PRAIRIE POLLINATORS | LEATHERWING BEETLES
About Leatherwing Beetles:
This species of soldier beetle resembles a firefly and is commonly seen in the late summer through early fall feeding on nectar and pollen from flowers.
Leatherwing beetles, like many species of beetle, offer other beneficial services to plants in addition to pollination. For instance, not only do leatherwing beetles pollinate their host plants, such as yellow composites, Queen Anne's lace (Daucus carota), milkweed, rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium) and other late-summer flowering plants. They also produce larvae that feed on plant pests such as aphids, caterpillars, and grasshopper eggs.
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