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Margined Soldier Beetle on Flower
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Soldier beetles can be common in crops, especially corn and alfalfa, but they do not feed on either of these crops or soybeans. These beetles are known as leather wings in some regions of the U.S. and they somewhat resemble lightning bugs or fireflies, but they lack the light-producing organ on the abdomen and the head is not tucked under the pronotum. The head, pronotum and wing covers are a mixed color of black and orange. The adults are common on blooming plants including goldenrod, milkweed and sweet clover. There they eat pollen, nectar and small insects. The larvae feed on grasshopper eggs, small caterpillars and other soft-bodied insects. It is not known whether or not they will eat soybean aphids.
While soldier beetles have developed body toxins that make them unpalatable to birds and small mammals, they often fall victim to crab spiders that lie in wait on the flowers they visit. The lifeless shells of soldier beetles, their life fluids sucked dry by spiders, cling to many a prairie wildflower, bearing witness to this peril.
Picture taken in a field by my home |
crs, jconceicao has marked this note useful
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- crs
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(2513) - [2008-09-20 11:28]
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Hello Kris,
You have made a fine close up of this insect with a well chosen DOD keeping the whole insect in focus. there are good details well shown and nicely rendered colors.
Thank you for sharing,
Cristian
Hello Kris,
Fantastic close up.
Beautiful colours with excellent light.
Grat composition.
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