It was cool early in June, and it’s been cool for much of this week. Perhaps that’s set back insect life cycles in our neighborhood, because we didn’t find our first June Beetle until today, July 3rd:
This June Beetle had fallen into a bucket of water. I found it, then Aaron took its photo. Photo by Aaron Gyllenhaal.
June Beetles come in several sizes, and they are pretty common around here in summer. Usually they fly around at night. Young June Beetles — called larvae — are white grubs. Many June Beetle larvae live in lawns and feed on the roots of grasses and other plants. (Go here to see a photo of two June Beetle larvae.)
This is Aaron’s first published photo. He took it with Ethan’s old camera (a Sony DSC-H50). Since Ethan is going off to birding camp in less than a week, I may be publishing more of Aaron’s photos this month and beyond.
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Try these websites for more information about June Beetles:
Texas A&M Extensions: June Beetles
Wikipedia: Phyllophaga (the scientific name for one group of June Beetles).
University of Maryland: Integrated Pest Management Control Options for June Beetles
