I haven’t looked at these beetles across the years yet… This, is amazing. The activity-density of the beetles, as well as the diversity, is increasing over the years of a three year organic, reduced-tillage corn-soybean-wheat rotation. Ground beetles can play an important role in pest suppression in crop fields, but they are also incredibly beautiful and come in such an array of colors and sizes.
Organic ag ftw!
2012 samples, about three times as many as 2011
Some of the 2013 soybean beetles. I haven’t finished IDing these samples yet, but there are so many new ones to these fields already!
Air's Wild Acres 