FOOD: Plants - all parts, other insects,
caterpillars, dead animals,
dung
PREDATORS: Birds, small mammals
HABITAT: Forest floors, plants, trees
DESCRIPTION
Beetles are the largest groups of insects. There
are over 360,000 kinds of beetles!
Beetles are neatly packaged. They have two pairs of
wings. The back pair is for flying and is tucked inside the hard front wings which seem
almost like a shell.
Beetles come in a wide variety of sizes and
colors. Our familiar friend the ladybug is a beetle.
Beetles can be very destructive to plants. The
southern pine beetle, which can be found in the southern part of the Appalachian Trail
region, can destroy acres of mature pine trees.
North America
