My Digital Photography of
Beetles and Other Insects
The following insects were photographed in the Metro-Detroit area, unless otherwise noted. I have identified them by their scientific names, if known. If you know the name of any unidentified insects, please e-mail me at kozmicdreams@ymail.com. Photographs are sorted so that most recent photos are at the top of the page.
Click on any photo to see a larger view!
Green Shield Bug, Palomena prasina
I found a group of eggs underneath a milkweed leaf while looking for Monarch eggs. I had no idea what they were, but I wanted to find out. They turned out to be green shield bugs. Shortly after they hatched, I released most of them and kept three to document. Unfortunately, one beetle became carnivorous and ate its two siblings. That beetle made it to adulthood, but it was so late in the season that there weren't any good plants outside to feed it. I gave it a piece of organic spinach from the grocery store, and it was dead within a few days. So much for organic produce.
Here are the bugs just after hatching on 7-20-24. I didn't photograph the eggs before they hatched, but they had a yellowish tone to them.
Here are the bugs on 7-25-24. One is freshly molted and very pale in color. Some molted previously and are now more than twice as large as their siblings.
Here are the three bugs I kept on 9-22-24. One is now green instead of black, and one is way behind in development compared to its two siblings.
I missed taking the photo of the sole bug left after one of its molts, so these photos were taken after two more molts took place. I took pictures of the shed skin as well. The date was October 16, 2024.
Larvae
I was digging in the garden on June 14, 2024, when I found two firefly larvae in the soil! This was the first time I've ever seen firefly larvae, so it was pretty exciting. After I took their photos, I put them back in the hole where I was digging.
Adult
I photographed this firefly on June 15, 2008. It was very fast-moving and kept trying to fly away, so I didn't get many pictures. I made two animations from a few of the photos.
Lily Leaf Beetle or Scarlet Lily Beetle, Lilioceris lilii
My mom found this beetle on an Asiatic lily in her front yard on June 15, 2021. It is indigenous to parts of Europe and Asia. It is thought to have been introduced to North America in 1943 through importation of plant bulbs. It is the first one my family has ever seen. I photographed it indoors on one of my orchids.
Earth-boring scarab beetle, Geotrupes semiopacus
Waterloo State Park, April 4, 2021, after just reaching a fresh manure pile.
Bark Lice, Cerastipsocus venosus
Pinckney State Park, July 19, 2020 (two different congregations, both found on maple trees)
Tiger Beetles
Bronzed Tiger Beetle, Cicindela repanda, attacking a Six-spotted Tiger Beetle, Cicindela sexguttata
Waterloo, Baldwin Flooding sand area, June 28, 2020
Mating Six-spotted Tiger Beetles, Cicindela sexguttata
May 21, 2014. Illinois.
American Carrion Beetle, Necrophila americana (Larva)
Waterloo, Lyndon Park, June 27, 2020
Unidentified beetle
Waterloo, Lyndon Park, June 27, 2020
Leaf-footed bug, Acanthocephala terminalis
Greenbrier River Trail, Cass, WV, July 14, 2021
Leonard Preserve, June 21, 2020
Eastern Eyed Click Beetle / Eyed Elater, Alaus oculatus
Huron Meadows Metropark, June 6, 2020
This beetle flew right into my chest and then fell to the ground. It stayed there for my photos. When I picked it up, it clicked and landed on its back. I picked it up again and it walked around a bit, then opened its wings and took off into the sky. It was about 1 3/4" long.
Unidentified Insect
Watkins Lake State Park, September 22, 2019
I didn't even notice this little insect on these moss rosettes until I got home and looked at the photos.
