Japanese beetle

Japanese beetleOrder Coleoptera
Family Scaribaeidae (scarab beetles)

The Japanese Beetle has been a familiar and widespread pest in the U.S. since its accidental introduction around 1916. Its body and legs are bright metallic green; the elytra (wing coverings) are brown or reddish orange. Larvae feed underground on roots; adults eat foliage, leaves, and fruits of more than 200 kinds of plants. Careful use of parasitic wasps has reduced its numbers in some areas.

1.    Start by drawing the elytra (hard fore wings) and scutellum.

2.    Add the pronotum, head, and eyes.

3.    Carefully draw the front legs…

4.    …then the middle legs…

5.    …and finally the rear legs. Add lines to the elytra.

6.    Finish by adding shading, or, if you have colored pencils, by coloring the beetle dark green with shiny highlights, except for the elytra, which are reddish brown.