Milkweed Metropolis!

The Leatherwing displays his handsomely marked
hardened forewings, which gives him his name.  In Latin
his name is Chauliognathus marginatus.  

Many thanks to bugguide.net for identifying the beetles and the flies for me--and so quickly, too!


 A Margined Leatherwing (one of the Soldier Beetles), enjoys the nectar and pollen of Common Milkweed.  

 Here he displays his dark, membraneous
hind wings.  Hardened forewings
plus membraneous hindwings help
to distinguish beetles from other insects.

5-8 visible abdominal segments are another
characteristic of beetles.

Tachinid flies of the tribe Dexiini also enjoy the nectar of milkweed flowers.   




Tachinids lay eggs on other insects.  


Their larvae hatch and feed first on non-essential tissues, keeping the host alive while the larvae grow;  but ultimately they kill their host.  This practice gives Tachinids the name "parasitoids," not "parasites."  Parasites feed on their hosts without killing them.  

These red-eyed Dexiinids are slurping up nectar--but they may also be keeping an eye out for scarab or long-horned beetles--their preferred nursery hosts.   

These tiny iridescent green beetles are (per bugguide.net) in the genus Agrilus in the Buprestid (Metallic Wood-boring Beetle) family.   

 They are called "Jewel Beetles" or "Flat-head Borers."  Though dead wood is a preferred food, some also dine on broad-leaved plants.  "Flat-head" is a good name for them.  The head-and-thorax appear blocky, especially compared to the elongated, tapering abdomen.

   

Photos by Margy Stewart, Creek Field Riparian Buffer, June 7, 2018