At first glance, the milkweed leaf beetle looks like a ladybug on steroids. After that cursory look, you can appreciate that it has a more dome-like abdomen, larger antennae, and is missing the white dots on the side of the thorax. Although the spots are highly variable, they tend to be less “dotty” than a ladybug and are more symmetrically “blotched.” How about that for a non-scientific description? The elytra (hardened forewings which cover the more fragile hindwings used for flight) are highly dimpled. Oh no, that sounded like science again for a second.
Like monarch butterflies, milkweed bugs, and red milkweed beetles that feed on plants in the milkweed family, they are toxic. Similar to the other insects that use the milkweeds as a host, these handsome beetles warn of their toxicity with bright orange and black colors. I found this specimen on a swamp milkweed we have growing our garden.
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