"He has an inordinate fondness for beetles"

an apocryphal response by J.B.S. Haldane to the question of what studying nature has taught him about The Creator.

Today, as was well publicized by me, was the bug fair at the LA natural history museum. this year i went not by assignment, but for pleasure. its hard to describe the scene, lots of people, very full. Less strange than the reptile fairs, less expensive than the bird fairs. nice mixture of kids/families and enthusiasts. I watched a guy pay $70 for ONE dead insect-mind you a beautiful specimen. i bought 5 beetles for $18.

just before i went i spoke to my brother. he had in mind butterflies, and while they are beautiful, they are very delicate, and frankly, a pain to curate. I prefer beetles. most people think black and crawly, or june-bugs, but there are some incredible metallic and colorful ones around the world.

I asked how much this ornately designed collection of beautiful beetles would cost, and though it wasn't for sale, the owner said about $5000.