A bit after we first moved here nearly three years ago, I saw a cool insect and looked up “black and white beetle” to find reference to the ironclad beetle. (I’m not sure why I didn’t get a picture at the time.) It is fascinating how much we don’t know about it! Here is a good blog post. I didn’t see another one until a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately, it was dead in the catio. Bummer. I saw it in there again later and pulled it out to get a picture, because they are really cool, even deceased. I left it on the deck box intending to come back and see how hard the exoskeleton really is and investigate if I could make something from it. I was quite surprised when I came back later in the day and it was moving!! Rather than dismantle it, I transferred it to the wood pile in case it really does eat lichen and prefer dead wood. I also read another blog that mentions that they play dead. That is some serious method acting to play dead for over a week, but I checked on it again a few hours later, it was moving again! I put a lichen covered stick near it and when I checked the next day, it was gone. I hope it is out making more iron clad beetles!
Critters and Craft 