Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A Cottonwood Borer beetle (Plectrodera scalator) climbs on a small Black Willow tree (Salix nigra) at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center, in Houston, TX, USA. These are among the largest beetles in North America.
The larvae burrow from the trunk into the roots of Poplars (Populus sp.), Willows (Salix sp.), and Sycamores (Platanus sp.), and emerge after up to 2 years. This adult might be just exploring and eating young leaves and shoots before later in the summer searching for a suitable mate and host tree to start the next generation.
A Cottonwood Borer beetle (Plectrodera scalator) climbs on a small Black Willow tree (Salix nigra) at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center, in Houston, TX, USA. These are among the largest beetles in North America.
The larvae burrow from the trunk into the roots of Poplars (Populus sp.), Willows (Salix sp.), and Sycamores (Platanus sp.), and emerge after up to 2 years. This adult might be just exploring and eating young leaves and shoots before later in the summer searching for a suitable mate and host tree to start the next generation.
