Moving past the Woodland Trail Loop, I’m in the western section of the Falls of the Ohio State Park. It’s been more than a month since I last visited this area. One of my favorite trees is here and although I’ve already missed the prime leaf color moment…I’m hoping some autumn splendor remains. Along my walk I come across a driftwood structure that has been stacked teepee-style by other park visitors. I see this kind of expression regularly and there must be a kinship between this activity and piling and stacking rock upon rock. It’s satisfying to do and when you step back from your work…it’s obvious you left an impermanent mark in the landscape that says you were there. The tree I seek is just a short walk away and in no time at all I arrive on the scene.
This old Cottonwood tree with its raised roots looms large in my imagination and is my personal favorite tree out here. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way because there is usually plenty of evidence laying around in the form of empty beer bottles, spent camp fires, and yes…the odd bits of furniture people drag to furnish the room that exists underneath the tree. I’ll wager for some…this is known as the party tree. I was elated to see that most of the junk (old tarps and a red couch) have been removed by some other purists. The Cottonwood tree had already dropped most of its leaves, but there were still a few hanging on. After resting a moment under the tree and admiring the distant view of Louisville across the Ohio River…I decide to turn for home. I was in the process of walking away when I noticed something moving along the fossil rocks. I froze to see if I could get a better look at the creature that was walking towards me. Naturally, my camera is at the ready!
Regular visitors to the Riverblog know that the Falls of the Ohio State Park is home to several out-sized insect species that have uniquely evolved here. All the different species are critically endangered and not to be harmed in any way. I was quick to identify this as the Golden Hour Ground Beetle. It was so named because it usually makes it first appearance of the day when the sun is about to set. Otherwise, it is nocturnal in its habits.
The Golden Hour Ground Beetle does not fly. It relies upon stealth and six strong legs to scramble across any surface. In form, it is not unlike the much smaller tiger beetles that also make the park their home. Unlike the smaller beetles, the Golden Hour Ground Beetle is a scavenger and not a hunter. I suspect this specimen was at the Cottonwood tree because it has learned to find scraps of discarded camping food here. This beetle has fairly large eyes that can gather the most meager light in the darkest of settings. It’s abdomen is banded with a coarse hair that insulates this insect during cold nights. As long as I didn’t make any rash movements, this giant bug was tolerating my presence.
I observed my new “friend” moving to the water’s edge to obtain a drink. I wondered if it had the ability to swim in its survival tool kit? I watched the insect as it searched all around the fossil rock shelves that were created by the river dissolving the old limestone away.
I came across a second giant beetle almost immediately after crossing the small creek that separates the western and eastern sections of the park. Male and females are virtually identical. There are gaps in our knowledge about their life cycle. This specimen was in the process of checking out a short, hollow log. I’m presuming that it was either seeking food or shelter? I think poking my camera through the end of the log spooked this one a little. It ran away, but didn’t go far. I kept my movements to a minimum and after a while it seemed to relax again.
I observed this 14 inch or 35.5 centimeter beetle relaxing on the exposed roots of a Sycamore tree. As the golden hour approached, the beetle stopped seemingly acknowledging this magic moment when everything is bathed in a warm golden light. I did the same watching the sun set before finding my vehicle in the parking lot of the Interpretive Center. To everybody in the wider world…have a great week.
Artist at Exit 0 Riverblog 
Oh how cute. :0) And it doesn’t get any better than golden hour lighting. You know, Josh and I set out to find traces of you several weeks ago. When I saw that teepee, I thought of you and said to Josh, “I feel Al around this area. I bet his hangout is further down that way. I wonder if he made this?” “That way” was away from the teepee and toward the large cottonwood (or “hobo hut” as it’s commonly known). We made out way toward the hobo hut and there was a fire burning already. We sat down on a log couch and I saw a man further down from where we were, doing interesting things with sticks and such and taking pics. “I wonder if that’s Al,” I said to Josh, spying on the man. I’m guessing it wasn’t…heheh, but it’s funny that I was taking pics of the teepee only a few weeks ago and thinking of you. You can imagine my surprise when I saw the teepee pics just now! Funny. :0) I have 3 days of school left, so I’ll be chained to my room and laptop until then, but after that, I’ll be river bound. You know, I’ve been wanting to make a photobook of the river for years now- I just don’t know what to do. A book of poems with pics? An educational book on Falls of the Ohio? No idea- but I want to do something along those lines, concentrating on photography. (Same with Bernheim Forest.) I just haven’t had time! I know who to consult if I have ecological and geological questions. ;0) You’re a walking encyclopedia.
Most of the time I’m hanging out at the opposite side of the park and closer to the railroad bridge. Good luck with your studies…sounds like you are doing great!
Thanks Al, it’s a race against the clock! 10 assignments l(and 10 exams) left and 3 days until the internet gets cut…it’s pretty intense. I’m almost there though. (Exhale!) My favourite area at the Falls is what I call the “beach”. It’s the area right after the damn- there used to be stairs going down but they were either washed away or removed by officials, not sure which. I actually swim down there in the summer (and meditate in the sand and sun). Yes, I swim down there and the water hasn’t killed me..heheh. I’m a bit of a germaphobe so it’s odd that I’d even step into that water, but I’ve been doing it as a child, so… (at 44, I still go barefooted down there! It’s hell walking on those sharp rocks, but it brings back good memories, so I continue doing it.)
Oh my goodness, you were so fortunate to catch this rare glimpse of the Golden Hour Ground Beetle. I believe they are supposed to bring good fortune, and if you find a pair, that brings double good fortune! Is it true they knit their own nests with their belly fibre?
Concerning the Golden Hour Ground Beetle’s nesting habits…little is known about this behavior. There simply is not enough of them around to study. You do, however, present an interesting hypothesis and it is true that this beetle does go “public” once the first frost has appeared.
camouflage on the sycamore tree also appears to be another speciality – the question above is a good one 🙂
Hi Veronica…the camouflage of this beetle is best seen in its legs. Not one of the six is exactly like the other. This is a morphological oddity that has been observed in the other giant species of insects and spiders that have been recorded at the Falls of the Ohio. Their legs strikingly mimic the appearance of driftwood.
Hello Al. 🙂
You have such a wonderful way of using the naturalist’s voice about ‘real’ animals to invest ‘life’ in critters lihe the Golden Hour Ground Beetle. You have such a gift for bringing them into stream of our imaginations.
Thank you for another river walk.
OH and I do recall meeting that tree and those roots complete with couch earlier with you. Yes, some things do stick in the brainpan.
Have a wonderful week yourself!
Thanks Eva…before becoming an artist, I wanted to be a biologist or naturalist. I’ve read a lot of stuff written about nature over the years and some of it has stuck. The naturalist persona also works with my Falls project in that this area was avidly explored by professional “scientifics” and I like referencing that history.