The weather is considerably warmer and the sun is shining on the trail ahead. A brilliantly shiny Six-spotted Green Tiger Beetle (Cincindela sexguttata) is guarding the path. If beetles could speak, I would expect this one to say, "Halt, who goes there"?
As I walk down the path, this half inch speck of iridescent green stands its ground. I walk closer. It retreats five or six feet, turns and faces me, once again standing its ground. This continues until we leave the sunlit patch. The beetle then flies past me, lands, turns and faces me. Again, it dares me to cross its line.
I am not intimidated by this guardian of the forest path. However, were I an ant or other small bug, I would have a hefty respect for the Tiger Beetle's massive mandibles that it uses to defend its territory and to attack and devour its next meal.
