Found throughout the world, the varied carpet beetle is commonly found in homes. Larvae feed primarily on animal fibers like wool, feathers, fur, leather, hair, hide, dead bugs, silk, and dry pet food. While not harmful, they can be destructive. Adults feed on flower nectar and only incidentally enter homes, especially in spring, often to find a food source to lay eggs near.
Photo 1 by gustavopt, 2 by suejaggar, 3-5 by tshahan, 6 (for scale) by miskatoniq, 7 (larva) by the_knower, and 8 (larva w/dime for scale) by jbower
Left to right: either a chocolate lily or a speckled (probably the latter), a gall (I got an ID on it but idr), aster (not blooming but maybe soon?), pacific sideband, a big carpenter ant (a guard/drone), variegated trailing blackberry, beetle, dense flowered rein orchid (finally got an ID!!), ground cone (parasitic plant)
@clusterkriff submitted: Found these big babies inside a rotten log in [removed] in January of this year. Pls don’t post location. After viewing, they were placed back in their log!
These precious large-headed children are jewel beetle larvae in the family Buprestidae! Couldn’t say which species at this stage, though.