Most people are used to a chocolate on their pillow as a bedtime treat but last night my surprise was a Christmas beetle. I like Christmas beetles. They have a pretty, iridescent aqua sheen that catches the light on different angles much like the wing colours on some ducks. However they have become a pest. Their larvae live in the ground and feed on grass roots causing the lawn to take on a sickly yellow look. Because more grasslands have been created the numbers of Christmas beetles has increased. This causes another problem as the adult beetle feeds on the eucalyptus leaves. (See the nibbled leaves silhouetted against the sunset sky). Land clearing has reduced the number of gum trees. With the balance upset, this pretty beetle I kept as a "pet" when I was a child is now a problem that needs to be deal with when, attracted by my reading lamp, it presents itself on my pillow.
I fav'd this a few days ago but didn't have time to comment. Great capture Margaret. They also stuff up suburban lawns as they dig into the ground and create annoying blobs of dirt all though the grass. Yeah I know. Life's a bitch.
Sounds similar to the troubles we have with the Gypsy Moth caterpillar- only the GM is not pretty at all- it's bland- and the caterpillars are UGLY!! In spite of it's status as a pest, the detail on the picture is great and the inset coordinates well with the color of your lamp!
January 22nd, 2015
Leave a Comment
Sign up for a free account or Sign in to post a comment.
I like to pick them up and the kids all take off.