Rosalia funebris

Also known as the "Banded Alder Borer" or "Banded Alder Beetle", this impressive bug is mostly harmless. It doesn't bite and is attracted to fresh paint on a hot day. Which explains why I saw it when I did: we have been in a hot spell, and the apartments nearest the sighting have just been re-stuccoed and repainted. The bug was hanging out on a telephone pole on the sidewalk adjacent to the building. [Click to see my photo]

While the Banded Alder Beetle is native to Canada, it is very similar to an invasive pest which eats hardwood, the Asian Longhorn Beetle. CIFA actually inspects imported wood packing from Asia to keep these destructive beetles (with no known natural predators) out of our country.

The title link is to an article at Cornell University about how they came to add a "notable specimen" of Rosalia funebris to their collection; it also gives a good background on the bug. Further research led me to learn that Rosalia funebris is commonly found "West of the Rockies from Alaska to Southern California" (and according to some reports, also New Mexico).

Very exciting for a bug-geek like me. Perhaps I missed my calling as an entomologist. It probably also explains my attraction to the Gil Grissom character on CSI who is an expert in forensic entomology.