Oncopeltus fasciatus (Large Milkweed Bug)

Oncopeltus fasciatus (Large Milkweed Bug) nymphs

There are only a few fading flowers left on the Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed) in our yard and there are masses of gossamer bejeweled seeds. While taking the previous post’s picture of a butterfly I noticed masses of these nymphs of the large milkweed bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus). Like many insects that feed on milkweed, they are colored orange, telling would-be predators, “don’t eat me, I don’t taste very good.”