If you have ever turned over a
rock or piece of wood on the ground, you may have
seen dark beetles from 1/4 to 1 inch long or more
crawl away. Some of them are solid black while other
are brown or iridescent green in color. Still others
are blue or purple.
All of these
insects have thin heads that are narrower than their
body segment (thorax). They have strong jaws and
make their living preying on other insects or, in
some cases, slugs and are generally considered
beneficial. Ground beetles rarely fly but can scurry
around quickly.
