Green June Beetle

Description:

This beetle is larger and more robust than its close relatives, the common brown May/June beetles, measuring from 3/4 to 1 inch in length and about 1/2 inch wide. The color varies from dull brown with irregular stripes of green to uniform velvet green, the margins of the body being usually light brown varying to orange yellow. The lower surface is metallic greenish or yellow, or metallic dark brown with a yellow green tint. It is sometimes mistaken for the Japanese beetle, which is smaller (1/2 inch long) with brown wing covers margined with green. The larva is a typical white grub with a brown head and three pairs of short legs, but it is not as often found curled into a C-shape as are most white grubs. They are about 2 inches long when mature. The beetles injure fruits of many kinds, including grapes, peaches, raspberry, blackberry, apple, pear, quince, plum, prune, apricot, and nectarine, and frequently feed as well on the sap of oak, maple, and other trees, and on the growing ears of com. They are attracted to ripe (especially overripe) fruits. The larvae feed on decaying organic matter in the soil or in well-rotted manure or compost piles.

Habitat:

Near woodlands, suburban habitats with lawns.

Notes:

A cat caught this but I was able to get the beetle before it was hurt, and it was released back into the wild. I like these beetles a lot!