Insect Picture of the Day

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This is a boy Luna Moth, you can tell because of the beard.

Okay, that’s not scientific fact, but I feel as though should be. If something has a beard, it’s a boy, right?

I’m on vacation this week, so I’m going to keep this short: I love Luna Moths! Thanks go to my buddy Brett for sending in a bunch of photos he took of this one. You have seen this Luna Moth before, but not from this angle, which reveals more of its underbelly. Thanks Brett!

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Oh, sure, they’re beetles on a mushroom, let’s name them “Fungus Beetles.”

BORING!

Come on, bug scientists come up with cool names like Hairstreak butterfly, but the best they can do for these cool looking little beetles is “Fungus Beetle.” Poor little guys; they probably don’t even know they have boring names. I’m thinking we should rename them to “Post-Apocalyptic Irradiated Beetles.” Just because.

Thanks, Brett, for sharing this photo. It was easy to identify them since they were on the mushroom; going to Bug Guide and typing in “beetles on fungus” brought back an immediate and obvious identification.

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One of the cool things about running Insect POD is seeing sights that I would never otherwise have seen. I’ve seen creepy bugs, hopeful bugs, weird bugs, and even funny bugs. It’s something I’m grateful to have in my life.

Now I’ve seen a beautiful bug.

Look at that thing, isn’t it gorgeous?

My friend, Brett Kingery, said to me the last time I saw him that he had a few bug photos to share, that he just had to find them. Well, a heartfelt “thank you,” Brett, because this is absolutely awesome.