J.R. Jones

Knoxville, TN

I am a grad student in the M.S. program in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee. Though my current research is herpetological in nature (my focal species are salamanders in the genus Plethodon), I am also extremely interested in wildflowers and arthropods, and enjoy learning as much as possible about the taxonomy, ecology, and distribution of the diverse flora and fauna of the southeastern U.S.

Though it may just be a flight of fancy (pun actually intended), I hope to perhaps one day pursue a M.S. degree in Entomology, once I have completed my currently in progress M.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Even if that doesn't happen, I still intend to frequent this site to learn more about the multi-legged friends (and foes) with which we share this amazing planet.

In the past few months, this site, in a reciprocally inspirational relationship with field observation of arthropods and communication with other arthropod enthusiasts (both on campus and here on BG), has resulted in my gaining of SO much new knowledge about insect identification and ecology, probably more than I've learned in any other fashion over the past 28 years of my life. Though I still have a lot to learn (as do we all!), I get something new from BugGuide every day, and I wish to thank all of the other contributors, expert or otherwise, for being a part of my learning experience.

J.R. Jones