Milkweed Beetle

I'm doing a series on milkweed and the creatures that live on it, so I was pleased to find a crop of milkweed beetles on Belle Isle Marsh. Wish I'd got a bit more depth of field on this one - the eyes are in focus but the mandibles are not. Shame, because he's got bits of milkweed in his teeth.

One more thing - I was delighted to learn that the scientific name of this beetle - Tetraopes tetrophthalmus - translates to Foureyes Foureyes. The antenna actually bisects the eye (thanks, Wikipedia). You can only see the front pair in this shot. The others are in the back of his head. Hmmm.

Belle Isle Marsh, Boston.