"The locust borer beetle is native to North America. It attacks only black locust trees of the genus Robinia, which originally grew only in the Allegheny and Ozark mountain regions. Due to its ability to thrive in poor soils, the black locust has been widely used as a shade tree and in reclaiming land damaged by farming and strip mining. The locust borer beetle has extended its range as a result. It is now found over most of the U.S. and southern Canada. This is one magnificent insect - about 1" long, stately and impressive. I'd never seen one before I stumbled across this guy. The whole time I was shooting, I was saying, "What the hell is this thing!? What a COOL bug!" (Yes, I frequently talk to myself and my subjects when photographing them. Passersby must think me crazy).
Locust borer larvae tunnel into a tree's trunk and branches, weakening the tree and making it susceptible to wind breakage. The damage from borer tunneling and wind breakage often results in deformed trees or clumps of sprout growth."
