Metallic wood-boring beetles

Metallic wood-boring beetles are often sporting shiny, iridescent hues of green, blue, and bronze, catch the eye as they flitter about in their wooded habitats. As their name suggests, these beetles have a knack for boring into wood, which is quite an impressive talent! They lay their eggs in dead or dying trees, and once those little larvae hatch, they start munching away at the wood. It’s kind of a double-edged sword; on one hand, they play a role in breaking down wood and recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem, but on the other, they can also cause damage to healthy trees if their populations get out of control. The type I have, the flatheaded metallic wood-boring beetles, are shiny but kind of not spectacular not in the sunlight, but in direct sunlight, their entire body turns a glimmering silver, and their small eyes turn a stunning gold.