who is this guy....

[Guy_on_Clinton]

spent some time in the yard this weekend....  saw this little guy.... anyone know if he's bad for the plants, lawn, etc? if so, how do i get rid of him and his friends....   

[OakParkSpartan]

Looks like a japanese beetle.  They are the critters responsible for grubs...

[ljp]

They will destroy roses and pole beans.

[buzz]

Looks like a japanese beetle.  They are the critters responsible for grubs...

Yep.

[tgoddess]

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/pubs/pub_phjbeetle04.pdf

[BRoWN]

Well that PDF settles it. lol.  Its grub hunting season.

[Guy_on_Clinton]

yep.....i knew you guys would find it...  off to get some grub ex... to bad i didnt have before todays rain... now i'll have to spread the the grubx and re-water....

[BRoWN]

Might want to just spoon them into box and get them off the property. Find them under the discolored spots on the lawn.

[buzz]

Also, use a dirt devil hand vac to get the adults!  Honest.  My brother-in-law found 100's of them on his shrub magnolia.
Instead of hand-picking them he grabbed the re-chargeable hand vac from the garage and gently vacuumed them off the leaves.  It really cut down on the adult population.
He even vacuums up the ants when they start the annual invasion.

[Nazerac]

and here's another fun critter.  I couldn't find it neither here http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/Search-PestsDiseases nor here http://cgdahlias.com/Dahlia_Pest_Control.pdf ... but it really likes my dahlias !

[buzz]

Actually you're showing different beetles.  Your top photo "Culprit" mid-page and to the left has a "cross pattern" on it's back.  But there's one in the photo below, bottom center,  that has a striped back.
It's probably one of these.

Bean leaf beetle             Cerotoma trifurcata    Adult 1/4 in.
Striped cucumber beetle  Acalymma vittata       Adult 1/4 in.
 
Rotenone kills em'.

[Nazerac]

Thanks Buzz,

These critters did a lot of damage this year.

[buzz]

Are you, or did you, grow any veggies like beans, cukes, sprouts or squash ?  That's what they normally eat.
My book says they over winter in plant debris and weeds.

[Nazerac]

Hyacinth beans (do they count?) and tomatoes in previous year.  Though this year, I grew some cukes on the side of the garage.  The neighbour however, does grow cucumbers every year.  However, for whatever reason, they're not touching the cucumbers yet.

[buzz]

Probably came in with some soil or mulch.
Glad I don't have them.  Good luck.