflies landed on her pickerelweed, but either sensed danger and left or were just lucky and escaped with their lives. But finally the praying mantis’ arms reached out and snagged an unwary Gulf Fritillary. We watched for over half an hour as she consumed every butterfly morsel except for the scaly wings which fell off as she finished her meal.

See the entire sequence of Lizard Wars

It is not uncommon to see a male green anole asserting his territorial rights. You’ve probably have seen a male displaying his brightest coloration, “puffing up” to look larger, and doing “push ups” Until this year, I had never seen two male anoles progress beyond these warning signs to actual combat.

This spring, my wife and I were walking through some woods when the trees were just beginning to bud out. As I was walking along, I saw a flash of bright green on a tree branch. Two male green anoles were circling the tree, each trying to get the best strategic position to fight. Then their jaws were locked on each other. The one lizard was actually biting down on the other lizard’s head and neck and it surely must have hurt the victim. The wrestling match continued for quite some time. When it appeared to me that actual harm might be occurring, I did try to separate the two, but after a few moments, they resumed their wrestling match. The fight was still ongoing when I left.

Barnard, Edward L., and Wayne N. Dixon. Insects and Diseases: Important Problems of Florida’s Forest and Shade Tree Resources. Florida Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Forestry.

Bates, Marston. The Natural History of Mosquitoes. Harper and Row.

Borror, Donald J., and Richard E. White. A Field Guide to the Insects of America North of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company.

Chellman, Charlesw W. Pests and Problems of South Florida: Trees and Palms. Florida Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Comstock, J. H. An Introduction to Entomology. Cornell University Press.

Fitcher, George S. Insect Pests. Golden Press.

Maxwell, Lewis S. Florida Insects: Their Habits and Control. Lewis S. Maxwell.

Milne, L., and M. Milne. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders. Alfred A. Knopf.

Swain, Ralph B. The Insect Guide: Orders and Major Families of North American Insects. Doubleday and Co., Inc.

Teale, Edwin Way. The Strange Lives of Familiar Insects. Dodd, Mead and Company.

White, Richard E. A Field Guide to the Beetles of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company.

University of Georgia Press, 1999
ISBN 0820321079
$29.95 Hardcover

Many years ago, I bought my first plant photo identification book, Wildflowers of the Southeastern United States by Wilbur Duncan and Duncan Foote. Now tattered and worn, I have carried it far and wide through the eastern United States and have used it extensively along with the numerous other guides that I have acquired over the years. Unfortunately, it was out of print several years later. Nothing on the market filled the void until the publication of the Wildflowers of the Eastern United States. I am glad to see that it has been expanded to include all the states east of the Mississippi except for parts of south Florida.

This new volume is well laid out with photos and descriptions of 631 species as well as comparisons with an additional 500 species that are not photographed. Each photograph shows the important characters of each species and a text description allows for easy identification. Plant families are arranged phylogenetically. All major families of wildflowers are represented.

My only major complaint with the book is that, within each family, the genera and species descriptions are not listed alphabetically which makes quick lookups impossible. A bibliography of additional references would have been appreciated.

This is one book that cannot be left on the shelf. It should be carried into the field along with other botanical identification guides previously published by the University of Georgia Press.

Other books published by the University of Georgia that cover the southeastern United States include:

• Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of Northern Florida and Adjacent Georgia and Alabama by Robert Godfrey, 1988
• Aquatic and Wetland Plants of the Southeastern United States (2 volumes) by R. K. Godfrey and J. W. Wooten, 1979 and 1981

University of Georgia Press, 2000
ISBN 0820321796
$29.95 Hardcover

Having made my first trek to the mountains of Georgia in the springtime of 2000, I understood why the authors enjoyed the eight years that they photographed Georgia’s splendid wildflowers.

They divide the coverage of this large-format volume into four regions of the state from the coastal plain to the Blue Ridge mountains. Within each region, physiographic characteristics and floral diversity are emphasized. Photographs of 85 plants and habitats are intertwined with these discussions. The authors discuss parks, trails, and areas where one can enjoy numerous wildflower species during their blooming season.

This book is not a systematic treatment with taxonomic keys and illustrations. For those interested in such treatments, there is a reference book list at the end of the book. It is a wonderful guide to the true beauty conveyed by wildflowers. Each of us must do our part to inspire others to help protect the wildflowers of Georgia and elsewhere, especially those endangered by loss of habitat. I think the Nourses have succeeded in inspiring readers of this book to become more aware of Georgia’s natural heritage. Let us hope that each of us can strive to preserve this state’s disappearing wildlands.

Another identification manual that is a must while botanizing in the Blue Ridge province is the Guide to the Vascular Plants of the Blue Ridge. Its wide range of habitats within the region extends from northern Georgia to southern Pennsylvania. Over 2000 species are included, representing all major plant groups including ferns, trees, monocots, and dicots. All the families, genera, and species are arranged alphabetically. (Yes!) Although lacking illustrations, the keys are simple to follow. The list of references is quite useful for those who wish to delve further into species identification. Hopefully, a new edition will update the species coverage and include updated taxonomic revisions.

McKnight, Kent H., and Vera B. Mc Knight. A Field Guide to Mushrooms - North America. Houghton Mifflin Co.

Tarver, David P., John A. Rodgers, and Michael J. Mahler and Robert L. Lazor. Aquatic and Wetland Plants of Florida. Bur. of Aquatic Plant Research & Control Fl. DNR.