Encounters Along the Way

September 23, 2013 at 6:04 am (singing insects)
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by Carl Strang

As another season of field research into the region’s singing insects winds down, I am starting to look back at the highlights. Some of these were chance encounters that provided new photo opportunities. For example, there was a weakened common true katydid I found on a trail at Waterfall Glen in broad daylight. I didn’t have a good photo of the species, and posed him after removing him from the hazardous trail.

Unfortunately I neglected to place his hind legs in a natural position.

Unfortunately I neglected to place his hind legs in a natural position.

Another species for which I want a better photo is the handsome trig. Some were singing on a cloudy day down in Fulton County, Indiana, and one came out in the open, but the low light resulted in a less than sharp image.

Tiny but colorful, the handsome trig lives in the southern part of the region I am surveying.

Tiny but colorful, the handsome trig lives in the southern part of the region I am surveying.

The Indiana Dunes area provided several photographs.

This oblong-winged katydid female was emitting single clicks in response to the more complex songs of nearby males.

This oblong-winged katydid female was emitting single clicks in response to the more complex songs of nearby males.

A four-spotted tree cricket had escaped from my grasp before I could photograph it. While looking for it on the ground where it seemed to have gone, my headlamp revealed something better.

A female tinkling ground cricket, only the second member of the species I have seen (despite hearing hundreds).

A female tinkling ground cricket, only the second member of the species I have seen (despite hearing hundreds).

A similar encounter came when I was trying to get a better photo of a melodious ground cricket at Indiana Dunes State Park. Digging through the leaf litter in the area from which a male’s song seemed to be coming, I turned up a female ground cricket.

When I examined the photos, though, I saw that the palps were white. This was a female confused ground cricket, another species that was singing in the area, and the first female confused I have seen.

When I examined the photos, though, I saw that the palps were white. This was a female confused ground cricket, another species that was singing in the area, and the first female confused I have seen.

One of the last places I visited this year was the Bong Recreation Area in Kenosha County, Wisconsin. The prairie area there is extensive, and has a good population of common meadow katydids.

Despite its name, the common meadow katydid is much less frequently encountered than two of its congeners, the gladiator and black-legged meadow katydids.

Despite its name, the common meadow katydid is much less frequently encountered than two of its congeners, the gladiator and black-legged meadow katydids.

There were a few broad-winged bush katydids in the prairie, but I wasn’t successful in stalking one. This Texas bush katydid had to substitute.

There were a few broad-winged bush katydids in the prairie, but I wasn’t successful in stalking one. This Texas bush katydid had to substitute.

Such encounters, sprinkled through the field season, make for good memories.

4 Comments

Low Hanging Fruit

August 21, 2013 at 7:13 am (singing insects)
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

by Carl Strang

There haven’t been many new posts in this blog recently because mainly I am going after the low hanging fruit. In other words, most of my research time has been going into checking new counties and new sites, as well as return visits to sites visited earlier in the season, to build my database of singing insect species locations. Though this is productive work, most of that product consists of added locations for common species. That’s not exactly fodder for blogging. A few interesting points have come out, however.

Last week I was working in Indiana. The weather was unseasonably cool, but there was plenty of singing action. In Fulton County I heard a broad-winged bush katydid singing, which establishes that northern species down to the southern edge of the survey region. Clearly they are fewer there than farther north, however. As I drove the rural roads in temperatures that were dropping rapidly to the mid-50’s F, I started hearing a strange, unfamiliar song coming from wetter locations. It was a kind of slow, fluttering buzz, reminiscent of the protean shieldback but much louder, and the buzzes were in repeated short bursts. I pulled off at one such location, and soon realized that these were slightly musical coneheads, their songs altered by the cold, but still singing in lockstep unison. I also found that species in Pulaski County, so they are widely dispersed at least in the northwest Indiana counties.

Slightly musical conehead

Slightly musical conehead

On the way back home I explored some sites in Lake County, Indiana. The best of these was the Hoosier Prairie Nature Preserve. This is a relatively large, high quality prairie and savanna property. Broad-winged bush katydids were abundant there.

A portion of the Hoosier Prairie Nature Preserve

A portion of the Hoosier Prairie Nature Preserve

On the way to Hoosier Prairie I passed a sign with a familiar name.

Tom Sporre Wildlife Area

Tom Sporre Wildlife Area

Tom Sporre was in the Purdue wildlife undergraduate program a year ahead of me. Personable and proficient, he went on to become a prominent Indiana waterfowl biologist who died much too young. I was pleased to see a marsh and prairie set aside under his name.

3 Comments

Scouting Fulton and Pulaski

June 27, 2013 at 6:15 am (methods, singing insects)
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

by Carl Strang

When I updated my regional guide to singing insects over the winter, I decided to add range maps. This was a little premature, because I barely have begun the survey work, but I also had sources in the scientific literature to augment my own observations.

Here is a page from the guide. The map shows the counties I decided to include in a region centered in northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana, but extending a little into Wisconsin and Michigan. Black dots are recent observations, open ones are from the literature, which often goes back more than 5 decades.

Here is a page from the guide. The map shows the counties I decided to include in a region centered in northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana, but extending a little into Wisconsin and Michigan. Black dots are recent observations, open ones are from the literature, which often goes back more than 5 decades.

Another winter project then became to identify sites in all the counties where I could focus my survey efforts, mainly state parks and other public properties. The plan is to start visiting them this year, noting species I can identify through sight and hearing without collecting. If collecting seems necessary, I can seek permits in a future year, but there will be plenty to do without going to all that trouble yet.

Over the weekend I visited sites in Fulton and Pulaski Counties, Indiana, which are the empty counties in the snowy tree cricket map at the eastern end of the bottom row. In Fulton County I had decided to focus on the area around Lake Manitou at Rochester. This proved to be a good choice, as there appear to be representative habitats of nearly every type.

The Judy Burton state nature preserve, for instance, has extensive meadows undergoing prairie restoration, and woodlands, all with maintained trails.

The Judy Burton state nature preserve, for instance, has extensive meadows undergoing prairie restoration, and woodlands, all with maintained trails.

It is early in the season, but I was able to add county records for the green-striped grasshopper and spring trig.

Pulaski County boasts the Tippecanoe River State Park and Winamac Fish and Wildlife Area. The state park is almost entirely forested, so I didn’t spend much time there (early singing insect action is in the meadows and prairies), but it will be great later in the year. The fish and wildlife area has a more diverse array of habitats.

This weedy field had many displaying green-striped grasshoppers and a few spring field crickets, both of which I now can add to the maps.

This weedy field had many displaying green-striped grasshoppers and a few spring field crickets, both of which I now can add to the maps.

This grasshopper, photographed in the above field, appears to be a species of Melanoplus, and so not a singing insect.

This grasshopper, photographed in the above field, appears to be a species of Melanoplus, and so not a singing insect.

As time permits, I will be returning to these areas later in the season. I am looking forward to making the acquaintance of many places in the region’s other counties, as well.

6 Comments