Tiger Beetle, Cicindala unipunctata

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 5:19 pm

Researched this thing a bit. Not a lot to be said about it. It likes dry hard packed soil and is quite a common beetle in most of our yards, has a one year life cycle.

Tiger Beetle, Cicindela unipunctata
EOS 20D
Manual mode/hand held
1/125 sec. @ f/7.1 ISO 200
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Canon 430EX ETTL Speedlite @ -1/3
Late afternoon, shade
(Both images)

salden · Post by **salden** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 5:28 pm

Well, I have yet to see one in my yard. Nice images Ken.

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 5:41 pm

First one I have ever noticed in mine too and had it not been running amuck I probably would not have noticed it then. I do know one thing about them that some of the websites seemed not to mention and that is they can jump...a long ways! Thanks Sue.

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 5:56 pm

Ken Ramos wrote:they can jump...a long ways!

If it's like the ones we have, they fly.

But it's hard to tell -- these puppies can get off the ground and into the air faster than most wasps, and the transition is just as quick when they land.

So when you can see 'em, they look just like normal beetles, and when you can't, well, I guess they don't look like much of anything, do they?

--Rik

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 6:18 pm

It never did fly Rik but it sure can jump a good long ways. I sort of assumed that it could though. What I did not know, unitl I looked on Bugguide, is that it was a Tiger Beetle. Thanks Rik

beetleman · Post by **beetleman** » Sun Aug 19, 2007 5:19 am

There you go Ken. Your first Tiger Beetle photo. Great work.