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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2017)
Wednesday, November 1, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Tales from a Sisters Naturalist by Jim Anderson The tiger beetle One of fastest and most aggressive beetles crawling, running, and chasing other invertebrates on the surface of our home planet can be found on the Oregon Coast: the tiger beetle. With apolo- gies to my good pal, great artist and musician Dennis McGregor, I stuck a head-on photo of an adult tiger beetle on the head of the tiger, and another crawling up its body, like he likes to do. The only similarities or associations tiger beetles have with tigers is the man- ner in which the beetles cap- ture their prey and the ento- mologist who thought they acted and looked like their namesake. I doubt very much if you’d ever find a tiger bee- tle sitting on a tiger’s head in real life, but because of Dennis’ influence on my imagination, I put it there. The hunting methods of mammal tiger and insect tiger are very similar. While tigers are mammals, born into the world just like you and me, the tiger beetle begins life as an external egg, hatches into a larvae, then proceeds to a pupae, then, after the miracle of metamorphosis, it then emerges as an adult. In the very early stage of life, mammals live — and grow — utilizing the nutri- ents in their mothers’ blood. The tiger beetle, on the other hand, grows while it’s in the larval stage, and even then, it’s a supreme killer of other, smaller invertebrates. As adults, they have another trait that’s in their favor: they are known as the fastest terres- trial insect on this grand old planet Earth. They display an uncom- mon method of pursuing their prey, in that they alter- natively dash quickly toward their victim, then stop, then dash after it again. This may be because while mak- ing those sudden sprints, the beetle’s moving too fast for its visual system to accu- rately process in real time. Maybe it’s like me as I get older, having to stop and say to myself, “Now, where was I headed…?” Tiger beetles have another trait that may also be associ- ated with their speedy, sprint- stop-sprint-stop method of pursuit. To avoid running into things, they hold their long, rigid antennae directly in front of them to mechani- cally sense what’s coming, head-on. In 1996, scientists in the Netherlands tested two spe- cies of Australian tiger bee- tle, Cicindels eburmeola and C. hudsoni. Both have “ves- tigial” wings, so they cannot fly, but make up for it with running skills. They were clocked at 5.6 mph, capable of covering eight feet in one second. Tiger beetles have large, bulging eyes, which gives them acute, wide-angle vision. Their long, slender legs and powerful muscles in the thorax provide them with their unusual speed. They also possess large, curved mandibles with which they grasp and crush their prey. (Sounds like the canines of a tiger, doesn’t it?) While most species are diurnal (day-moving), four genera are nocturnal, and most tiger beetles are brightly colored, while a few genera found living primarily in the dry regions of southern Africa are black. While there are many instances of adult tiger bee- tles glomming onto human appendages, there are no records of the larvae of tiger beetles attacking humans. The larvae live in cylindrical burrows as much as three feet deep. They’re large-headed grubs with a large, muscular humpback, which they use to flip backwards, to capturing insects that wander over the surface nearby. They are also considered a good indicator species, and have been used in ecologi- cal studies on biodiversity health. That is, if they are found in their normal num- bers in habitat where they were once found it would suggest the habitat for all species in that niche are in good condition. The next time you head for North Bend or Coos Bay for a day on the beach, take a look in the sand dunes among the grasses and other vegeta- tion and you’ll likely meet up with Oregon’s tiger beetles. If you don’t, please call me and we’ll find out why. 17 Get rid of yard debris Through F r i d a y, November 10, local residents are encouraged to define their defensible space by taking advantage of the half-price yard-debris days. (Closed November 5.) Residents can recycle their yard debris at Deschutes Recycling for half price — $2 per cubic yard. FireFree encourages residents to com- plete their fall cleanup and maintenance of defensible space by bringing branches, leaves, shrubs and pine nee- dles to Deschutes Recycling during this event. Residents can take advan- tage of this event as an alter- native to fall burning, and recycle the combustible vegetation inside the 30-100 feet of defensible space around their homes. FireFree reminds residents to take a look around your property in the “home ignition zone,” where glowing embers can ignite spot-fires, and vulner- able areas like decks, patios and fences that can spread flames to your home. Where are your most vul- nerable places for glowing embers to ignite your home? • Are your gutters and roof valleys free from debris like pine needles and leaves? Clean them out. Despite a metal or asphalt shingle roof, the buildup of gutter debris provides necessary fuel for the glowing embers to ignite adjacent fascia boards or siding – most often made of wood. • Do your shrubs and weeds provide a path of fuel for fire to reach your trees or home? Reduce shrubs and other “ladder fuels” around your home to reduce the threat of ground fires igniting nearby trees, or your home. • What can catch fire on your deck, patio, or near your fence? Remove weeds, shrubs or any combustible materials from around, under or on top of your deck, patio or wood fence. This includes toys, planters, construction materials, patio furniture and cushions along with even small piles of pine needles or leaves. • Is your wood pile near your home or other combus- tible vegetation? Move wood piles at least 20 feet away from your home or other combustibles. FireFree is a year-round effort to educate community members and increase resi- dent participation in prepar- ing for wildfires. Residents are encouraged to visit www. FireFree.org for more infor- mation about defensible space, reducing the struc- tural vulnerability of homes and getting prepared for fire season. For more information about FireFree activities in your area, call your local fire department or Project Wildfire at 541-322-7129. Deschutes Recycling is located at Knott Landfill. Starting November 1, oper- ating hours will be Monday- Saturday, 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 61050 SE 27th St., Bend. PHOTO BY JIM ANDERSON The author attempted to create a composite photo in imitation of Dennis McGregor’s “You Stole My Name” art. Cutting-edge technology to get your carpet its cleanest! Baby & Pet Safe • Red Dye & Stain Removal 30 Years Experience • Chemical-free Cleaning — FREE ESTIMATES — Annual Snowfl ake Boutique Fri., Nov. 3, 1-8 p.m. Sat., Nov. 4, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. At Deschutes County Fairgrounds, Redmond $3.50 Admission Net proceeds go to FAN www.snowfl akeboutique.org Sisters Owned & Operated Call or text 458-292-6842 (It’s a local number – the new Central Oregon area code!) F O R D A S T H I ES! N T O A I R T A R M E N R E G U L F F O 2 0 % ARANTEE -30-17 pires 11 Offer ex W E GU HAPPY! BE YOU’LL Ben Redlich www.bullseyecarpetcleaning.com
