While sampling beetles on a ranch owned by former California Gov. Jerry Brown (D), a UC-Berkeley entomologist found one that hadn’t been documented in decades.
Though he collected the beetle alongside many others during one of his trips to Brown’s ranch, Will soon realized it was different from the other specimens. And after about a year and a half of research, he learned the glistening, green-and-gold critter had not been seen in the state since 1966 and had never been officially named., in honor of Brown and his wife, Anne.
“We thought, well, it would be really appropriate to honor the Browns,” he told The Washington Post. “Because they were really very gracious, allowing me to come pretty much any time I wanted, stay there if I wanted, and just roam around and collect bugs all over their ranch.” In the summer of 2021, after hearing from other entomologists who’d started making trips to the ranch, Will contacted the former governor to ask if he could sample beetles there. Will focused on sampling carabid beetles, commonly known as ground beetles, which he’d completed extensive research on already.
Will sent the beetle to Maddison and continued sampling on Brown’s ranch as he waited to hear back. He made the “There’s no natural habitat that we can see,” Will said. “So we figure that none of those populations probably exist anymore.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Opinion: Jerry Brown's beetle legacyA rare, sometimes brown, sometimes iridescent ground beetle will carry the former California governor's name into the future.
Read more »
A new bug was named after Jerry Brown. It kind of makes sense.A new beetle was named after former California Gov. Jerry Brown. The entomologist who discovered the bug says the two may share at least one trait.
Read more »
Striking before and after satellite photos show California's transformation to lushPhotos from NASA show the California landscape turning from brown to green after recent winter storms.
Read more »
Striking satellite photos from space show California's transformation from dry to lushPhotos from NASA show the California landscape turning from brown to green after recent winter storms.
Read more »
‘That’s not who we are’: Gov. Newsom starts tour to boost red-state DemocratsNewsom pledged to take on “authoritarian leaders” he says are “directly attacking our freedoms,” including Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis…
Read more »
Folk Music from Another World: Iris DeMent, Greg Brown, Rufus Wainwright & Dom FlemonsJust when you might fear that folk music is dwindling away, Iris DeMent, Greg Brown, Seth Avett, Rhiannon Giddens and Dom Flemons demonstrate how vital it still is.
Read more »