Series #1
Ten-Lined June Beetle (Polyphylla Decemlineata)
The most common name is June Bug. June Bugs eat conifer tree needles from from one end of the needle to the other. “We saw two June bugs mating, and when they were done, the female buried herself in the sand to lay her eggs…she dug in and disappeared.” Do you remember people who would put a small string around the June Bug and let it fly, like they had a magical creature for a pet? Some people even get a little creeped out by them.
Metallic Wood-Boring Beetle (Agrilus Walsinghami)
Found on fruit of the Golden Rain Tree. https://www.shutterstock.com/g/shiyali?searchterm=golden%20rain%20tree
“Temperature seems to bring life this family of wood-boring beetles. Each winter I experience Cedar Wood-Boring Beetles coming out of the wood after I bring it in to be by the fire, so in the middle of winter they are flying around my house.”
“Highly Metallic Beetles were used as living jewelry by both women and men in the Victorian Age.” https://www.britannica.com/animal/metallic-wood-boring-beetle
Golden Jewel Beetle (Bupretis aurulento)
“On other continents, jewel beetles have been used in clothing, decorative boxes, sculptures and even religious shrines.” Australian Museum
Blue Milkweed Beetle (Chrysochus Cobaltinus)
Feeds on Milkweed and the Females lay their eggs on the Milkweed plant as well. The larvae will feed on the leaf and stem, and larger populations can eat a Milkweed plant until it is a shell, though interestingly the plant will go dormant and still be able to come back the next year, unless the root is eaten, then it won’t be as likely to survive.
Longhorn Beetle (Pachyta armata)
Feeds on the the corn lily flower (xerophyllum Tenax) also called Indian Basket Grass. There have been populations found of this beetle at Three Fingered Jack after a burn three years prior.
Four-Spotted Lady Bird Beetle (Brumus quadripustulatus)
Feed on aphids and scale insects. The Coccinellidae family of “Lady Bugs” come in many different colors, including orange, red, yellow, and black.
Lady bugs have often been thought of as good luck and they bring a sense of joy or romanticism to those who find them crawling on plants.
Dimorphic Flower Longhorn Beetle (Anastrangalia Laetifica)
Considered a pollinating beetle, as they are found eating the pollen and nectar from flowers. They are commonly found on parsley family plants.
“flower longhorn beetles spend their larval days as borers, just like other cerambycids. However, they are not considered pests. Those species that are tree borers select trees that are stressed, dying, or dead. Of course, this is also true for the vast majority of native cerambycid tree borers.” Joe Boggs https://bygl.osu.edu/node/445
Jacob Joseph Norris 