There were thousands of bees, wasps, beetles, butterflies, and other insects moving about around us.
This orange and black beetle is a goldenrod soldier beetle. I took this photo while on a short hike at Eagle Creek Park with Matt. We were hiking in a big open field that is on the east side of the park that is full of flowers in the late summer and early fall. There were thousands of bees, wasps, beetles, butterflies, and other insects moving about around us. This little beetle was making his way across some yellow flowers when I moved in to take a photo.
The scientific name for this beetle is Chauliognathus pensylvanicus. It is also known as the Pennsylvania leatherwing or the goldenrod leatherwing. It is common to North America, and it is one of the most common soldier beetles in the Midwest of the United States of America. Adults of this beetle are most often seen from July to September. They will be found in meadows, fields, and in gardens. They spend most of their time on goldenrod flowers, but they will also be seen on other flowers. These flowers are typically yellow in color and include Queen Anne’s lace, milkweed, rattlesnake master, and other late-summer flowering plants.
Goldenrod soldier beetles are easy to identify. They are about ½ inch in length. They are orange colored with black markings. The head legs, and antennae are completely black. There are also two black spots on both their thorax and wings. The shape of the wings is an inverted “V” at the base, and the wings do not fully cover the abdomen. Their common name “leatherwing” is because they have soft wing covers, or elytra. Most beetles have hard wing covers.
Take a Closer Look
When in the larvae stage, goldenrod soldier beetles are dark-colored, long, and slender. Their bodies are covered in tiny bristles which give them a velvety appearance. As larvae, they will prey on grasshopper eggs, small caterpillars, and other soft-bodied insects. As adults, they will eat pollen, nectar, small insects, caterpillars, insect eggs, and aphids.
Did you know? There is a fungus that can infect these beetles called Eryniopsis lampyridarum. This fungus causes the beetles to clamp their mandibles onto flower heads shortly before death. Upon dying, the infected beetles will expand their wings, which appears to maximize the infection of other beetles.
Their common name “leatherwing” is because they have soft wing covers, or elytra
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