photo by Greg Hofmann

7/5/2004: The story goes that a British cleric asked biologist J.B.S. Haldane what could be inferred about the Creator from His works. Haldane's reply: "An inordinate fondness for beetles." This fondness is evident in the Elkhorn Slough watershed, where dozens of beetle species make their homes. This California long-horned beetle (Prionus californicus) is probably a male – the giveaway is its handsome pair of "saw-blade" antennae.