My first mentor in the study of insects was Alberto Vasquez, who began identifying my photographs in 1984, and shared his great enthusiasm for beetles and other hexapods.
Many profound thanks to the many people who have mentored me over the years, have taken bug walks with me, and have offered identifications and discussions of my photographs.
Specialists who have helped primarily with one Order of insect are named on the various acknowlegment pages for those Orders. This current page is designed primarily to thank those folks who, like me, are generalists in the study of all kinds of insects, or who perhaps are a specialist in one area but have helped me in many areas.
My first mentor in the study of insects was Alberto Vasquez, who began identifying my photographs in 1984, and shared his great enthusiasm for beetles and other hexapods.
My interest in insect photography got a big boost in 2003, when Troy Bartlett founded the BugGuide website, a forum for on-line study, discussion, and identifications of insects and their relatives. I became member number 466. BugGuide is a joy to use and Im proud to count its members as my friends. Nowadays the site is hosted at Iowa State University, with John Van Dyk at the helm, and has more than 25,000 members.
It is risky to try to thank all the BugGuide members who have helped me so much over the years, but what follows is an attempt to name those who have helped me identify a great many photographs, giving generously and repeatedly of their time over a period of years:
Yurika Alexander, John Arthur, John S. Ascher, John and Jane Balaban, Brad Barnd, Keith Bayless, Giff Beaton, Vassili Belov, Paul Beuk, Mike Boone, Adam Brunke, Boris Büche, Matthias Buck, Gerry Bunker, Don Cadle, Don Chandler, Will Chatfield-Taylor, Patrick Coin, Nancy Collins, Eric Eaton, Charley Eiseman, Omar Fahmy, Zack Falin, Bobby Grizzard, Joyce Gross, Frank Guarnieri, Dennis Haines, Andy Hamilton, Sharon and Bill Harris, Phillip Harpootlian, Marshal Hedin, Ron Hemberger, Jeff Hollenbeck, Frans Janssens, Bill Johnson, Won Gun Kim, Ted Kropiewnicki, Ilona Loser, Ted C. MacRae, Blaine Mathison, Christopher Majka, Kerry S. Matz, John R. Maxwell, Peter May, Sean McCann, Jim McClarin, Robin McLeod, Kurt Mead, Beatriz Moisset, Bill Morgenstern, Tom Murray, Hannah Nendick-Mason, Tim Nichols, John D. Oswald, Bob Patterson, Gerard Pennards, Sharon Perrault, Claude Pilon, Mike Quinn, Herschel Raney, Bill Reynolds, J.D. Roberts, Lynette Schimming, Steve Scott, Gayle and Jeanell Strickland, Mike Thomas, John Van Dyk, Richard Vernier, John R. Watts, Rob Westerduijn, Hartmut Wisch, Doug Yanega, Chen Young, and Daniel K. Young.
In the West Virginia entomology circuit, I am a proud member of the West Virginia Entomological Society, and have enjoyed working with DNR employees on several projects. I'd like to thank especially Bob Acciavatti, Elizabeth Byers, Cheryl Jennings, Laura Miller, Sam Norris, Sue Olcott, Ed Saugstad, and Jennifer Wykle.
I apologize to those whom Ive inevitably forgotten. Some days it seems I can remember both the genus and species names of the Greater Pedunculate Eggplant Borer, but cant call to mind the names of friends whose company I have enjoyed as we tramped the fields in search of six-legged prey.
One final heartfelt thanks goes to the staff of the Annie Merner Pfeiffer Library at West Virginia Wesleyan College, and in particular Rick Manspeaker who cheerfully helped me get hundreds of articles on interlibrary loan. Thanks, Rick! Stephen Cresswell
More acknowledgments and thanks are on these pages, arranged by insect groups:
Infomation about the "mosaic" photo above: Shown are (row one) John Balaban, Chen Young, Lois O'Brien, Jeff Skivington and future entomologist Alexander, Ed Lam, (row 2) a Hickory Horned Devil, Mike Boone, Stephen Cresswell at a BugGuide outing, Daniela Takiya, Andy Hamilton, (row 3) Troy Bartlett, Dmitry Dmitriev, Nancy Collins, Eric Eaton, Patrick Coin, and a Graphocephala leafhopper. The individual photos are by Leandro Barbosa, Patrick Coin, Stephen Cresswell, Tim Nichols, Marj Rimes, John Rawlins, Angela Skevington, and Alexey Solodovnikov.
