This "gold bug" is a Buprestid beetle
This isn't the "gold bug" from the Edgar Allan Poe story, but it will do until the real thing comes along. I believe it's a Buprestid Beetle aka Metallic Wood-boring Beetle (Buprestidae, Coleoptera). It's probably a Spotted Flower Buprestid in the genus Acmaeodera, and just maybe species Acmaeodera hepburnii. There are many different kinds, so I'll leave it at that. It's on a a stem of Canyon Lupine aka Broadleaf Lupine (Lupinus latifolius, Fabaceae) in the woods today. HBBBT! (San Marcos Pass, 26 June 2025)
This "gold bug" is a Buprestid beetle
This isn't the "gold bug" from the Edgar Allan Poe story, but it will do until the real thing comes along. I believe it's a Buprestid Beetle aka Metallic Wood-boring Beetle (Buprestidae, Coleoptera). It's probably a Spotted Flower Buprestid in the genus Acmaeodera, and just maybe species Acmaeodera hepburnii. There are many different kinds, so I'll leave it at that. It's on a a stem of Canyon Lupine aka Broadleaf Lupine (Lupinus latifolius, Fabaceae) in the woods today. HBBBT! (San Marcos Pass, 26 June 2025)