#bark beetles

[crreature]

Bark beetle patterns (sources: 1, 2, 3, 4)

Adult bark beetles, of which there are several species, drill into trees and lay eggs in a tunnel underneath the bark. Hatched larvae chew through the wood away from the first tunnel, often avoiding each other using sensory cues. The result is beautiful, branching patterns of tunnels beneath the bark.

[your-local-martin-martinaise]

So I found this stick in my mom's yard and I need this tattoo immediately

[concretecritter]

Scolytinae Gallery (2024. top two images digital. Bottom two charcoal pastel and ink on cut paper, 11”x11” SOLD)

Yknow when you find a stick that has all those wiggly little trails chewed into it by beetles? That’s what I was looking at for these. Scolytinae (bark beetles) lay their eggs in the phloem of the tree, then hatch out and eat the living tissues beneath the bark. This usually kills the tree.

While I was working on this design, my partner told me that the marks they leave behind in the wood are called “galleries.” I thought that was nice. These beetles are considered pests, but just the act of sustaining themselves leaves something beautiful behind.

The top two illustrations were drawn in Procreate with the rotational symmetry tool. Then the design was put into Cricut design space and cut out on toned printmaking paper. I decreased the size incrementally and staggered it in layers to create depth. Charcoal pastels and vine charcoal were used for the shading. This piece was sold at auction to benefit the National Champion Tree Program, which measures and documents the largest trees in the United States (my partner runs it, go look at his beautiful tree website. You can nominate a big tree to be a champion!)

[briery]

Beetle Gallery This gallery has been carved into the tree’s phloem, or inner bark, by a bark beetle. Some species of beetles carve a specific pattern, while others carve random grooves. The galleries are often beautiful but beetle attacks are deadly.

[bowelflies]

why yes i would like a bark beetle identification training app, how did you know?

[i-carrion-icarian]

Bark beetle galleries in Tualatin Hills Nature Park, Oregon.

[cnestus]

💀

there are several genera of bark beetle that naturally have big weird pits in their face, but the genus Hylocurus really takes the cake when it comes to big weird face holes

[cnestus]

really helps you appreciate the diversity of bark beetles when just a single trap run for a week in a not particularly forested area nets at least 23 species just based on gestalt sorting