#hermit beetle

This extremely nice friend is a hermit flower beetle. If you see them again, give them a sniff! They’re said to smell like leather :D

My awesome beetles #mybeetles

It's been a while since I've done my take at some original Super Mario enemies using existing foes. So this time, I'll use some Buzzy Beetles I designed originally a while back but didn't expand on them. Hermit Beetle: The Hermit Beetle is small and weak, vulnerable to easy defeat due to it's size. However, it has one shell of an offensive tactic; it can take over empty shells for strange abilities, reminiscent of the Yellow Beach Koopa in SMW. Whether it be sliding with jumps (green shell), homing on the player like it's predecessor (red shell), or throwing it (Buzzy beetle shell), players gotta be careful! Bull Beetle: Living like it's name, the Bull beetle is a vicious enemy of sorts. It rams at Mario when it spots him, charging at fast speeds to hurt him with it's horns. It's got an impenetrable defense...from the front. Yes, it's backside is complete open to attacks from behind, but considering how difficult the approach can be, attacking should be a last result. Cryo-Buzzy: Last member (for now) is the Cryo-Buzzy, a small foe with a "shell" made of solid ice. It won't attack, but touching it still hurts. Cryo-Buzzy's shell can be used as a platform, it can float on water, and takes 5 fireballs before melting; leaving the foe vulnerable.

Theses large larvae were found in a large, decayed cavity in a limb of a Norway maple (Acer platanoides) last summer. After several months living in a special beetle medium in (second picture) they pupated into adults (third and fourth pictures). The fourth picture shows the ball of soil they form around them while pupating. They were identified as hermit beetles (Osmoderma subplanata) which are in the scarab beetle family. Hermit beetles are very uncommon in this part of Montana likely because this genus of beetle requires large, mature oaks, or maples with decadent cavities for its larvae. The urban forest provides an oasis that fulfills this need in this part of the country which is mostly conifer forest.