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Green gold speckled metallic bug
This little guy caught a ride halfway across Nebraska on the outside mirror of our truck a couple of days ago. We made a couple of stops and I had kind of forgotten about him, but I glanced out later, and there he was – clinging to the mirror with all six(?) legs, his feelers blowing in the 75 MPH breeze. We can’t find anything like him on the web – can you help? Love you site, by the way. And I finally found out what it was that I had collected years ago at my parents house in central Nebraska. I found a little roundish beetle-like bug dead on the ground. He had green metallic wing covers and a gold metallic shield-shaped head covering with a shiny black horn curling up over his back. A rainbow scarab! The pictures on your site were a spitting image. Thanks!
Bill Richman
Lincoln, Nebraska

Hi Bill,
We are very excited to post your little hitch-hiker. This is a Metallic Wood Boring Beetle, and we believe it is Buprestis confluenta, a new species for our site. Metallic Wood Boring Beetles are much prized by collectors for their beauty. They are also called Jewel Beetles and Flat Headed Borers. It is wonderful that your photo, thanks to the mirror, shows both the dorsal and ventral views.

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