Fraxinus, Spodoptera & Bolbocerosoma

The vibrant golds of the Fraxinus...are filling up the landscape.  They are absolutely brilliant this year. And the first cold snap - like maybe tonight - and they will be leafless!  Look hard at the landscape and notice all the places filled with the golds of Ash - now envision that same landscape after the Emerald Ash Borer takes its toll! 

 Spodoptera ornithogalli (yellowstriped armyworm) moving quickly across the "concrete trail" at Shadow Lake. These become moths - they are foliage feeders - overwinter as pupae in soil - note the yellowish strip along each side and 2 black triangular spots on top of most segments. 

Bolbocerosoma farctum (fancy bolbocerine) also discovered moving at lightning speed across "concrete trail" - this guy is a geotrupid beetle meaning earth-boring or dor beetle - his shadow looks like he is raising little hands above his head!  Glad I did not pick him up - as I read they would try to burrow into your hand - and that they stridulate rather loudly when handled!  Stridulate: sound production by rubbing together body parts.  Well, if he would have tried to burrow into my hand I too would have stridulated loudly...by rubbing my hands together to eject the beetle!

This beetle led me to Scarab beetles in general and larvae of white grubs - the presence of same in lawns can attract various vertebrate predators such as skunks and raccoons - your lawn will look like it has been aerated after these animals forage in your lawn for grubs.  This can be noticed in several yards as you drive around town - the drought has reduced the food source - and it is getting closer to winter - and the urban wildlife is not yet carrying a sufficient fat reserve - so it becomes a grubby menu...

The most interesting thing about grubs is they can be identified by the pattern of hairs on the tip of their abdomen - termed a rastral pattern.

And this lastly led me to rain beetles - a most patient beetle as mating activity is triggered by rain - and only the male beetles have wings - the larvae live underground and feed on the roots of oaks and confiers - and they can remain underground for as long as ten years - the females are flightless and also live underground - and their range is limited to the west coast - but when all the planets align and the rain is right - it is said that "the female's phermone is blooming invisibly in the air"...