Buprestidae - metallic wood boring beetles

Here's a little splash of beetle color to compliment the previous butterfly post:

Lampetis drummondi - one of 308 species of Buprestids found in Texas.

This particular individual was downstream from Green Gulch, well up the road to the Chisos Basin. Several of its kin were present on junipers and just about every other tree/shrub along the stretch we walked. Perhaps Wednesday was Buprestid day at the park.

Bright blue legs don't seem like the best camouflage, but with a back like that...

I wonder how they perceive the view - even if hiding from the camera in the shade.

Skittish, yes. But what a lovely underside of pale flecking.

None of these photos do the eyes justice. The iridescence is similar to that of opal; if opal were a dark blue/black and on the face of a wood boring beetle.

This was our first encounter of the gorgeous wood-boring kind; we regularly see opuntia borers while walking the dogs. We pause and let them cross the street, and move on until there's more traffic - usually dung beetles. This year has been pretty crowded on the streets of Marathon... thank goodness for the rain!