#Chauliognathus pensylvanicus

[horsebeast]

goldenrod soldier beetle, Chauliognathus pensylvanicus

[vandaliatraveler]

Some folks follow the backcountry trails to the mountain laurel when it blooms in the spring. But my heart will always follow a path straight to the common ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius), a fantastically beautiful native shrub in the Rose family that blooms in synch with mountain laurel in late May/early June. The plant produces masses of white flowers with orange centers and extravagantly-protruding stamens, reminiscent of those of our native Spiraeas, to which ninebark is closely related. This fast-growing shrub with spreading, arching branches gets its name from multiple layers of exfoliating bark, most apparent and striking when the plant sheds its beautiful, orange-yellow foliage in the fall. Finally, as you can see in the photos above, ninebark is a miraculous pollinator plant, drawing in hordes of bees, butterflies, and beetles, including the ever-gorgeous (and apparently horny) goldenrod soldier beetle (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus).

Photos from the Deckers Creek Trail in Preston County.

[alcnfr]

What I believe is a Goldenrod Soldier Beetle or Pennsylvania Leatherwing (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus) out on the Mints this afternoon.

[woozymitts]

European Paper Wasp (Polistes dominula) ♂ Spotted Cucumber Beetle (Diabrotica undecimpunctata) Great Golden Digger Wasp (Sphex ichneumoneus) Five-banded Thynnid Wasp (Myzinum quinquecinctum) Common Blue Mud-dauber Wasp (Chalybion californicum) Chrysidini sp. Four-banded Stink Bug Wasp (Bicyrtes quadrifasciatus) Megachile sp. Parallel-striped Sweat Bee (Halictus parallelus) Myzinum maculatum ♀ Archytas apicifer? Goldenrod Soldier Beetle (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus) Archytas apicifer? Common Eastern Bumble Bee (Bombus impatiens) ♀ Common Eastern Bumble Bee (Bombus impatiens) ♂ Common Eastern Bumble Bee (Bombus impatiens) ♀ Lobed Mason Wasp (Ancistrocerus antilope) Narrow-headed Marsh Fly (Helophilus fasciatus) Hawthorn Mining Bee (Andrena crataegi)? Vespula Sp.

Foaming at the mouth at the absolute biodiversity in my yard this year! We have this bush in the yard that the wasps, bees and flies are obsessed with, which is where I took most of the pictures.

I also noticed these HUGE flies which I've never seen before. Usually if you even look in the general direction of a fly it immediately takes off but these ones could not care less, I could put my hand right up to them and they didn't move until I physically touched them.

Also once again completely baffled by the people who talk about how "aggressive" and "mean" wasps are and how they constantly get stung. What are you guys doing??? None of the above species gave a single shit about me shoving my macro lens in their faces, and if it was windy I would sometimes grab the branch they were on to hold it steady and none of them even reacted.

The queen bee (which has a stinger unlike the males) also made no effort to sting me, after picking her up for a photo she actually refused to get off of my hand because she wanted to sit on me and groom her face.

We've also had lots of yellowjackets (I'm so bad at IDing them so no idea on species) approaching us recently and checking us out, flying extremely close and looking at us and then flying away. Even if I put my hand up in front of them to see if they want to land they sort of just look at it and then fly away.

Last year there were paper wasps on nests in my yard and they would stare at me warily but never sting me when I photographed them.

Also feel free to ID things on my iNaturalist or correct me on any IDs here!

[celestialmacros]

Goldenrod Soldier Beetles (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus) on other yellow flowers

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

August 27, 2022

[onebugeverysooften]

9/11/21: Goldenrod Soldier Beetle (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus)

[dendroica]

Pennsylvania Leatherwings mating (by me)

[andressa-kt]

Red sunflower and  butterfly

[onenicebugperday]

Male goldenrod soldier beetle (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus) attempting to mate with a female locust borer (Megacyllene robiniae)

Photographed in Virginia by Judy Gallagher

[adobe-outdesign]

[8/14/20] Goldenrod Soldier Beetle, Chauliognathus pensylvanicus.

A fancy little man.

[what-bug-is-this]

What Bug Is This? 51: Goldenrod Soldier Beetles

Image source: myself 

Common name(s): Goldenrod soldier beetles, Pennsylvania leatherwings

Scientific name: Chauliognathus pensylvanicus

Can it hurt me?: Nope

Can it hurt my plants?: On the contrary, they are doubly good for your plants! Firstly, they are pollinators for several species native to the United States including goldenrod and milkweed. More occasionally, they’ll feed on other small insects like aphids. Even as larvae they are predators rather than feeding on plants. Consider them a boon to your garden.

Should I kill it?: Please don’t

Anything else I should know?: Despite being beetles, they are very soft bodied insects. If you handle them, be gentle.

[horsebeast]

goldenrod soldier beetle, Chauliognathus pensylvanicus

[vandaliatraveler]

Appalachia’s Late Summer Gifts, Panel 1: warm days, cool nights, soft sunlight, surging wildflowers, sex-crazed bugs, and radiant berries.

[alcnfr]

Some of Soldier Beetle (Chauliognathus... spp), I suspect it is a  Goldenrod Soldier Beetle, AKA- Pennsylvania Leatherwing (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus) out on the Strawberry bushes this morning.

[myrachidh]

Goldenrod Soldier Beetle ~ Pennsylvania leatherwing ~ Chauliognathus pensylvanicus ~ La Cantharide de Pennsylvanie ~ Grand cantharide jaune ~ my yard in Sparta, New Jersey #Beetle #Scarabée #Coléoptère #GoldenrodSoldierBeetle #Pennsylvanialeatherwing #Leatherwing #Chauliognathus #Chauliognatuspensylvanicus #LaCantharidedePennsylvanie #Catharide #Grandcantharidejaune #Sparta #NJ #NewJersey #Entomology #macros #macrophotography #macroofinstagram #insects #insectsofinstagram #Wildlife #wildlifephotography ~ https://www.flickr.com/photos/rachidh/albums (at Sparta, New Jersey) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEz-8K5gg1N/?igshid=9z7pxz8k2p9w

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Yellow-black beetle - Chauliognathus pensylvanicus by Miki Jourdan Via Flickr: Green Spring Gardens, Lincolnia, VA