These guys are crawling all over my property. You could hardly walk without stepping on one today. Tricia looked them up in the field guide and proclaimed them to be “caterpillar hunters” and a beneficial insect. I sure hope she’s right.
We had almost 2 inches of rain yesterday, and there are predictions for more. We have some erosion issues and I went out in the rain to study how the water is flowing. Now I’ve got to think a little about how to fix it.
Comments (6)
What a beautiful bug. I hope it is beneficial.
Love those iridescent colors.
It’s gorgeous, Bill. Do you get those little oak worms that hang on strings? Maybe a large number of hunters appear in years with a big caterpillar population?
We had a little under 2 inches here, so everything is expanding and growing.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
I’ve seen those my whole life in San Antonio and never knew what they were. What was the name of it?
The name my wife came up with is Calosoma scrutator aka The Fiery Searcher. This is from a picture in the Audubon Field Guide to North American Insects. I forgot to mention that the bug is about an inch long, maybe a little more.
I’ve been hoping they would find and eat those darn little worms that are now hanging from all the trees.
Yep, All the articles I could find say their favorite food is the tent caterpillar, which are also in abundance right now. That’s why I said good guys. The creatures who eat the bugs are blue jays, raccoons, & foxes. We also have those around here. So the circle of life keeps turning.>^..^