ctlady wrote:
This morning while I was hoeing my garden, a beetle type insect came
out of the soil the likes of which I've never seen. It was about 5/8'
- 3/4" long, a two-sectioned body, and the color all over was a bright
limey, chartreuse green, very shiny. No other color. Can anybody
I.D. it from this brief description? I'm in northwestern Connecticut.

Sure sounds like a Japanese beetle:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_beetle

Right now is about when they first emerge in your area.