I was excited to stumble across a cluster of Large Milkweed Bugs (Oncopeltus fasciatus) last Friday as I was exploring at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It had been several years since I had last seen these colorful little bugs that not surprisingly were gathered together on milkweed pods. There are so many cool insects that are associated with milkweeds that I often stop to examine the plants whenever I come upon them.
A little over nine years ago, I studied these bugs pretty closely and documented their stages of development in a posting that I called Life phases of the large milkweed beetle. Be sure to check it out for more information and fascinating photos of these colorful little bugs.
The short version is that as a “true” bug, milkweed bugs undergo incomplete metamorphosis. They go through a series of nymph stages, known as instars—the large milkweed bug has five instars. At each stage, the bug is covered by an inflexible exoskeleton that constrains its growth. Periodically it bursts out of the exoskeleton and can grow to twice his size as the new exoskeleton develops and hardens.
If you look closely the image, you will see that there are milkweed bugs at various stages of development. The youngest ones are smaller and are completely red. In some of the older ones you can see the development of tiny black wing pads. The orange and black one at the top of the group appears to be an adult.
Every time that I see this combination of bright red and green, my mind immediately thinks of Christmas. However, I doubt that anyone would choose to feature this image on their annual Christmas card.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Very interesting, Mike. Though I believe you are right—don’t think I’d use photo for Christmas card. 😂
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I like these posts, Mike. I learn a lot.
Thanks, Dan. I don’t really consider myself to be a science nerd, but I come across a lot of interesting bits of info when trying to identify what I have photographed, and like to share those fun factoids. 🙂
I love that you stop at milkweeds to see what’s up, Mike. I had no idea beetles metamorphosed, and really found this information interesting. And the photo was a true joy, observing all the different instars clustered on top of each other. I was glad you described it so that when I got to the close-up, I knew about the adult and the little black wing pads. You see something like this fascinating photo, and it opens up yet another glory of life on earth. Thanks so much.
Thanks so much, Jet, for sharing your reactions to the post and the accompanying photo. Insects of all sorts undergo amazing transformations as they develop. Most people are familiar with the metamorphosis of butterflies, but the lives of many other insects are equally fascinating. I remember years ago doing a posting on the life cycle of a lady bug (which technically is a beetle). (https://michaelqpowell.com/2012/11/06/baby-ladybugs/)
I enjoyed the Baby Ladybugs post, Mike, thanks very much.
Thanks, Jet. That is one of my “oldie but goodie” posts that I love to share.,
Thanks, Jet. That is one of my “oldie but goodie” posts that I love to share.
Very nice Mike! They are colorful & fun to photograph! I see & photograph these quite often at one of our local parks.
Thanks, Reed. When they are around, they are pretty easy to spot, because of their bright red color. Usually I see only a few at a time and not the kind of cluster that I showed in the photo.
Cool, in a weird sort of way.
This is one of those images, Ellen, that I know will not appeal to all. Squirming masses of bugs are not everyone’s cup of tea. 🙂
LOL Mike, you are so funny. I can’t wait to check out my neighbor’s milkweed to see if there are any of these colorful bugs on it! You i spire me to look for beauty everywhere. A
(And i think it might make a very nice holiday card!)
You’ve obviously noticed, Nina, that I have a quirky sense of humor. It doesn’t appeal to everyone, but I am definitely not apologetic about it. Most importantly, I think, I am not afraid to laugh at myself. As for inspiration to look for beauty, I am happy to read your comment. I try to recultivate a childlike sense of wonder about the world, especially about the natural world.
Love this post! Wachusett Meadow Audubon, my usual stomping ground, has fields of milkweed that I walk through and photograph. I’m going to be on the lookout now!
-Julie
That’s super, Julie. You should also be on the lookout for the Red Milkweed Beetle–see my posting https://michaelqpowell.com/2016/06/22/king-of-the-world/ to get a look at what they look out. I often find ladybugs on milkweed too.
Thanks!