An Eye Catching Small Thing...Soldier Beetles

In nature small things often “catch our eyes.” The human mind is especially designed to be attentive to small things…especially the minds of children. It is the small things found in nature which may quickly capture the interest of a child.

Soldier beetles are small things. There are over 450 species of soldier beetles in the world. One of the most common is the Goldenrod Soldier Beetle or Goldenrod Leatherwing. Just in case these names do not seem familiar, another name for them is simply Leatherwing. Yellow and black markings cause it to stand out on flower blossoms. Because they occur in large numbers each summer, you and your children will very likely discover them if you take time to go outside.

Why soldier beetle? The name comes from the wings of the beetle. The pattern resembled soldier’s uniforms to someone in the past who had a part in naming these insects.

The real excitement with the Leatherwing or Soldier beetle is not their resemblance to a soldier uniform.

Examine the pattern on the wings again. Do you see the eyes? What would such large eyes do to a predator of the Leatherwing? They look dangerous…even fearsome. The wing pattern is for defense. But that is not all the defense this small ½ inch long beetle has. Once again, examine the photo. See the black and yellow stripes on the abdomen? Do they remind you of another insect? If your guess is wasp or bee…well done! Remember what wasps and bees have for defending themselves? Stingers! In the world of biology, this is known as mimicry.

At first glance the predator of the Leatherwing/Soldier beetle may only see the striped abdomen. The view says danger. The wings shout danger.

Perhaps you thought the Soldier Beetle could sting when you first saw the striped abdomen?

What if these two defense methods do not work? What if the predator grabs the Leatherwing? Surprise is what comes next. The Soldier Beetle or Leatherwing is part of the larger family of insects called Cantharidae. This word comes from the Greek language for the words “blistering fly.” The Soldier beetle has a final defense: it can secrete a noxious toxic chemical to discourage predators from eating it.

Dear families, go on a small-things hunt for the Goldenrod Leatherwing or Soldier Beetle. When you see the adults on flowers this summer you are watching pollinators at work. There is another plus, they eat insects harmful to plants. The last plus?  Soldier Beetles are harmless to humans and totally amazing.

What is this Soldier Beetle doing on this Prairie Onion flower? It is feeding on the nectar of the flower. While it crawls from flower to flower it carries pollen and pollinates the plant. Call that beneficial!

Where can Soldier Beetles be found? On flowers near you!

Will it sting you? Look at the big eyes. This is a fly…specifically a Syrphid fly. It mimics a wasp, but it cannot sting you…flies can’t sting. Syrphid flies are pollinators too.