It is indeed good news that efforts to restore Puritan tiger beetle populations have garnered the attention of the New York Times. It is unfortunate that the paper has not investigated thoroughly enough to learn of the many years of research and field work by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service upon which this current story's activities are based. In fact, the article incorrectly cites this agency of the Department of the Interior by omitting the "U.S." that is part of its name. We are living in an era when we can actually see the destruction of the biological world around us. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a small and perpetually underfunded agency, focuses on the ecological health of the nation; its work is important and innovative. To leave it out of your story is sloppy and even irresponsible.
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Good luck to the beetles. I imagine there may be some other little insects who don't feel that way.
Thanks to the Dr. and his crew for trying.
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<< “When we see a stretch of healthy river, we see beetles.” So, restoring them should help support the health of New England’s longest river, ... >> This may be so, but the cause -and-effect logic may be backwards. Further explanation needed
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Very nice article. Best wishes/outcome to the scientists and beetles.
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Fascinating and wonderful to see such care dedicated to restoring this insect. Please keep us updated!
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To me they look like Rohrschach beetles.Just my subjective interpretation.
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“NERDS!!!!!!”
And thank god for them.
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I'm sure that I spotted one these insects in Jupiter, FL in the early 90's. I recall it vividly because of the unusual coloring.
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As a former biological research scientist, I think the author did a great job of describing the dedication, the geek factor, and the hard work that goes into actual science
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So you say in the article that you can't mention the location because the beetle larvae will be dug up, but then you end with a photo with a view of a distinctive house, making it easy for anyone who wants to figure out where it is to do so. Nice!
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@Mary Rose Kent My thought as well.
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@Mary Rose Kent
Yes that was unfortunate, as well as the caption of the picture. I think there could be better coordination between authors and photo people--not to mention headline writers who are even more often off base.
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Love this. Big thank you to Dr. Gwiadzdowski and the Team for your hard work here. Goes without saying this stuff adds up and the world could use a lot more of it. Also, kudos to the Fish and Wildlife Service for their support.
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