Tucson, Arizona

I graduated from the University of Arizona in 2000 with a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. I do not work in that field now, but I have always loved animals and plants, especially insects and herps. My favorite class at the U of A was probably Aquatic Entomology. I enjoyed finding the insects in the field and keying them out under the microscope.

I had a menagerie of insects when I was a kid, and have fond memories of rearing caterpillars I found in my backyard and the surrounding neighborhood. My grandmother bought me a copy of the Audubon guide to insects and spiders when I was in 6th grade, and I made it my goal to memorize the names of every species. I am definitely an amateur, though, when it comes to identification.