This is an iridescent blue-green beetle with a metallic copper, golden or crimson shine. It measures a little less than ½ inch long and has a convex, oval shape.
Its diet consists of dogbane and milkweed. We would expect this beetle to be common at Fontenelle Forest. This one was photographed in Childs Hollow.
The dogbane leaf beetle has a special type of color that shines and changes as the insect changes position or we change position looking at it. This changing color is called iridescence. The beetles’ iridescence is produced by special body structures and light.
Disclaimer: The content of NatureSearch is provided by dedicated volunteer Naturalists of Fontenelle Forest who strive to provide the most accurate information available. Contributors of the images retain their copyrights. The point of contact for this page is: Eric Scholar.