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Post by nomad on May 10, 2014 12:59:04 GMT -8
I thought it would be a good idea to know who are the entomologists that have truly inspired the collectors here. It may be a famous collector, a specialist working in a certain group, a writer of an entomological work or a close association with another field worker etc. I look forward to hearing who you consider are the great entomologists of our past or present day.
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2014 17:57:27 GMT -8
Neat idea......
I would have to say that my getting to know, collecting with, and corresponding with Dr.s Lee and Jacquie Miller would be my lead mention of both famous entomologists and, more importantly, nice people. So many upper level entomologists are sort of haughty. Lee and Jacquie had the great blend of knowing their stuff and being just plain nice, generous, and were fun to visit with. Many of my first FLA leps were caught while field collecting with Lee. Lee has passed, but his memory lives on.
My father was a phD entomologist years ago before he passed. He was truly fantastic at getting my fire lit for this hobby. Both these men strongly infuenced me in the 1970s and both live on in my heart with appreciation for their strong influence in my nearly fifty years of collecting.
Also back in that time (when I really got going and was a teen), I loved reading "Legions of the Night" by Ted Sargeant. The way he captured the essence of mothing was a joy to read.
Lastly, I will go out on a limb....and mention an amateur entomologist as well. Out west in AZ is one top ento-man. Evan Rand knows mega-tons of stuff from that region, is very helpful to those of us visiting and lucky enough to get his pointers. He knows every bit as much as some 'pros', is very much willing to gently guide or advise those who want to learn, is generous, and ( this is important), he does it without being condescending. I could easily name more, but will sign off for now.
Good idea.......I, too, look forward to hearing from others.
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Post by nomad on May 11, 2014 0:03:18 GMT -8
Bill, I really enjoyed your post about the entomologists who inspired you. Everyone must have their inspirational entomologists, so like Bill I am really looking forward to finding out who they are.
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2014 8:10:19 GMT -8
Nomad..........how about you and your influential entomologists? Love to hear others.....
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Post by Adam Cotton on May 11, 2014 9:47:12 GMT -8
Karl Jordan ... brilliant for his day.
Adam.
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Post by nomad on May 11, 2014 11:18:20 GMT -8
I suppose the British entomologists who most influenced me through their books are Robin Ford and Edmund Ford, no relation.
Later in the 1970s Alfred Stewart Meek opened my eyes to the interesting Butterfly fauna of New Guinea and its Islands. Lord Walter Rothschild must be mentioned, his great interest and wealth led to many other great professional collectors.
Two other outstanding 19th century figures that I always greatly admired are Alfred Russel Wallace and Henry Walter Bates. These are just a few, my list would be quite long.
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Post by boghaunter1 on May 11, 2014 13:38:26 GMT -8
A.F. Wallace & H. W. Bates are my top entomological idols.... both self taught amateurs & intrepid field collectors living a life (though full of sickness, disease, danger...) that all of us would love to experience... Also like Lord W. Rothschild & his brilliant taxonomist K. Jordan... say Adam do you know of the biography on K. Jordan called "Ordering Life - Karl Jordan & the Naturalist Tradition" by Kristin Johnson? It is a newer book published in 2012 & available through English book sellers, Amazon. I just rec'd the book about a month ago but haven't had the chance to read it yet ..looks very interesting though.
Also like early American collectors like W.H. Edwards, S. Scudder, H. Strecker, W. J. Holland, A. Grote & many others.... When I was around 10 yrs. old I scrimped & saved $6.00 & sent away to New York for my reprint of Holland's "Mothbook"... a book that had a huge impact on me (& many others as well I think!).
Lastly, my personal friend, Ronald Hooper (now deceased). He collected extensively throughout Sask. for more than 50 yrs. & was responsible for forming the nucleus of the insect collection in our province's capital city of Regina. He was one of the last of the "old time" amateur entomologists/naturalists who knew/discovered dozens of new spp. for Sask. among the insects (all orders), the plants, the birds, the animals, the reptiles, etc. etc..... all of nature was his field of study. He was my best entomologically inclined friend & is sorely missed...
John K.
