Hi, my name is Dr. Dan Duran and I'm an evolutionary biologist and entomologist at Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA) and I need your help finding "Desmond," an Elderberry Longhorn Beetle, formally known as *Desmocerus palliatus!*
This *beautiful* beetle species used to live throughout a large part of eastern North America but in recent decades it appears as if it has declined in numbers. We need your help to figure out if and why this might be true and how we can help them move back into areas they once lived.
The Elderberry Longhorn Beetle is easy to spot with its bold patterns of blue and gold and long antennae. It's so attractive, in fact, that it was chosen for a USPS stamp design in 1999! I can't promise you'll find one, but if you keep an eye out, you might have a chance at seeing one of these impressive creatures. They come out at different times in different places, but June is often a good time to see them.