Dogbane Beetles

Unrequited love.  I’ve been in love with Dogbane beetles (Chrysochus auratus) from almost day one of my macro addiction.

Perhaps you can see why.

Shiny. Metallic. Multi-colored. Color changes depending on angle. About as drop-dead gorgeous as a beetle gets.

Sigh… 😍

Fairly sure they could care less that I adore them, though.  They go about their business eating & sleeping — while I take their photos & ohhh & ahhh over them.

So be it. Their indifference doesn’t dampen my love for them, so I eagerly await their arrival each year on the Dogbane plants they eat.

Dogbane (Apocynum) contains toxic compounds, so these beetles are not only impervious to my adoration, but are also highly toxic from ingesting those compounds, which means they’re also fairly impervious to predators.

Probably contributes to their “I don’t care” attitude to not only be stunningly beautiful, but also terribly toxic.

They’re in the 8-13 mm range, can be numerous on stands of Dogbane, & are present in most of the U.S. & a chunk of southern Canada, so keep your eye out for them this summer if you’re in those areas. And, if you’ve already seen them, I bet you’ve got the same unrequited love for them that I do.

Best of luck with that. 😉

Virginia, USA. Photos taken of wild critters where I find them. No posing, pestering, or baiting, & aiming to leave no trace. Corrections welcome to my critter IDs. Olympus EM1 Mark II, M.Zuiko ED 60mm f2.8 Macro, Fenix Headlamp & Focusing Lights, Godox TT350o Flash. DIY Diffuser. Handheld.