This beauty is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle or jewel beetle (family Buprestidae). A group so-named because many of its members sport shiny, irridescent colors. Buprestis is a genus of 18 species, and thanks to the distinctive markings on the head, we are pretty confident that this is the Pink-faced Jewel Beetle. The larvae bore through the wood of dead and dying grand fir (Abies grandis), ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), while the adults are often spotted on flowers or crawling over downed timber. The active adults and their meandering flat-headed larvae range throughout western North America (California-Texas-South Dakota-Washington) and southwestern Canada.

Size: Approximately 2 cm

Photo by: Cassy Geiser on 8/18/22 in Livingston, MT