Time for a weevil
I’ve always had somewhat of a soft spot for the weevils that are common here around Seattle. Sure, they are pests - but up close they kind of look like little dogs.
I have seen these a number of times around here but interestingly in many of the cases the weevils were dead. This one was alive and moving around - probably having a good meal too.
In general, many species of weevils are pests. I am not sure what species this is, but from my books it looks somewhat like Calomycterus setarius - the imported long-horned weevil. These weevils invaded us from Japan and have caused havoc with soy crops since.
They don’t move very quickly, so it isn’t that difficult to get a good shot of one. I tried taking some more artistic shots but it wouldn’t get in a good spot. This is the closest I got.
I tried lowering the camera angle but was unable to get a good shot off. It stayed more in the center of the leaf which made it more difficult. I also noticed that it moved to the underside of the leaf - probably to escape the brightness of my flash!
So yes, they are most likely pests, but I still think they look cool…
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Tags: macro, pest, photography, weevil