22 October 2012
Posted by Callan
This one popped up as I was splitting wood the other day. Here’s a very long beetle on fresh oak:
As near I can figure, this fellow might be in the genus Calleida. I couldn’t find a perfect match, though.
Callan Bentley is an assistant professor of geology at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, Virginia. He is particularly interested in structural geology and the evolution of the Appalachian mountain belt. Callan draws cartoons and writes for EARTH magazine. He lives in the Fort Valley of Virginia.
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Thomas Hodgson said on 23 October 2012
Great jaws!
And wet, wet oak.
Have you ever tried waiting til subfreezing temperatures to split wet oak?
Try it sometime, if you haven’t.
Callan said on 23 October 2012
Thanks – I’m learning a lot about wood harvest these days – but this isn’t fresh oak; it’s been dead for 6 years – just wet due to a soaking from the rain, I think. I’ll try the subfreezing split. Thanks.