first red milkweed beetle (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus) sighting of the year! a very exciting day indeed!!! i am very normal about these insects!
okay SO, the red milkweed beetle emerges in late spring to early summer. they feed on the the plant, similarly to the monarch, and i think this is a good example of why conservation efforts focus on one usually attractive species. "plant milkweed to save the monarchs!" but this milkweed is home to these beetles and feeds countless other insects.
also similarly to the monarch, the toxins from the milkweed make the red milkweed beetle poisonous. because of this and their bright colour, they essentially have no natural predators. thit meant that they can laze on their leaves and spend their days fucking reproducing.
in the fall, they lay their eggs in the soil and their larvae will feed on the roots of the milkweed plant once it has hatched, through pupation, and until it emerges in the summer.
the latin name, Tetraopes tetrophthalmus, translates to four eyes four eyes, which comes from the way that their antennae bisect the eye giving them an upper and lower eye. i think this is neat.
:)
a good day to see more Tetraopes tetrophthalmus :)
some more from this week :)
