Though it takes a lot of work to document the park’s biodiversity, sometimes new park records do almost drop into one’s lap. High school intern, Scott Futral, was speaking with the park’s Research Coordinator and two ATBI (All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory) scientists on the deck of the Purchase Knob Field Station one summer afternoon, talking about how researchers find new species, when a large black and red beetle dropped out of the sky and landed in front of him. Scott and the Research Coordinator studied the beetle and confirmed that it was a new record for the park: Purpuricens humberalis (Fabricius). Sometimes biodiversity discovery is just a matter of wondering what you are seeing and following through to identify it.
#20YearsDiscovering
#WondrousDiversityOfLife
#20YearsDiscovering
#WondrousDiversityOfLife
