Chuck Sexton

Austin, Texas

I am a product of the beaches, bays, and rolling hills of Southern California. An early interest in nature was expressed in an enthusiasm for insect collecting; the best of my boyhood collection--principally butterflies--was eventually donated to the biology collection at my alma mater, the University of California at Irvine. After getting my biology degree at that institution, I migrated to Austin, Texas (long story) where I attended graduate school and have spent most of my adult life. The main focus of my academic and professional careers has been on birds and endangered species--a particular outcome of having grown up in fast-growing SoCal--but I have always maintained an interest in insect diversity.

My professional career has been divided among a stint in the private sector (environmental surveys with a local consulting firm), and extended efforts at the local public level (City of Austin Environmental Dept.) and federal level (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service).

Notwithstanding academic degrees and professional pathways, I still consider myself just a dedicated, if well-seasoned, amateur when it comes to insect identification.

City of Austin, Environmental Department (1985-1994)
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (retired):
Wildlife Biologist, Balcones Canyonlands NWR (1994-2010)

A glimpse of me in native habitat:


In recent years, I have also been very active on iNaturalist as well as on ResearchGate