Stage 5 Clinger

Blue Milkweed Beetles on Showy Milkweed. This is my second blip of the species in as many weeks; the first is here. This scene may look...well, intimate...but it's actually a post-coitus moment. As in many insects, the male milkweed beetle may hold onto the female long after copulating, ensuring that she lays her eggs before another male gets a hold of her.

There were several pairs of these randy beetles sprinkled over the milkweed in Cook's Meadow this afternoon. Apparently the females are a bit larger than their male counterparts, and they've got more green to their sheen.