A dazzling cactus and beetle!

Nipple cactus (Mammillaria sp.)?

Yesterday morning, James mowed a neighbor's lot. Before he started, he stuck his head in the house and hollered. "Hey, Sheryl, come see this cool cactus!" So I ran outside and looked. Oh, my goodness, the cactus WAS awesome! I think it's a nipple cactus. While I was pulling away some burclover from the cactus, a black beetle scurried away. Then a STUNNING beetle appeared, too... It took some doing, but James managed to get the beetle to cling to a stick so I could shoot some pictures. That beetle could run FAST through the grass!

Fiery searcher (Calosoma scrutator)

This morning, I posted an image to Bugguide.net and got an ID: fiery searcher (Calosoma scrutator), also called caterpillar hunter. Texas entomologist Mike Quinn has a page on the species, too. 

On Bugguide.net, remarks on the species page note, "One of the most beautiful North American beetles." I agree!