Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle and Blue Elderberry Original Painting

Desmocerus californicus dimorphus and Sambucus cerulea

Acrylic on watercolor paper, 2013

11 x 11″; framed

The valley elderberry longhorn beetle (VELB) is an endangered insect endemic to California’s Central Valley; its host plant is the elderberry. The bright-red males and metallic-green females can be seen on elderberry branches along riverbanks, where they will mate and lay their eggs. The VELB’s habitat has been threatened by the development of land in the Central Valley, both from agriculture and from urbanization, but efforts to study these insects and preserve their habitat are ongoing. This painting is one in a series of insects and host plants.