17 Jan 2015 - I am excited by the story we're creating about the hunt for the white witch. It has a lot of interesting elements, beyond the "biggest in the world" claim: the lore of the "witch"; the continental scope of its range; the association with the work of early naturalists. And of course, the frustrating invisibility of its life history. But it's not like biological mystery isn't everywhere you look. I spent a year of my life trying to understand the protozoan parasites of scarab larvae. Another year on the life history of a parasitic wasp. Each of these projects concerned common, fascinating, yet basically unknown organisms. But the white witch is different because it is such an accessible symbol of our ignorance. How could something so conspicuous be so obscure?
--DLC
--DLC