Tag Archives: nature photography

The Wrong Tiger Beetle

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Last week, we had a gathering of biologists out at The Nature Conservancy’s Little Salt Fork Marsh Preserve, a saline wetland we own and manage north of Lincoln, Nebraska.  Saline wetlands are an important ecosystem that are found in very limited numbers in Nebraska – mostly right around the city of Lincoln.  Because the ecosystem is rare in Nebraska, so are many of the species associated with it.  Those species include several plants – including saltwort (Salicornia rubra) and sea blite (Suaeda depressa) – and the salt creek tiger beetle (Cicindela nevadica lincolniana).  The beetle is found only in the saline wetlands around Lincoln and is federally-listed as an endangered species (it’s population is thought to be less than 500 individuals).  To address the conservation needs of the saline wetlands and the species within them, the Conservancy helped assemble local government and conservation entities into the Saline Wetlands Conservation Partnership in 2003.

On this particular day, a couple people spotted some tiger beetles along a saline seep on the creek that runs through our property.  The habitat was ideal for the salt creek tiger beetle, but there has never been a  record of the species being found on our property.  As we tried to get a good look at these tiger beetles, we couldn’t tell which of the dozen or so possible species they were.  I doubted they were the endangered species, but the habitat WAS just what they’re supposed to use, so after the larger group of biologists left, I walked back down to the creek with my camera to see if I could get a better look – and hopefully a few photos.

The seep was only about the size of a compact car, so it wasn’t hard to find the beetles, which were running around hunting and mating.  The trick to photographing them, though, was that the mud in the seep was so soft that it wasn’t possible to step or kneel in it without sinking quickly.  I had to wait for the beetles to come close enough to the edge for me to photograph them – something they were reluctant to do.  The temperature was in the 90’s and the nice breeze that had earlier made the day tolerable didn’t reach down into the stream bank where I was kneeling in the mud.  There were some diffuse clouds that provided good light, but didn’t do much to cut down on the heat of the sun.  Oh, and I forgot to mention the mosquitoes.

The longer I waited and sweated in the heat, the more I talked myself into the idea that these just had to be the endangered salt creek tiger beetes.  I even saw a couple of burrows in the vertical bank of the stream, which fits the profile of where the tiger beetle larvae hang out.  At long last, after about 20 minutes, one of the beetles finally came within range, and I was able to get a few photos before it scurried off again.  Relieved, I decided to stop supplementing the salinity of the wetlands with my own sweat and head home.

The final result of my hot and sweaty efforts to get a tiger beetle to come within range of my camera.

When I got home, I pulled up my photo and compared it to those on the excellent Tiger Beetles of Nebraska website to confirm that I had just gotten some photos of a very rare insect.

…And I was wrong.

It looked relatively similar, but the insect I’d sweated for was actually the twelve-spotted tiger beetle (Cicindela duodecimguttata) – an uncommon but fairly widespread species.

I’m sure the twelve-spotted tiger beetle is a very nice species, and probably has an extremely interesting natural history story to go along with it.  I’m sure some day I’ll take the time to look it up and learn all about it.  I’m sure I’ll be really glad I took the time to photograph it.

I’m sure that’ll happen.

But not yet.

Photo of the Week – June 2, 2011

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The Nature Conservancy’s Niobrara Valley Preserve (NVP) on the northern edge of Nebraska’s sandhills is a pretty amazing place.  I had the chance to spend a couple days there last week, something I always enjoy.  While there, I managed to get a few photos of bison from one of the two herds on the property.

Three bison bulls on the edge of burned sandhill prairie - The Nature Conservancy's Niobrara Valley Preserve, Nebraska. These three bulls were feeding in the burned area until I wandered along with my camera. They then kept a safe distance (for both of us) as I hiked past on the trail. Click for a larger view.

In addition to being an important site ecologically – and a beautiful place to visit – the NVP was also a key site in the development of the fire/bison grazing model that eventually developed into today’s patch-burn grazing.  Al Steuter and others used the Preserve as an incubator for the initial idea of moving bison grazing intensity around large prairies by shifting the location and season of fires.

I’m often asked about the differences between the way bison and cattle impact prairies.  As we continue to experiment with patch-burn grazing, we’re finding that the forage selection differences (they way they choose which plants to eat) between the two animals are pretty slight when they’re managed with patch-burn grazing or similar systems.  Under light stocking rates, both bison and cattle prefer to graze in recently burned patches, and both prefer grass over wildflowers and other plants.

The major differences between bison and cattle appear to be mostly behavioral.  Cattle like to walk in single file, forming trails, while bison tend to move in loose groups.  Cattle tend to sit/stand/poop in water on hot days, while bison don’t hang around water or shade for long periods.  While these can be important differences, there are ways to mitigate the more negative impacts of cattle – e.g.  fencing out sensitive areas and/or keeping stocking rates low.   

On the other hand, there are some disadvantages to using bison to manage prairies instead of cattle.  These are mostly logistical.  With rare exceptions, it’s not possible to lease herds of bison, so if you run bison, you have to own them.  Among other issues, that usually means an annual roundup for innoculations and sorting of animals to thin from the herd (assuming you don’t have unlimited land).  It also means big strong fences and corral systems.  In short, bison can be expensive and time-consuming.  Also, they work best in prairies of several thousand acres or more.  On those large prairies, they can be an important part of good prairie management.  On smaller prairies, cattle can be a very good substitute, if managed carefully.