A Pair of Cooperative Insects

I made a wrong decision today when I decided to put my zoom lens on my camera when I went for a walk in the woods. I found a cool bug, and with a zoom lens, no ring flash, and dark woods I didn't end up with good pictures of it. But I am going to share them anyway because it was a really cool bug, and it was even cooperative. It should be rewarded.

Backyard Co-Bug of the Day #1:

Beetle. Maybe some kind of scarab? Very pretty, and about half an inch long.

 

And there was one other bug that was really cooperative today, even though that is not the usual behavior of its species, so here is Backyard Co-Bug of the Day #2:

Cricket. On the side of the house when I went out to get the mail. Crickets of all kinds frequent the rock garden, but the rarely sit still to have their picture taken. This is a pretty large species of cricket.