Cool Sighting: Six Spotted Tiger Beetle

One of the delights of working in the vineyard is seeing the various and interesting forms of life. This iridescent green beetle did not escape even my poor eyesight and it remained still enough for me to take several photos. This is called a six spotted tiger beetle (Cicindela sexguttata)) and is about half and inch long.
Six-spotted tiger beetles live in loamy and sandy soils in eastern hardwood forests and are occasionally found in open pine forests. Adults are primarily active in the spring from April to early July.
This beetle is one of the good guys because it eats small insects, spiders, and other arthropods. Favorite foods include other beetles, springtails, sawflies, caterpillars, flies, ants, and grasshoppers. To avoid predators this insect relies on its speed, agility, and ability to secrete a noxious chemical. This noxious chemical has been identified as benzaldehyde, a highly volitle aldehyde that diffuses readily into the surrounding air. It is a non-specific irritant.

Reference:
1. Hays, Cummins, Cicindela sexguttata.
2. Nature's Notebook, Cicindela sexguttata.
3. Jason P. Schmidt, Cicindelidae of Colorado.