Aster World, Part 2: True Bugs

 True Bugs were also part of Aster World.   

It was a surprise to find these red and black bugs--Small Milkweed Bugs--on the asters in our backyard, because they normally feed on milkweeds, as their name implies.    But researchers have recently documented these guys feeding on flowers in the Aster Family--as they are doing here:

Small Milkweed Bugs (Lygaeus kalmii) feeding on Hairy Asters

(Symphyotrichum pilosum) October 17-19, 2021

The Helmeted Squash Bug (Euthochtha galeator) also showed up.  (S)he is one of the "leaf-footed bugs"--so named for the leaf-like enlargement of the hind femur.

I love that particular feature!   Together with the tasteful mottling and the understated two-toned antennae, that femur-flare makes this one classy bug.