It was a beautiful, quiet Friday afternoon last March when I decided to go for a short hike to Pushwalla Palms Oasis. I didn't bring any field equipment or collection devices, because I was going into a Preserve and the flora and fauna there is off limits. Besides, I was in a reflective mood and just wanted some peace and quiet to think about things.

I was hiking up an incline and stopped to get a breath when I noticed what seemed like a million beetles crawling all over the place. Some people I hike with would immediately shriek and insist on getting as far away as possible. But insects and snakes have, of course, never bothered me. I shrugged off my pack and got down on my knees to get a closer look. The head and pronotum were very red, while the body was black and elongate. The antennae had beads. Bright color on insects usually means "I'm toxic, don't eat me." I was very intrigued. I was familiar with the Ironcross beetle and saw some similarities, so I had a good starting point. So when I got home, off to the blister beetle portion of my field guides I went. Lytta magister or Master Blister Beetle ranges in the Mojave and Colorado deserts.

So why is the Meloidae family called blister beetles? The beetle secretes a substance, cantharidin, from the joints in their legs that causes the skin to blister badly. In quantity, blister beetles have been known to kill cows and horses when hidden in their hay. The main purpose of this substance is of course, a defense mechanism. The females even cover their eggs with it. Cantharidin has been used by humans as an aphrodisiac and homeopathic cure for gout and rheumatism, and currently it is being researched for a wide variety of medical uses.