Unwelcome visitor

This is a Japanese Beetle (Popillia japonica), in case you’re unfamiliar with them — beautifully colored, with their iridescent shells offset against the flower petals’ colors.  But hell on roses (and grapes, and birch trees, and…).

Unwelcome visitor

Japanese beetles are apparently not a big problem in Japan — they have many predators that help keep their numbers under control.  But since their arrival in the U.S. early in the 20th century, they’ve been expanding their territory from their original “beachhead” in New Jersey.  Courtesy of the warming climate, they made it to Colorado a few years ago.  Luckily beetle traps are available via the internet, since local home and garden stores apparently haven’t taken notice of their arrival.  Yet.

Seen in the War Memorial Rose Garden; Littleton, Colorado.

Just waiting for breakfast to arrive

I spotted this little scene up in a tree at the Green Gulch Farm, near San Francisco, California:

Just waiting for breakfast to arrive

The spider didn’t seem to mind the soggy weather a bit. Should you find yourself in the San Francisco area (in particular, in Marin county), we’d highly recommend a stop at Green Gulch Farm. The people there are friendly, and it’s a wonderful quiet place for a stroll (even on a wet day)…

Assigned

A Red Postman Mimic takes a break on a sign at the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s Cockrell Butterfly Center:

Assigned

As natural history museums go, Houstons’ one is pretty pricey for what you get. But pricing there is a la carte, so if you’d like, you can get a ticket to just the butterfly center.