I found this beetle close to the butterfly garden the other day at the Wildscape where I volunteer. Any ideas?

It's an Eyed Click beetle. I just saw one in my yard a few weeks ago. If you search your range you can find out exactly which one it is. Mine was an eastern eyed.

Thank you Ronnie, that was quick. I had never seen it before and it looks so interesting. Is it beneficial?

Yes they actually are

Copied from a bug site "Larva are ferocious meat-eaters that dines on many other noxious wood-boring larvae, including those of wood-boring beetles."

I've seen the wood boring beetles here, they eat tree roots. Huge black thing with very scary pincers.

Yes, some of those tree bores can be very scary, and they do a lot of damage too.

Click beetles are cool. Press on his bum (lightly, don't hurt him) and he'll click loudly at you! It's actually alarming! Doesn't hurt, but great defense! They used to get in the horse feed and the grain would "click" whenever you grabbed a scoop if there was a large number of them in there.