June

Green June Beetle

Insect

These beetles will abandon their current meal when they see their neighbors dining on something different.

63

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The adult Tansy beetle is approximately 10mm long with a bright iridescent green coloration. The female Tansy beetle is generally larger than the male. The elytra show marked pitting which is also present, though less pronounced, on the thorax. Tansy beetles (Chrysolina graminis) are specialist herbivores

(plant-eating) mainly eating Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), a perennial herb, and complete their entire life cycle on and around the plant, beside riverbanks or in wetlands. Adult Tansy beetles are active around the tops of Tansy plants from April until June where they feed, mate, and lay eggs. They will be most obvious on warm, sunny days, and the female Tansy beetle is generally larger–bodied than the male. The eggs hatch between May and July into Larvae, which feed hungrily on Tansy leaves. The larvae eventually burrow underground at the base of the tansy plants the pupae hatch in mid-July and can be seen on Tansy plants until September. They burrow underground and spend the winter there until emerging as adults in April.

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