floridensis
beneath the spanish moss with janson jones
Pelidnota punctata, 19 June 2013
Pelidnota punctata, the Grapevine beetle;
Lowndes county, Georgia (19 June 2013).
If you live in the eastern U.S. and have never had one of these fly/crash into your face on a summer evening, you’re probably in the minority. At least it feels that way. I’ve had more than a few Grapevine beetles crash into my face over the years. They’re harmless, of course, but still… It’s like a lone chunk of small hail in the form of a beetle coming out of nowhere. THONK! Grapevine beetles don’t seem to be the sharpest tools in the Coleopteran shed, and their flight accuracy seems to lack a certain level of grace. They are lovely to watch, however, when they try to collect themselves after colliding with something.
floridensis 