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Friday, August 3, 2012

Bugging Out in Arizona

Hey folks, I'm out of town this week at the Invertebrates in Education and Conservation Conference in Tucson, Arizona. Forgive me for not providing you with your weekly dose of L.A. urban nature, hopefully the images I'll share of the insects we're finding here in Tucson will suffice!

The conference I'm attending with Shawna Joplin, our Coordinator of Animal Care and Education, is put on by the Sonoran Arthropod Studies Institute (SASI). SASI is a non-profit organization devoted to fostering awareness, knowledge and appreciation of all nature through the study and interpretation of the vital roles arthropods play in the Sonoran Desert ecosystem.

I go to this conference every year to meet up with other entomologists, invertebrate educators, and of course the USDA staff who give us permits to operate our Butterfly Pavilion, and Insect Zoo. The most fun part of the conference are the field trips. Last night Shawna and I both went on one of the night lighting trips. Here are some images from our trip.

Mercury vapor night light set-up, look at all those insects! 

Male ox beetle, Strategus aloeus 

 Your author with poplar sphinx moth,
Pachysphinx occidentalis

Yes I admit it, I Instagrammed this glorious scarab beetle!
Chrysina gloriosa

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