Bug of the Week: Insects on Mexican Hat

Sometimes simply adding one plant to your yard can attract new insects. This week our Mexican hat or prairie coneflower (Ratibida columnifera) is flowering.

mexican-hat-flower354

Look at all the bugs enjoying the blooms.

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Of course you would expect to see bees visiting flowers.

pollen-coated-bee_0323

This bee was collecting loads of pollen.

beetle-0290Also visiting the flowers were beetles,

lacebug-0311lace bugs,

looper-caterpillar-231and a looper or geometrid caterpillar. Actually, there are two caterpillars in this photograph. Look down and to the left.

tiny-caterpillar-in-focus242Maybe you can see it better in this photograph. It looks like a thread of white on the edge of the petal towards the bottom. It is a first instar or newly-hatched caterpillar.

crab-spider-plus0307Wherever there are bugs feeding on plants, there are predators like this crab spider ready to feed on the bugs.

2 Comments

  1. Lynne

    I love my Mexican Hat plants, the red ones and yellow ones grow in my yard. The cutest little blue butterfly also likes them.

  2. Roberta

    Lynne,

    I’ve recently seen some of those blue butterflies, too.

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