{"id":103751,"date":"2022-07-01T05:10:30","date_gmt":"2022-07-01T11:10:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=103751"},"modified":"2025-10-29T07:27:00","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T12:27:00","slug":"ornate-checkered-beetle-in-sticky-purple-geraniums","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/07\/01\/ornate-checkered-beetle-in-sticky-purple-geraniums\/","title":{"rendered":"Ornate Checkered Beetle In Sticky Purple Geraniums"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"OrnateOrnate Checkered Beetle on Sticky Purple Geranium \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 400, -0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

When my trips to the field are slow bird-wise there is always something else to focus on. Earlier this week it was an Ornate Checkered Beetle on Sticky Purple Geraniums. I stopped to photograph the Sticky Purple Geraniums<\/span><\/a> (Geranium viscosissimum<\/em>) because they were the first that I had seen flowering this year. Their pretty pink blooms drew my eyes straight to them.<\/p>\n

As I focused on one of the flowers I saw a black and yellow beetle on it that I didn’t recognize so I wanted to be sure to take images that showed the beetle clearly. I saw a few more of the beetles on the other flowers but the one in this photo showed the beetle the best.<\/p>\n

After I returned home I was able to use iNaturalist to identify this beetle as an Ornate Checkered Beetle<\/span><\/a> (Trichodes ornatus<\/em>) by exploring the beetles found in Summit County. I was tickled because this was a lifer beetle for me. Getting excited about a beetle or anything wild that is new to me is part of who I am.<\/p>\n

\"BloomingBlooming Sticky Purple Geranium \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2000, ISO 400, -0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I took more images of the Sticky Purple Geraniums than I did the beetles. I saw and photographed these wildflowers before I moved to Utah on a trip out here from Florida in July of 2008.<\/p>\n

When I am in the field I pay attention to practically everything I can see or hear because everything<\/em> in nature is connected. There are photos in my galleries that I would never have been able to create if it weren’t for the approach that I take when I am out in the field. I observe and relish what I see, hear and find. I stop frequently, I linger, and I love what I do.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my insect and spider images. Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my wildflower, shrub and tree photos.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When my trips to the field are slow bird-wise there is always something else to focus on. Earlier this week it was an Ornate Checkered Beetle on Sticky Purple Geraniums.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":103743,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[13011,13012,1731,26,773],"tags":[11863,13021,6098,6557,7353,3940,6518,13016,13015,13017,1799,4069,4302,13020,2291,5064,13018,5070,13014,13013,2315,13019,3896,4307],"class_list":["post-103751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ornate-checkered-beetles","category-sticky-purple-geraniums","category-summit-county-utah","category-utah","category-wasatch-mountains","tag-beetle","tag-beetles","tag-blooming","tag-blooms","tag-blossoms","tag-canyon","tag-flowering","tag-geranium","tag-geranium-viscosissimum","tag-geraniums","tag-insects","tag-mountains","tag-native","tag-ornate-checkered-beetle","tag-perennial","tag-pink-wildflowers","tag-protocarnivorous","tag-purple-wildflowers","tag-sticky-geranium","tag-sticky-purple-geranium","tag-summer-3","tag-trichodes-ornatus","tag-wildflower","tag-wildflowers"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t