NetWingedBeetle

The Goldenrod Soldier Beetle, also known as the Pennsylvania Leatherwing Beetle, is a pollen and nectar eating insect found in the eastern and midwestern United States, including the Ames High Prairie.(1) Both images taken in the Ames High Prairie on 9/4/2008 by Joe Wallace
 * Goldenrod Soldier Beetle (**//Chauliognathus pensylvanicus)//

The Soldier Beetle is 8 to 11 centimeters in length, and is orange with a black oval spot on each wing. These spots vary in size, taking up anywhere from a third to most of the wing surface. The abdomen is striped black and orange. It is nearly identical to the Marginal Leatherwing Beetle, but it can be identified by slightly different markings, as well as living at different times of the year (1)
 * Appearance**

During the summer, the adult females lay eggs, which hatch into larvae. During fall, they turn into pupae and wait out the winter. In spring they emerge as fully formed adults. They have a short life, however, and are all dead by late September. (3)
 * Life Cycle**

The Goldenrod Soldier Beetle, found in the eastern and central United States, lives in old fields and prairies, because it needs the plants found there to live.(1)
 * Habitat and Range**

Adults mainly consume nectar and pollen, but they also are known to sometimes eat other insects' eggs.(1) Larvae, on the other hand, are carnivorous and usually feast on aphids, maggots, small caterpillars, and grasshopper eggs. (2) This endears them to gardeners, as they are a safe and effective means of pest control.
 * Diet**

1 [|BugGuide.Net- Marginal Leatherwing]- a good website with a fair amount of info on the more doccumented sister species 2 [|Chicago Wilderness Magazine- Soldier Beetle] 3 [|Granny's Garden School] Despite being a website for children, it contains good info on the life cycle of the Goldenrod Soldire Beetle Page created by Joe Wallace on 9/30/2008
 * Bibliography**