Joined: Dec 10, 2015 Last Active: Oct 5, 2024 iNaturalist
My dear brothers, somewhat older than I, took their ever-eager younger brother out to look at birds when I was 2 years old. I remember leaping for Barn Swallows and toddling after Horned Larks. I have been hopelessly hooked ever since. An abundance of thanks to Pat Ware for tolerating the obnoxious teen, and to Charlie Clark, for mentoring him.
My interest in the natural world exploded in the late 2000s, in no small part to Dennis Paulson and his infectious love of dragons and damsels. Then as BugGuide and iNat grew, along with some excellent guides devoted to groups of insects other than Odes and Lepts, my interests broadened further.
There are some fabulous people on BugGuide and iNat that have been more of a boon to my world than they likely realize. These include, but are not at all limited to: Dave Ferguson, Joel Kits, Matthias Buck, Tristan McKnight, Bill Dean, Jim Johnson, Kevin Williams, Bill Biagi, Hunter Johnson, Chris Kratzer, and Alex Harman.