I discovered my cat, Jack playing with something in the yard the other day and found this beetle:
At first, I was excited to see it. It had a metallic reflection in the sunshine and I thought it would be fun to paint:
Upon further research, I discovered it to be a “Large Flathead Pine Heartwood Borer Beetle.” It is the beetle that I believe is destroying a nearby forest of pine trees. According to the internet, the larvae of the beetle bore or dig their way through the heartwood of the tree. The tunneling tends to destroy the tree’s cambium tissue which water and nutrients flow and can starve a tree to death if it’s infested.
It is hard to see these trees dying in the forest. Trees take so long to grow. I’m saddened that a beetle can quickly destroy it.
What worries me further is this beetle attacks other trees too. I have many trees in my yard and now I worry that they may be at risk. I need to find out what I can do to protect my trees from this bad beetle…
Nature often teaches me lessons about life – appreciate the beauty today because it may not last.
Peace Friends!
It sure is interesting looking. Hope you figure out s way to prevent the devastation it can cause though.
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Thanks Jodi, I need to do more research on them. I might hire an arborist to tell me what I need to do and watch for. 🌲💚🌳
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Oh no! I hope you find someone who can spray something i your garden to keep these beetles away. Your drawing of it was fabulous though.
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Thanks Carrie! Yes, I’m looking into how I can prevent the destruction of the trees in my yard. I’m glad my cat found it! 😉
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It seems Jack had the right idea (he is quite handsome, by the way). All the elms in the parks here have Dutch Elm disease and are gradually being cut down by the Parks Department. Indeed sad. I hope you find something to save your trees! (K)
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Yes, sometimes I’m a bit cautious to see what Jack is playing with in the yard…lol! There have been many surprises that he likes to show me! 😉 Sorry to hear you are loosing Elm trees in the parks near you. Always sad to see this happen.
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Nice lesson and artwork. Jack is looking so beautiful. Wow. Blessings abound. I hope you save your trees too, Jill.
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Thanks Laura! Nature teaches me so much when I pay attention! And sometimes it is from a handsome cat! Hehe! 😉
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Those darn beetles, but you certainly painted a beauty Jill.
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Thanks Sharon! I don’t think I would have noticed it unless Jack was playing with it. It had a metallic reflection on it’s back that really caught my attention. I’m always on the look out for interesting subjects to paint these days in nature… Lol! 😉
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You make a beetle look pretty, Jill. Great painting. I didn’t know beetles were such pests.
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Thanks Catherine – neither did I!! 😮
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Amazing that such an attractive looking beetle can be so destructive. Pine beetles have done their worst around here and it isn’t a pleasant thing to watch. Thousands of trees lost.
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Yes, that was my thinking too, Susan. The beetle had an amazing pattern on its wings in the sun. Sorry to hear you are dealing with the destruction of this bad beetle too. 😁
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ohh hope you’ll find out some way to prevent trees. Your cat is so cute Jill. You painted that creature very well 🙂
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Thanks Snehal! I hope I do too! I’m glad that Jack found it so I can be aware now! 😀
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You painted the pest really well, and your cat is handsome! I hope you are to protect your trees Jill!
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Thank you, Deborah! Me too! 🌲💚🌳
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Your painting is awesome!! A bug!! Yay! But it sounds like a bad ass… so bad bug! BAD bug! But GREAT bug doodlewash! 😍hehe… the shadow is wonderful!
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Thanks for the laugh!
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Great painting….I hope your trees stay safe?
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Thank you, Rebecca! Me too! 💚🌳💚
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ugh! they are such ugly bugs! I took several pictures of that exact bug and I couldn’t do any look-up at the time because it was while I was out and about on a picnic. Well, now I am happy I killed it. We wondered if it was a bad bug, had a suspicion it was a pine beetle. We have had so many trees killed this past year and they are still dying 😦 It keeps me looking at our trees and fretting about it.
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I totally understand, Margaret! It is so hard to loose our beautiful trees! 😁 Glad you destroyed the one you found. I’m not sure if my cat ate mine or what happened to it. But I was so sad to see what terrible damage it can do in a short amount of time! 🌲💚🌳
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😦
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