Korean 곤충
During my first semester at university I took an entomology course in the hope that I could turn it into a minor that would accompany my degree in anthropology. While my plan didn't come to fruition - helped in no small part by the minor detail that my university doesn't offer a minor in entomology - the department head did spend a little time trying to persuade me to join the Department of Entomology as a graduate student. My love for anthropology was too strong to get me to jump to the other side of the sciences divide, but it is still a field I find interesting.
Imagine my delight then when laynamayra gave me a copy of 고 곤충: 쉽게 찾기 last weekend. It's a 638 page guide that includes the Korean common name, scientific name, and pertinent information to aid in identifying the insect species that live in Korea. Awesome! Now I just need to invest in a DSLR and macro lens so I can put my new guide book to good use.
I also continued my weekend habit of taking the subway to a station near my home to explore the surrounding area, which found me at Danggogae Station (당고개역). Danggogae is a section of Seoul that juts out between the cities of Uijeongbu (의정부) and Namyangju (남양주) and offers a great view of nearby Suraksan (水落山; Waterfall Mountain). It probably won't surprise anyone to hear that I visited half a dozen temples during my outing - mostly by accident - but in addition to this I also had a conversation with an old man that started with him asking me "프랑스 사람 이죠?" (You're French, aren't you?)
Hiking through the Danggogae neighborhood was a very laid-back experience and I even managed to snap a photo of a moth in the nearby woodland. Naturally it's one that's giving me problems with proper identification. My best guesses are a dark variety of either Pylargosceles steganioides (끝무늬애기자나반) or Abraxas latifasciata (참빗살얼룩가지나반).
