Sometimes What Glitters is Gold

Incredibly Stunning Golden Tortoise Beetles Here in Udon Thani

A few months ago I never knew these amazing pieces of nature existed. Then on Christmas Day 2020, I awoke to find a Spotted Tortoise Beetle sitting happily on our bedroom balcony railing.

It was stunning to see, with its transparent shell and distinctive black, yellow and white colouring. Research led me to discover the whole species of tortoise beetles (or Charidotella sexpunctata) and their amazing kaleidoscope styles and colour schemes. Nature was clearly at her most creative when she evolved tortoise beetles — it was also a very special Christmas surprise at the end of a difficult year.

Golden Tortoise Beetles – Little Flying Gold Nuggets

My Spotted Tortoise Beetle stayed with us for several minutes before flying off to munch on the leaves of a nearby bush. Shortly afterwards, in the summer of 2021 as we awaited the first rains of the year, I saw a flying gold nugget — at least that was what it looked like to me. The shiny, gold metallic brightness was unmissable even from 20m away.

Mystified, I wandered out into the garden to discover my first Golden Tortoise Beetle. An even more beautiful and stunning species than its spotted cousin: the same transparent shell, the same funny legs extending out, but this one has a brilliant gold colouring with deep red splashes. I tried to take a photograph but its reflectivity was so intense that it crashed the camera on my iPhone.

Golden Nuggets Every Day

Rather like my Spotted Tortoise Beetle, I thought my encounter with a Golden Tortoise Beetle was just another lucky one-off chance encounter. After never seeing one in 50 years, to see two in six months was quite something. However, a few days later we were visited by another adult Golden Tortoise Beetle, which flew through an open door and settled right down on our sofa, between my son Eugene and I. Showing no fear at all, he seemed quite comfortable walking on our hands before finally flying off.

Incidentally, they do change colour from bright gold to a dark red depending on their mood, hydration levels and age — how they do this is, apparently, still a mystery.

Tortoise Beetles: Strange Larva, Beautiful Bugs

Now we see Golden Tortoise Beetles every day — and often several at once, ascending our living room window or walking upside-down, spiderman-style, on the inside of our veranda roof, sending flashes of brilliant gold as they fly from leaf to leaf around our morning glory tree.

We now understand they will be with us for only a short period of time, as they are dormant during the winter months. We have enjoyed learning about these bugs and watching them through their entire lifecycle. Typically, mating begins in spring, after which the female lays multiple eggs on the underside of a shaded leaf.

The beetles are first born as larva after about 10 days, looking quite frightening compared to their adult forms. Initially they stay clumped together, and the mother beetle returns regularly to feed them. They then go through nine different larval stages before emerging as full adults about 40 days after birth — each stage seeming weirder than the previous.

At which point they mainly spend their days eating leaves before entering their dormant stage in winter — and they do eat a lot. A single beetle seems able to eat a fair chunk out of a morning glory tree leaf.

Whilst we worry about our morning glory trees, which are seemingly their absolute favourite food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, we are excited to have these amazing bugs with us at Nakara Villas and Glamping. Rather like their red ladybird cousins, they seem so friendly, happy and curious — joyous to see, and it is still incredible to spot the flashes of gold as they fly around our garden.