Water mites, Hydrachnidia
Highland State Park (Haven Lake), August 31, 2019
[Note: I also observed these on September 1, 2019 in Pickerel Lake at Pinckney State Park]
Dogbane beetle, Chrysochus auratus
Crosswinds Marsh, September 15, 2019
Oakwoods Metropark, August 25, 2019
Island Lake State Park, August 11, 2019
Heritage Park, Farmington Hills, July 14, 2018
Goldenrod Soldier Beetle, Chauliognathus pensylvanicus
Jack R. Smiley Preserve, September 28, 2019
Lyon Oaks County Park, August 3, 2019
Banded Longhorn Beetle, Typocerus velutinus
Pontiac Lake State Park, July 28, 2019
Milkweed leaf beetle, Labidomera clivicollis
Backyard, July 18, 2019
In all my life, I've never seen a beetle like this one, so I was very surprised to see it in my garden. I captured it and got the camera set up to document it and later identified it as a milkweed leaf beetle. This is the first year I have grown swamp milkweed. No wonder this beetle appeared in the area where it is growing---apparently, swamp milkweed is one of its favorite host plants! The beetle was very fast and not easy to photograph. The best shots were from after I had touched it and it played dead (the ones on the moss-covered bark). The last photo was taken just before it flew away. The most interesting thing about this beetle was the way my hand smelled after handling it---a smell similar to maple syrup! I can't wait to be able to pick one up again.
Rose Chafers, Macrodactylus
Watkins Lake State Park, June 29, 2019
Found in field area at Indian Springs Metropark on June 25, 2017.
Spotted Lady Beetles, Coleomegilla maculata
Sharon Mills County Park, May 23, 2020
Sterling State Park, June 9, 2019
Unidentified insect
Kensington Metropark, July 18, 2018
Unidentified insect
Point Pelee, July 6, 2018
Unidentified beetle
Wetzel State Park, September 30, 2017
Unidentified insect, possibly a nymph
Rose Oaks County Park, September 23, 2017
Shield Bug, Family Pentatomidae
Resting on an unripe blackberry in my garden on August 11, 2017.
During the wintertime, shield bugs seek warm shelters indoors. That was certainly the case with this one I found in my bedroom on January 5, 2006. They don't bite, so they are harmless to humans. They suck juices out of plants, so they won't hurt your clothes either. They are also called stink bugs because they smell bad when you squish them (I wouldn't know what it smells like exactly because I would never do that to a bug).
October 17 2017, Oak Openings Preserve Metropark
Pair of walking sticks.
August 6, 2017, Oak Openings Preserve Metropark
While heading down the narrowing trail (the white pines are growing and blocking the trail) to cushion moss paradise at Oak Openings Preserve Metropark in Ohio on August 6, 2017, I ran into two Gracilis spiders' webs. The spiders were on me, as was their web material. I moved the spiders to tree branches about 4 feet up. I was just about to brush off what I thought was a twig. Thankfully, I took a second look. To my surprise, it was a walking stick entangled in spider webbing. It didn't move very fast, but I'm not sure that they are supposed to, as this is the first live walking stick I've ever found. Its dainty rear legs were completely covered in webbing, but I managed to free them without damaging the legs. I hope it survived and didn't find itself in another web. Those spiders were all over the forested areas.
Deer tick, Ixodes
This tick pair was found on Lyle on October 26, 2016.
Red Milkweed Beetle, Tetraopes tetrophthalmus
July 24, 2015. In backyard. This beetle was very fast and difficult to photograph.
Unidentified beetle
May 25, 2015, Highland State Park.
Horned (or Forked) Fungus Beetle, Bolitotherus Cornutus
May 14, 2015, at home.
This crazy thing somehow must have been in the soil I was moving around in a bucket outside, and when I brought the bucket inside and set it by the doorwall, it must have been in there, because several hours later, I found it on its back on the floor by the bucket. I was working in an area with a lot of dead wood and occasional fungal growth, so it made sense. This one is a female and doesn't sport the super-cool horns that the male has, but it was still an interesting find. The strangest thing about these beetles is that they secrete a foul-smelling substance in response to mammalian breath. I can't say I noticed much of a smell, but when I breathed on her while she was on her back, she did open up the flap at the base of her abdomen that you see in the first three photos. She is also photographed on one of my woodburned cypress knees and a Cephalocereus senilis (Old Man Cactus). I let her go in an area with lots of dead wood.
American Oil Beetle, Meloe americanus
October 19, 2014. Dahlem Conservancy. These were extremely abundant on the prairie trails. Many were mating.
Unidentified Insect
June 22, 2014. Waterloo State Park.
