*Nature Activity at the End!*
Did you know that there are more scientifically-described species of Beetles than any other species of animal? Put another way, out of all the known animal species on Earth, about 25% are beetles. There are about 400,000 species of Beetles, but only about 6,000 species of mammals.
The Beetles crossing Abbey Road https://www.theshirtlist.com/the-beetles-t-shirt/
In fact, evolutionary biologist J.D.S. Haldane (1892 - 1964) is famously credited with saying that if there is a Creator, he must have “an inordinate fondness for beetles.”
(Biologists seem to love this quote so much that it was mentioned in more than one of my courses at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Perhaps it’s because the quote is humorous yet profound, and it feels validating for those who feel frustrated with Conservation’s tendency to focus on the “charismatic megafauna.” But when I looked up the quote to write this blog post – because I wanted to tell you the specific date and context he said it in – I found that no one has ever verified whether or not Haldane actually said this. In any case, it’s clear that he did believe in the sentiment, and that many people find the diversity of beetles to be awe-inspiring!)
Beetles are categorized in the Order Coleoptera, which means “Sheath/Scabbard Wing.” This is because one of the things that distinguishes Beetles from other insects is that they have hard protective wing covers called elytra, which fold down over their backs when they’re not flying. That’s why you can’t see their wings when they’re crawling around. And if you recall times you’ve encountered beetles, you might be able to picture them lifting their elytra up just before takeoff.
Beetles can be found in every land habitat (except for the poles) and there are species that eat all kinds of food. They’re great at surviving mass extinctions, which might be one reason they’ve been able to diversify so much.
The Leaf Beetles have evolved to digest specific types of plants (or host microbes that can digest them); the specificity of those ecological relationships also contributes to beetle diversity, and they may have evolved in tandem with the diversification of flowering plants.
We usually think of Bees and Butterflies when we think of pollinators, but Beetles were some of the earliest pollinators of some of the most ancient flowers, such as Magnolias. They still do important work as pollinators today!
And a fascinating fact I just learned is that some beetles have evolved to be fungi farmers!
Here are a few of MY favorite beetles!
Tropical areas have some incredible Beetle species – the Giraffe Weevil of Madagascar comes to mind for me – but all the ones I’ve listed here can be found in New York State, where I live:
Firefly
(yep, the summertime magic is brought to you by Beetles!)
Image Source: https://www.lifegate.com/5-things-about-fireflies
Golden Tortoise Beetle
😍I just love them so much!!! I see them in my garden a lot. And they don’t just stay gold all the time, they can change colors!
Image Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ahbek/2981189407/
Six-spotted Tiger Beetle
So pretty and shiny, but fierce as a tiger! They hunt by running and stopping, running and stopping – because they can actually run so fast they can’t see! “Tiger Beetle” was also my name in a friend group chat for a while!
Image Source: https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/325796009
Whirligig Beetles
They’re not much to look at in a still image, but if you can watch them while they’re swimming, wow!!! They spin around and around. They even have four eyes (two eyes each split in half) so they can see above and below the water.
Image Source: https://bugguide.net/node/view/542133
Click Beetles
When they get turned on their backs, they right themselves by jumping up high and making a fun “click” sound! The tricky thing is, there are also “False Click Beetles,” which look exactly the same, but don’t do this behavior. Apologies to all the Click Beetles and False Click Beetles I have turned upside-down for my own amusement.
Weevils (of the non-giraffe kind)
Unfortunately, Weevils are known for being agricultural pests, but there are many species that are not! They’re just minding their own business! I like their snoots. I think they’re adorable.
Image Source: https://bugguide.net/node/view/1838017
Net-winged Beetles
I wrote a poem about one of the orange and black ones when I was on a field trip to a state park in fourth grade! I still think about that every time I see one.
Image Source: https://bugguide.net/node/view/1642723
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Nature Activity
The great thing is that since Beetles live pretty much everywhere, I can almost guarantee that there are some who live around you! So here is a fun nature challenge for you today:
Find one Beetle. Then, spend at least a few minutes observing. What is ki doing? Where is ki going? What is ki’s movement like? How does ki spend ki’s time?
Optional: sketch/write notes in your nature journal.
Have fun!
Rebecca 🌻
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It's all about learning to deepen your connection to nature, live a life full of wonder and curiosity, and be in reciprocal relationship with this beautiful world we call home.
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