Joined: Apr 10, 2018 Last Active: Oct 5, 2024 iNaturalist
Retired business person. MBA-UT, BA-Philosophy. Have lived in Austin, TX most of my adult life and been a casual birder for 35+ years. Consider myself a wannabe naturalist. Enjoy hiking and nature travels. Support science-based public policies & humanist goals. Since about 2018, I have become fascinated with the insect world. Have discovered with my digital camera I can find an abundance of novel & exotic creatures in my own backyard. Neat!!
For my own & others’ benefit, I usually try to give a reason if I disagree about an ID. Feel free, however, to tag me when I don’t and you want an explanation. Please, especially, bring to my attention any incorrect IDs or statements of mine you find so I can learn & make appropriate corrections.
To assist with data quality at iNaturalist I have made a special effort to learn identification marks for certain species (mainly in Texas ) many people may find troublesome. iNaturalist critters that I have gained a fairly good level of expertise in identifying include Metalmark Butterflies (Calephelis), Giant Swallowtails (Heraclides), and Whiptail Lizards (Aspidoscelis). I have journal posts (see link on left) in iNaturalist on identifying Calephelis in Texas, Arizona, and California.
I enjoy, learned a lot from, and appreciate iNaturalist and other internet sites such as Bug Guide & E-Bird. My thanks to the many people who help make them good resources.