Forest Caterpillar Hunter, Calosoma scrutator
June 1, 2014. Saugatuck Dunes State Park.
Unidentified Beetle
August 31, 2013. Sharon Twp., MI.
Silverfish
March 27, 2012
Unidentified cocoon remnants
These remnants were found on July 7, 2010 on a vinyl blow-up frog that was stored in my parents' basement for some time. I am not sure what type of insect they came from. The third picture is a different cocoon than the first two.
Japanese Beetle, Popillia japonica
I photographed this quick shot of a japanese beetle where it naturally was eating on August 4, 2008. Click here for a better photo shoot of a Japanese beetle.
I found this Japanese Beetle at my parents' house on July 1, 2007. I believe they can be quite damaging to some plants, but I forgot which ones. Even so, I've always enjoyed their iridescent appearance, although it was difficult to capture with my camera and the beetle took off into the air after only a few shots. These aren't my best work, but so far they're my only photos of a Japanese Beetle.
Carpet Beetles (A.K.A. Skin beetle, larder beetle, hide or leather beetle, or khapra beetle), Family Dermestidae (Order Coleoptera)
I can't even begin to tell you how much I hate these things. I have had to throw out a lot of my artwork and collections of natural items due to these insects. They seem to get into everything---a cute little taxidermied duckling I used to display in my vine sculpture, my pysanky (to get at a very small portion of egg left inside the shell), my cicadas that were displayed on my family tree sculpture (not to mention every other insect in my collection that was not sealed tight in some kind of enclosure). They are one of the reasons I have had to give up including insects in my artwork anymore. They destroy everything and I find their little shed skin shells left behind as evidence. Here is one of the larvae and an adult beetle. Notice how the beetle seems to have unusual protrusions all along its wing covers. It doesn't have a smooth shell like many beetles. Click here to find out the fate of this beetle. According to Wikipedia, they do seem to have one good use---they can clean skeletons for natural history museums.
Ladybug, Coccinella septempunctata
The first time I've ever seen nymphs. Holland Ponds, July 23, 2017.
I would have thought I'd photographed a ladybug by now, but this is the first one. These photos were taken on a coriopsis flower and bishop's weed flower on June 14, 2008.
On June 14, 2008, this junebug was outside on the wall by the light, so I figured I'd photograph it on a peony flower.
On the evening of May 20th, 2006, a junebug was on my screen door. I saved it until the next day to photograph.
Cucumber Beetle, Acalymma vittatum
On June 3, 2008, I brought in a few peony flowers with the intent of photographing a half-dead mayfly on them. However, as soon as I brought them in, this cucumber beetle emerged from the petals, so of course it had to be photographed too. The beetle even got to meet the mayfly. Click here to see the mayfly set of photos.
I even made an animation of the three photos of him flailing around on a petal---it looks like he's either having a seizure or rock-and-rolling. In any case, it makes me laugh.
Brian found this huge 1 1/2" long stag beetle outside walking on the driveway and called me to get it, knowing I'd surely want to photograph it. It was nighttime, so I waited until next day on July 16, 2007. Last year, I found two black stag beetles around this time of year. Today's beetle was a reddish-brown color though. First, I did the pincer test to see if it was aggressive. Lucky for me, it was not---no matter how much it was provoked, the pincers were nothing but looks---it wouldn't clamp them down on anything! Although it was quite a feisty beetle---I had to refrigerate it for a few 5-minute sessions so that it would be calm enough to photograph. Otherwise, it was wildly flailing about (these beetles aren't too agile on land). I read a little about stag beetles this time and discovered that the adults either eat rotting wood or nothing at all. One thing I really like are the fuzzy hairs that cover the division between segments. I assume they must be to help keep parasites from getting in there.
Masked Hunter, Reduvius personatus
This is the second one of these I've found in my life, but this time, I had a better camera to take it's photograph. This insect is only about 1/8" long from head to abdomen and is therefore quite difficult to work with. I photographed this one on July 16, 2007 on a coriopsis flower.
