Most people get dizzy if they spin around, but whirligig beetles don't! This group of beetles is known for spinning in erratic circles on the surface of lakes and ponds, much like the whirling children's toys they're named after! Whirligig beetles spend almost their whole lives in the water, and as result have developed unique adaptations including two pairs of compound eyes-- one to look over the water's surface and another to look underwater.
(Image: A whirligig beetle (family Gyrinidae) with an air bubble attached to its abdomen for breathing, by Jim Rathert)
If you send me proof that you’ve made a donation to UNRWA or another organization benefiting Palestinians– including esim donations– I’ll make art of any animal of your choosing.
As a bonus, enjoy this very relaxing video of whirligig beetles swimming on the water:
It's always bothered me that when people adapt Kafka's Metamorphosis they depict Gregor Samsa as a roach. Cockroaches do not undergo metamorphosis. They are born as nymphs which are just smaller wingless versions of the adult form.
Kafka writes that Gregor can only enjoy rotten food. Which also makes him not at all roach-like. Roaches strongly prefer fresh vegetables to rotten ones.
And, of course, he gets stuck on his back, not something roaches struggle with nearly as much as beetles.
That's why always imagined him as a beetle. Which implies that the man Gregor was a larvae for all his pre-bug life. I thought that was the whole point of the story... We're all grubs, but Gregor reached the next stage though sadly none of the grubs in his family could understand him.
thinking about weevil photonic crystal structures...
Weevils (such as Pachyrhynchus genera) have evolved epidermal cells that can produce colour through opal-like arrangements of packed spheres, forming a three-dimensional photonic crystalline structure.
The largest weevil in North America, the palmetto weevil (Rhyncophorus cruentatus) lays eggs in the crowns of palms, where the grubs feed and often kill their host in the process.
In Florida it’s considered a major pest due to its habit of destroying ornamental palm trees, but native palmettos and sabal palms (the weevils’ natural hosts) are rarely harmed unless they’re already stressed or damaged. It’s mostly date palms and other exotic species planted along city streets that can’t take the heat and need to be drenched with insecticide to ensure survival.
Can anyone find me that one vintage-looking art piece of a beetle painting in a field? Not a painting of a beetle but the beetle itself is painting on a canvas and easel. I’ve been looking for days!
With Chrysina limbata around, you won’t need a mirror! This species has an especially shiny exoskeleton, reflecting up to 97% of the light that hits it. In the wild, the mirror-like reflective surface may fool potential predators into thinking the beetle is just a drop of water- effectively serving as conspicuous camouflage.
(Image: Close-ups of Chrysina limbata by Michael Farmer)
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Photinus fireflies are probably one of North America’s most iconic and beloved beetles, and rightfully so. P. pyralis is big and bright, with a yellow-green color to its bioluminescence
I also often see these smaller Photinus with a warm orange glow. I think they could be P. scintillans, which aligns with their size, flash pattern, the yellow sclerites on males, and where I’m located. females of that species are short-winged and flightless, so I’ll try to find one to figure out the ID for sure.
reminder that fireflies eat slugs and snails as larvae! if you like seeing them in your garden, stop trying to exterminate land gastropods and leave some vegetation where the adults can sleep during the day. slugs and “weeds” = more magic glowing bugs