For #InverteFest, from sunnier times, 4 different orders of insects on #goldenrod (#Solidago):

- a hoverfly (Diptera)
- a sweat bee (Hymenoptera)
- a weevil (Coleoptera)
- a European firebug and a box elder bug (both Hemiptera)

#bugstodon #insects #bees #bugs #beetles #weevils

Wednesday’s #InverteFest is…a Locust Borer! I found this #Megacyllene robiniae in a field of #Salidago spp. (#Goldenrod ). on the sidelines of a construction site in Lawrenceville, #Pittsburgh PA. I am in love with #Cerambycidae for obvious reasons - but this one is particularly interesting because of their #Aposematism. Lots of insects take on the likeness of wasps and bees because predators associate them with stingers or chemical defenses - neither of which the Locust Borer has. They feed on goldenrod pollen and have the most adorable dense setae.

Solidago caesia, Blue-stemed Goldenrod, is done flowering now, but was in full tilt just a couple of weeks ago. Delicate arching blueish-purplish-brown stems, it's secure but uncommon in my area. It grows well in open woodlands and margins. These were planted as plugs two years ago, and we'll be collecting seed from them thing year for dispersal and #propagation.

#NativePlants #Plants #Horticulture #Goldenrod #PublicGardens