dogbane beetle (Chrysochus auratus) at Decorah Prairie IA 653A7956
Bugs don't get much more beautiful than this bright shiny dogbane beetle! It's scientific name means "made of gold" and depending on the angle of view I guess you could say that's true. It's favorite food is a plant called dogbane, a cousin to milkweed that is poisonous to dogs, people and most other living things that would eat its leaves. However, dogbane beetles can eat dogbane leaves and sap without getting hurt, storing the toxins in special glands to hurt any potential predator stupid enough to try and eat them. So you can typically see these dazzling beetles sitting right out in plain sight during the summer season. Their larvae feed on dogbane roots so they contain the same dangerous chemicals too.
dogbane beetle (Chrysochus auratus) at Decorah Prairie IA 653A7956
Bugs don't get much more beautiful than this bright shiny dogbane beetle! It's scientific name means "made of gold" and depending on the angle of view I guess you could say that's true. It's favorite food is a plant called dogbane, a cousin to milkweed that is poisonous to dogs, people and most other living things that would eat its leaves. However, dogbane beetles can eat dogbane leaves and sap without getting hurt, storing the toxins in special glands to hurt any potential predator stupid enough to try and eat them. So you can typically see these dazzling beetles sitting right out in plain sight during the summer season. Their larvae feed on dogbane roots so they contain the same dangerous chemicals too.