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Saturday, February 20, 2010

Six-Spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sexguttata)

The naturalist, J. B. S. Haldane, was asked by a cleric about what he might infer about the Creator, based on his wide ranging study of life. Haldane supposedly replied that the creator had "an inordinate fondness for beetles" based on the then current count of beetle species at around 400,000.

Beetles are the largest of insect orders, and therefore one of the widest spread and most successful orders of life on Earth. 

They demonstrate tremendous diversity, and come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors...

One of the most colorful beetles I have photographed is the tiger beetle.

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six-spotted tiger beetle (Cicindela sexguttata)

They are aggressive, voracious predators with lightning quick moves.

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six-spotted tiger beetle (Cicindela sexguttata)

Never mind that it took me three days to photograph one in flight.

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six-spotted tiger beetle (Cicindela sexguttata)

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flying six-spotted tiger beetle (Cicindela sexguttata)

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Details About Me

Portland, Oregon, United States
Husband, Father, Student Of Natural History, Photographer