Golden jewel beetle, a buprestid.

 

Photographed in central Washington state, June 30, 2013.

Now that the temperatures have dipped and the invertebrates have either died or gone into hibernation, it's time to pull up some files from the past.  I photographed this jewel beetle while vacationing in the Leavenworth area.  I have to say it is one of the most colourful insects I have ever come across.

Jewel beetles are also known as buprestid beetles or metallic wood-boring beetles.  If those names aren't enough, we can add the term flat-head borers to the collection in reference to the larvae that have unusually large heads for the size of their bodies.  The larvae bore into softwood trees such as pine, fir, and spruce and create tunnels as they move.  Some species, such as the emerald ash borer, are invasive and cause a great deal of damage to the trees.  

The golden jewel beetle lays their eggs in dead or dying trees and as such do not represent a significant threat to the logging industry.  An interesting fact about them is that the larvae may go into an extended state of suspended animation and emerge years later.  I read an account of a beetle emerging from a pine board that had been cut 8 years earlier.  The record, according to the account, is an astonishing 51 years.

Beetles are fascinating creatures.  They are the largest order of insects and are fundamentally important to ecosystems, both in terms of those that benefit and those that damage them.  

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com