Subject: Beetle ID
Geographic location of the bug: Frost Mountain, Kittitas County,WA
Date: 08/01/2019
Time: 02:03 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: My wife photographed this beetle while we were camped at Frost Mountain, WA, 7/29/19. It’s back appears to be a leaf, but it looks like it’s actually a part of it’s body. What is it and is the “leaf” a real leaf that the beetle attached to itself or is it something the beetle was born with?
How you want your letter signed: Kevin Rust
Dear Kevin,
This is a beautiful Beetle, and it is all Beetle with no leaf. We started by searching for Flower Longhorns in the subfamily Lepturinae, but without much luck. Then we found a thumbnail on Hiveminer that led us to this FlickR posting of Pachyta armata. BugGuide has many images, but not much information. iNaturalist also has images, and not much information, but sightings apparently peak in July/August.