Banded Alder Borer

If you're out walking and hear a hissing sound (much like air being let out of a bike tire), it migh've come from a banded alder borer (Rosalia funebris). The wing casings and antennae of this striking beetle are dark with white bands, making them a hard-to-miss insect. They are found in the spring and summer on the bark of alder trees in Sausal Creek where they lay their eggs in bark crevices or on the petals of the flowers they consume.