I found this unusual specimen on my kitchen counter on July 9, 2005. I've never seen anything like it. I had to use my close-up lens to photograph it because it is less than 1/8 inch long. Even then, it was difficult to get the whole insect in focus. I also took a movie of it walking across a piece of paper. Click here to see a movie of this insect. Thanks to whatsthatbug.com, I was able to identify this as something called a Masked Hunter, a type of assassin bug that hunts even smaller insects. Apparently, this one is a juvenile. Click here to see an adult.
Grapevine Beetle, Pelidnota punctata
This is the third grapevine beetle I've photographed. I used to think they were rather rare beetles, but I've been finding them more often lately. There are some grapevines in my backyard that get pretty out-of-control sometimes, so maybe that's why they're here. This one was photographed on July 3, 2007 on a coriopsis flower.
On June 15, 2007, I found a grapevine beetle on my wall outside. I decided to take some pictures. This one took off on me unexpectedly and flew so high I couldn't get it back. Click here to see the other grapevine I photographed previously.
On the night of July 10, 2005, this interesting beetle was hanging out on my screen door. I haven't seen one of these in about 8 or 9 years, when I also found one on my screen door. I discovered they are called grapevine beetles and are from the family Scarabeidae (the same as scarab beetles). I do have some wild grapevine that has been a nuisance since I moved in. I am always cutting down its vines. These are very strong beetles. It took me about 5 minutes to pry it off the screen (I didn't want to break its legs). When I had it holding on to my finger, every time I made a sudden movement, I could feel all of its legs gripping even tighter. I wanted to take better photos of it in the sunlight the next day, but it was too strong for the container I had it in and escaped overnight. So here are the photos I took that night with the flash.
I don't know what kind of nymph this is, but it is one crazy-looking nymph! I found it on June 25, 2007 while gardening. You can see some wing buds on it, so it will obviously fly someday. One of the strangest things I noticed is that it has spikes coming out of its eyes! What would it be like to see with those spikes right in the middle of your eye? I would have liked to see what it turned into, but I didn't know what to give it for sustenance so I let it go where I found it in the backyard on a flowering thistle. It is photographed on a coriopsis flower below.
Unidentified Beetle
While camping in Nelson, OH, on July 29, 2006, I found this tiny little bug. It is only about 1/4 inch long. I tried to get some shots with my close-up lens, but it wasn't sunny enough, so I gave up. Here are two photos that are somewhat out of focus, but I thought it was such a neat insect I had to post the pictures anyway.
Unidentified Beetle
Brian found this interesting beetle on the car while we were camping in Nelson, OH at about 1:00 in the morning on July 29, 2006. The body alone was close to an inch and a half in length! This was one big beetle.
I found this large black stag beetle outside in my driveway on the night of May 29, 2006. It was about 1 1/2" long. I saved it overnight and photographed it on the 30th. This beetle was very aggressive. Anything placed inside its pincers was pinched. I also took a couple movies of this beetle. Click the links below to see them.
Beetle Walking Beetle on its Back
When I released the beetle pictured above, I returned to the door only to find another of this same species right there on the ground! I haven't seen a beetle like this in years and this time, I found two in two days! So of course, I photographed this one too. This beetle acted differently than the one above. It refused to bite at all! It would stand up tall and open its pincers wide, but I couldn't get it to bite anything. I'm wondering if it might be a female and the aggressive one might be a male. When I released the second beetle a day later, the first beetle was almost right where I left it. The second beetle started walking right towards it. The next day, both beetles were gone.
Pillbug, Armadillidium vulgare
On April 2, 2006, I photographed a couple pillbugs found underneath some dead cannas plants. Technically, they are more closely related to shrimp and lobsters than insects since they belong to the phylum Arthropoda. Notice that they have 7 pairs of legs. These two were found curled in a ball since it was only about 50 degrees Fahrenheit outside. They warmed up quickly in my hand though and were moving almost too quickly to get any good photographs.
Red Spider Mite
This red spider mite scurried around on the lichen I was photographing with my close-up lens in September 2005. I couldn't believe I actually got a fairly clear picture of one of these creatures. They are smaller than a sharp pencil point and look like a moving red dot to the human eye.
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