While splitting nearly a cord of firewood today, with camera and collecting jar nearby, I saw only a few ants for the first two hours. Then, finally, on splitting a large round of Ponderosa Pine, a nice Cerambycid beetle emerged. It was unhurt, and was fast enough that I quickly grabbed my jelly jar rather than my camera. Some of the beetles are so fast, it's almost impossible to get a well-focused shot. I brought the beetle to my dining room and used the jar lid as a temporary studio. The beetle played 'possum, but I saw a few twitches and knew he was alive.
I then flipped him over for some action photos. He was still insulted and didn't really feel like walking, but I at least got some close-ups.
I believe it's the Hairy Pine Borer. Not a very large beetle as the Pine Borers go, but still interesting and providing a bit of amusement after all that hard work. I'll be splitting more tomorrow and hoping to see some of the more exotic residents of my wood pile.
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