Mike Quinn - Entomologist

Michael Andrew Quinn

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Mike & Gloria Quinn, Chipinque, Monterrey, N.L., Mexico, 2006

Mike & Gloria Quinn
Chipinque, Monterrey, N.L., Mexico
September 09, 2006

Education

2000 - Master of Science - Entomology - Texas A&M University, College Station. Abstract

1993 - Bachelor of Science - Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences - Texas A&M University, College Sta.

In the early 1980's I was pursuing a career in photojournalism, but quickly realized that many people don't particularly like having their picture taken. Later I discovered that most insects are quite approachable with a camera. This brought me back to my naturalist roots as I had grown up in a New Orleans suburb chasing abundant snakes, turtles, frogs, lizards and the like at what was then a burned down race track just to the north of our home.

I found butterflies to be both intriguing and fairly easy to photograph. They're also one of the few groups of insects for which there is abundant species-level information in the popular literature. Starting in the late 1980's with Pyle's Audubon field guide, I began to pay close attention to butterflies.

I decided to leave my job at Texas Instruments and go back to school to get a wildlife degree at Texas A&M as I was actively involved in birding/ornithology. I worked for a couple summers on the Kirtland's Warbler in Mio, Michigan and on the Black-capped Vireo in TX and OK.

In between attending classes in wildlife, I wandered over to the Entomology Department and volunteered to re-spread and identify butterflies in A&M's Insect Collection. While working there, an opening became available for a Master's student to study the insects in the Golden-cheeked Warbler's breeding habitat. The rest, as they say, is history!

Here's a few links to some of my insect photos:

My connection to the Rio Grande Valley

My maternal grandparents arrived independently in the RGV from the mid-west circa 1920 and were married shortly thereafter. My mother was literally born on our dairy farm in 1932 just south of Rio Hondo in Cameron County. I've been visiting South Texas since the 1960's and have lived there occasionally since the late 1970's. In addition to working on the Spear Dairy 365 days a year, I held employment at the Texas AgriLIFE Research in Weslaco, at Santa Ana NWR in Alamo, and as a butterfly landscaper Valley-wide. I served on the board of the Valley Nature Center and am currently a consultant for the 100 acre NABA International Butterfly Park being built near Bentsen-RGV State Park south of Mission, TX.

Publications

Jackman, J.A., A. Dean, M. Quinn. 2007. Spiders from a large web at Lake Tawakoni, Texas. Southwestern Entomologist 32(4): 195-202.

Klym, M. & M. Quinn. 2003. Introduction to Dragonfly and Damselfly Watching. Texas Parks & Wildlife Press, Austin. 21 pp.

Knudson, E.C., & M. Quinn. 1999. Butterflies of Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 12 pp.

Quinn. M.A. 1997. Book reviews: snailology; cricketology; wormology; rolypolyology. American Entomologist 43 (4):255.

Quinn. M.A. 1999. Book review: butterflies through binoculars - The East. News of the Lepidopterists' Society. 41(4):110-111.

Quinn, M.A. 2000. Abundance and distribution of potential arthropod prey species in a typical Golden-cheeked Warbler habitat. Unpublished Thesis. Texas A&M University, College Station. ix + 182 pp.

Quinn. M. 2001. Meeting Report: 6th annual Texas butterfly festival. News of the Lepidopterists' Society 43(4):116-117.

Quinn, M.A. 2002. Suggestions for the SLS as we enter a new century. Southern Lepidopterists' News. 24(1):

Quinn, M.A. & J. Glassberg. 1999. Definitive destinations: Santa Ana NWR, Hidalgo Co. Texas. American Butterflies 7(1):28-38.

Quinn, M. & M. Klym. 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008. An introduction to butterfly watching. Texas Parks & Wildlife Press, Austin. 44 pp.

Ra. B., K. Oberhauser & M.A. Quinn. 2003. Monarchs, milkweed and more. Bas Relief Publishing Group, Union, WV. 98 pp.

Riley, E.G. & M.A. Quinn. (in press) Collection records and first adult host record for Phydanis biolor Horn, an uncommonly encountered Texas flea beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini). Coleopterists Society.

Wharton, R. A., E.G. Riley, M.A. Quinn, J. B. Woolley, J.S. Schaffner & H.R. Burke. 1996. Invertebrate species available as food for the Golden-Cheeked Warbler in its nesting habitat. Office of Research and Technology Transfer. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station; Texas Department of Transportation, Austin. 98 pp.