I found this Bronze Ground Beetle belly-up on a path near the Willamette River while I was walking with a friend. Having multiple sets of eyes has helped me find several interesting insects lately. These large beetles usually hunt at night, but it was fairly early on a cloudy day when we came across this one. It was probably happy that I righted it, so it could scoot off and hide out until after dark. If it had been sunnier, I think the elytra would’ve looked bronze. As it is, you can see a purplish tint on the thorax and edges of the abdomen. Gardeners like this Carabus nemoralis beetle because it eats slugs.
I highlighted the confusingly-named velvet ant earlier this summer, when I found a red one in Idaho. This past weekend, an insect fan on a walk I led at Mt. Pisgah Arboretum spotted this orange-yellow Mutillidae family wasp on the path. Yes, it’s a wasp not an ant, and only the females are without wings. I was overjoyed to see it, and that another participant had a jar to put it in, so we could all look closer and take pictures. Females lay eggs in ground bee nests, and their larvae use the bee larvae as food. I’ve read that they squeak when they’re disturbed, but we didn’t hear this one say anything.
Having many eyes also helped us find this many-eyed creature on the insect walk. It’s a yellow garden spider, Argiope aurantia. There were two of these fairly near each other, each rolling up an insect meal in their silks. They are very striking and fairly large spiders. I know, it’s not an insect, but I’ve made an exception.
Find a friend who also enjoys finding insects… you’ll probably see more than you would on your own!
Ticklehead 