I'm in the middle of a raft of deadline projects, so my walking schedule is off. Still, there's always a bit of time to visit the nearby blossoms of the Lace-cap Hydrangea bushes and examine them for the comings and goings of the stars of the show: the Long-horned Beetles that are doting on the pollen banquet. I've enjoyed making the acquaintances of at least a half-dozen members of the Beetle family Cerambycidae, and in learning the identities of the visitors, I've worn a steady path to the appropriate spot in Art Evans's Beetles of Eastern North America. Today, on center stage, is Clytus ruricola, "black and boldly marked with yellow bands and spots," according to Art. C. ruricola spends its youth inside trees, "especially maple," where the "legless larvae develop in decaying hardwoods." Come summer, the adults are in their glory. I'm happy to provide them a feast, and, for the eyes and camera at least, C. ruricola certainly returns the favor.