Makes Your Skin Crawl!

William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message

Wood-boring Beetle, Genus Chalcophora, crawling on fingers. Chalcophora virginiensis is the Sculptured Pine Borer. Chalcophora georgiana, is the Southern Sculptured Pine Borer. Nature Photography hike in Walton County, Georgia USA.

Wednesday, 1:58 PM - Stealth and stillness - two essential skills of the wildlife photographer. The ability to sneak up on a subject, or sit in perfectly patient stillness will often reap the reward of a beautiful photograph. How often a good opportunity is blown by the crack of a twig underfoot or a quick jerk of the hand. The wildlife photographer must at least rival his wild quarry in stillness.

But what do you do, when sitting perfectly still in your wildlife blind, and you get that feeling of a bug crawling on your skin? It will make your skin crawl! Instantly, and without thought, your hand flies to the spot to brush away whatever bee, tick, spider, fly or louse it might be in order to avoid a sting, bite or envenomation.

Large white Great Egret, Ardea alba, is a long-legged wading heron with long yellow beak in a marsh pond in Georgia USA. Nature Photography hike in Walton County, Georgia USA.

As I was slowly approaching a Great Egret, I had that sensation on the back of my neck. Forget the photograph! Instinct prevailed and I jerked my arm up, sweeping my hand across the back of my neck. Seeing my rapid motion, the Egret flew off to the other side of the pond. And when I flung the little critter down, it was just a silly little beetle.  
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Since I had blown my Egret photo session, I decided to make one of my creepy crawly beetle friend crawling across my skin. I uploaded the armored little thing for identification on iNaturalist and discovered it was a Pine Borer beetle of the genus Chalcophora, native to the eastern United States. After learning more about the species, it no longer made my skin crawl! ​

Wood-boring Beetle, Genus Chalcophora. Walton County, Georgia USA.

Wood-boring Beetle, Genus Chalcophora. Walton County, Georgia USA.

Wood-boring Beetle, Genus Chalcophora, crawling on fingers. Chalcophora virginiensis is the Sculptured Pine Borer. Chalcophora georgiana, is the Southern Sculptured Pine Borer. Nature Photography hike in Walton County, Georgia USA.