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Post by boghaunter1 on May 11, 2014 13:52:01 GMT -8
A. R. Wallace, of course,.... yeesch... brain in gear, fingers way behind...
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Post by prillbug4 on May 12, 2014 4:15:59 GMT -8
When I was first starting out, I met Gordon Adams and the late Dr. Bert Princen. They brought me into the Peoria Academy of Science Entomology Section at Lakewiew Museum. Also, Janet Ceigler was there, and she influenced me into collecting beetles. In 1979, I met John Bouseman from the Illinois Natural History Survey, he was also a big influence on me. He was very wise about most Illinois Insects, since he was a researcher who had published many times. Janet Ceigler is now a PH.D at Columbia University and has published a series of books on beetles. We met again a few years ago when she came back to Peoria to do a talk about beetles for the Peoria Academy of Science luncheon. Unfortunately, Dr. Princen died a few years ago. Dr. Bouseman died back in 2003 from a brain tumor which was probably cause by mothballs. I miss them both.
Jeff Prill
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Post by anthony on May 12, 2014 10:32:32 GMT -8
FOR ME FABRE, I LOVE HIS BOOKS AND HIS ABILITY TO TAKE YOU INTO A SPECIAL WORLD. HE HAD A VERY HARD LIFE BUT PERSEVERED USING THE MOST SIMPLE EQUIPMENT AND RELYING ON EXPERIMENTS HE DEVISED HIMSELF. A REMARKABLE MAN.
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Post by nomad on May 12, 2014 11:29:16 GMT -8
Some really great stories and entomologists here, I am sure we would like to hear more  |
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mygos
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Post by mygos on May 12, 2014 22:37:46 GMT -8
For me, before I could dream of the famous entomologists of the past, I was listening to my elders such as Georges Jeannot, Jacques Plantrou, Bernard Turlin, Claude Herbulot and others met at the monthly meeting at the Paris Natural History Museum. Then certainly Eugène Le Moult fascinated me, and I have met his widow Madame de Fontenille living avenue des Gobelins in Paris, and for who I have been setting butterflies when I was a young boy. She offered me for sale a complete french edition of the Seitz which I obviously could not afford at the time, but it has been a dream for most of my life to obtain a copy, and it was only 35 years later that I purchase my own Seitz, found on ebay, and coming from the famous Peugeot family ... Lucien Berger, former curator at MRAC in Tervuren, and Jacques Hecq have certainly contributed to my fascination and studying of the Cymothoe Nymphalids from Africa !
A+, Michel
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Post by beetlehorn on May 13, 2014 1:14:03 GMT -8
Since I enjoyed reading about the adventures in South America and Southern Pacific area, some of the most influential collectors for me have been Wallace, and Bates. Then there are the early American collectors such as W.H. Edwards, Henry Edwards, and A. R Grote, who are just a few of the famous butterfly enthusiasts that discovered many North American species. In more recent times men like Roger Tory Peterson, Charles V. Covell JR. , and James a Scott deserve recognition for their work and publications on butterflies, and moths. The field guides they have put together have helped me greatly in the identification, and understanding of a vast array of day flying Lepidoptera, but mostly in moths, particularly the Noctuidae.
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Post by nomad on May 13, 2014 10:17:43 GMT -8
Some really interesting posts, looking forward to reading more. I wonder who our American friends consider their greatest ever entomologist, lepidopterist, coleopterist etc. I am sure there are many, but who would you choose.
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2014 15:26:32 GMT -8
I haven't read much literature from famous "historical" entomologists and, quite frankly, am not much inclined to seek out such works. I get much more excitement from modern day accounts-collecting trips, first hand experiences, tips and tricks, etc.
It never ceases to amaze me how many members on here are "living the dream" and traveling around the world collecting, researching, discovering-all the things you read about in the old books. For example, lepidofrance is always posting images/info of the globe trotting collecting trips, laurie1 teasing us with those jaw dropping rarities, lucanidae25 collecting those "unobtainable" stags, Nomad and his well written articles-the list goes on and on. I just recently learned of africaones' contributions to the beautiful Charaxes f. jolybouyeri-that's good stuff!
To have the chance to interact with such a crowd, rather than read historical accounts, is quite a pleasure. I would therefore have a hard time defining "favorite" entomologist, but I guess I would say the broad category of "modern day enthusiasts."
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