Subject: Iridescent Beetle
Location: Minnesota
July 1, 2016 9:58 pm
Hi! I’ve seen a few of these cool iridescent guys eating the leaves outside our garage, and I was wondering what they are. At first I thought it was a dogbane beetle? But to my knowledge those don’t have the white spots around their body’s like this one does. He sure was chomping away though!
Signature: Natalie
Dear Natalie,
Though it is a pretty beetle, the Japanese Beetle, Popillia japonica, is an invasive, exotic species that is the scourge of gardeners who grow roses. According to BugGuide: “Larvae feed on roots of many plants. Adults feed on foliage, flowers and fruits of various plants.”