Eco-photos of the week: July 5-11

Forests in America's West are quickly turning red and crumbling, all thanks to a beetle no bigger than a grain of rice. The rampant spread of pine bark beetles is alarming, but Jim Robbins reminds us this week in Science Times that they're still native insects in a native host, acting out a millennia-old ecological drama. Pine beetles are a key part of the Western forest ecosystems, and they only attack older trees, culling them so younger, more diverse saplings can sprout — effectively a living wildfire. (Text from The Daily Briefing)