Don't Touch!
Tall thistles were in bloom along a a road, so I stopped to appreciate them and to discover what might be feeding on pollen and nectar. The thistles were new to me--a lovely light lavender. Apparently, insects found these thistles attractive as welll. Relying on form and color, I estimate that 8 species were moving among the flowers. Most numerous were blister beetles.
Blister beetles are protected by cantharidin, which they can secrete at will by flexing their leg joints. If this defensive chemical gets on your skin, it will quickly form a blister that takes weeks to heal.
Only males synthesize cantharidin, which they pass to females while mating. Females invest most of the cantharidin in their eggs, so that no insects will eat the eggs.
Blister beetles usually have very bright colors to warn predators that they have chemical defenses. Confident in their defenses, blister beetles take no heed of people, making them ideal subjects for photography. These two individuals are likely different species, and their paths just happened to cross.
Don't Touch!
Tall thistles were in bloom along a a road, so I stopped to appreciate them and to discover what might be feeding on pollen and nectar. The thistles were new to me--a lovely light lavender. Apparently, insects found these thistles attractive as welll. Relying on form and color, I estimate that 8 species were moving among the flowers. Most numerous were blister beetles.
Blister beetles are protected by cantharidin, which they can secrete at will by flexing their leg joints. If this defensive chemical gets on your skin, it will quickly form a blister that takes weeks to heal.
Only males synthesize cantharidin, which they pass to females while mating. Females invest most of the cantharidin in their eggs, so that no insects will eat the eggs.
Blister beetles usually have very bright colors to warn predators that they have chemical defenses. Confident in their defenses, blister beetles take no heed of people, making them ideal subjects for photography. These two individuals are likely different species, and their paths just happened to cross.