The Gorey Beetle Casts a Long Shadow

Gorey Beetle 2013, No. 1

Ironclad Beetle 2012, No. 2

Gorey Beetle 2011, #1

The first Gorey Beetle sighting of 2011; found under the Human Head Container by the archway. Now I guess I better explain about that Human Head Container, too, or the law might show up at the door with questions.

Gorey Beetle 2010: #3

I found this little ironclad beetle in the gravel path between house and car; thought for once that I'd found one that really was really dead, as opposed to just playing dead. Brought it in, thinking to keep its little bod if really dead, but it was not; returned it to the outdoors, into the woodpile. They like it there.

Never seen one with such a mod, almost-paisley pattern!

Gorey Beetle 2010: #2

This little guy was trapped on the kitchen screen, going around and around the edge because it could not or did not want to step onto the aluminum frame (though how did he get there?). When I went out to help, my hand drawing near caused it to pull in its legs, as they do to feign death, thereby causing it to fall off and into the plants below.

Gorey Beetle 2010

The first sighting of the year of the Gorey Beetle, otherwise known as an ironclad beetle. There he was, just right in my very own back yard.

Click here to see all the Gorey Beetles I've seen since starting this blog!

A Treasure Trove of Ironclad Beetles in the Woodpile!

Or Gorey beetles, as I like to call them. I found five of them today! As many in one day as I have seen in five years! I was cleaning up the woodpile and kept coming across them hiding among the logs. It was sort of like finding Easter eggs, only much better. 

I thought the first two were mere carcasses and moved them over to the hood of the car to save them; but after finding the third one I began to wonder if maybe they just play possum. So I moved them all back to the woodpile after I was done. 

The Gorey Beetle 2008, #2

Found crossing the back porch this evening around 6 or 7

The Gorey Beetle, 2008

The first ironclad beetle of 2008! Unofficially known in these parts as the Gorey beetle, and also as My Very Special Spotted Bug. I recognized him this morning even though I was inside looking at his underneath as he crawled across the kitchen window screen. Possibly my very favorite bug ever, if it's possible that I can pick just one out of the millions.


To see the 2007 Gorey beetle, click here.

For two 2006 Gorey beetles and one 2005 Gorey beetle, click here.

It's so easy to think that they are all exactly the same until you really look at each one. I had a similar reaction to my toad photos earlier; I would have said that I know what a toad looks like, but I hadn't really ever noticed some things before, such as those ridges around the eyes and the extremely bumpy skin on its legs and how very gorgeous its eyes are, and how its inner eyelid (or the outer part of its eye?) is sort of green. Who knew?

The Gorey Beetle, 2007

Or, This Year's Model

I am intrigued by the scratchy bits on his head region. Are they scratches, or just part of the pattern? Compare him to 2005 and '06 models.

With his legs out

The Gorey Beetle

First seen and documented last year on the steps; last night we found him on the patio.

Later that evening: I just had the brilliant idea of digging up last year's photo to match up the dots. If they match exactly, is it the very same beetle, or do all of them have exactly the same pattern?

6.24.06: Finally, I've found the file of last year's bug, and he's not exactly the same. Also, just after composing an email query about him to What's That Bug? in which I stated that I've only ever seen these two, that very evening upon arriving home the first thing I saw was yet another (below), with a rather different zipper-style down his back. Very interesting!