Growing & Crawling what’s that shiny thing? By janet douberly The Golden Tortoise Beetle is a North American native insect that likes to hang out and feed on plants in the convolvulaceae family (think Morning Glories and Sweet Potatoes). True to their name, Golden Tortoise Beetles often look like glittering gold flecks of paint. Measuring 5-7mm in length, these tiny treasures are technically a pest but very rarely show up in numbers high enough to do any real damage.
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In our area they first start to appear in May or June and are most easily spotted when their clear shells show the metallic gold that is beneath it. But these little insects aren't always shiny, happy creatures and can change to an orange-red color when the mood strikes or when feeling a bit under the weather. A grotesquley interesting fact about these gold bugs is their "anal fork" that is only present in their larvel stage, attached to spines arising from the posterior end of their body. They have been shown to use this fork to carry around dead skin and fecal matter to use as a moveable protective shield. The
ultimate example of using what you have to survive.
Janet Douberly is a golden tortoise employee at Downtown Greens.
Since they aren't a huge nuisance or incredibly beneficial, studies on them are few and far between compared to other insects. This makes the GTB a great insect that can be enjoyed for its beauty and the disgusting trivia it provides.
front porch fredericksburg
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