One of my favorite insects to photograph is the Dogbane Leaf Beetle (Chrysochus auratus). They are quite accommodating in the morning and allow for close approach and hardly move…just the occasional twitch of the antennae.
They are found on milkweed plants, but most often specifically Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum) hence the name.
The brilliant iridescent coloration is caused by light being reflected on the different strata that make up the beetle’s exoskeleton and changes as you walk around the insect.
The middle image was made with the 15mm macro…pretty much the reason I purchased the lens (not the specific insect but this type of shot). The others were with the 180 as usual.
Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog 
Very attractive. They remind me of the shiny insects which used to flourish on our cotton plant in Fiji. They looked like this http://molvray.com/photos/picture.php?/15975/category/8 As children we loved to collect them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Do you still have any of your beetles from childhood?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sadly no.
LikeLike
Insects can be quite brilliant in appearance. I never collected bugs although I did have a few friends who collected butterflies..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, what fun you had playing with that beetle-borne iridescence.
Within the last few years botanists moved all the milkweeds inside the dogbane family.
LikeLiked by 1 person
One never knows from day to day or year to year where plants will fall in their taxonomy.
All you have to do is move a tiny bit in one direction or the other to see the colors change. Fascinating.
LikeLike
I am also a big fan of the iridescence. It gives spectacular displays.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yep…even an oil slick can be beautiful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely beetle. I actually like this pic. I have seen beetles like this? I’m not sure but they seemed to have been larger and that was before there was in milkweed/dogbane in my yard. So I have no idea if it is the same beetle or one that is similar.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There are literally thousands, actually hundreds of thousands, of beetle species, Yvonne. Many are scarabs and have lovely colors like this one.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know there are innumerable species but I made a dumb statement in that I was comparing it to your beetle. The one or more here look to be larger than yours but of course I can’t really eyeball a pic to compare in scale. As I’ve written before, I’m not crazy about insects but I let them alone, even the wasps for my vegetable garden needs pollinators. I’m not aware of anything that self pollinates among the veggies tom but maybe there are. I should educate myself huh? 🙂 (tomatoes, cucumbers and, squash).
LikeLiked by 1 person
He’s really handsome — and one of his kind is famous, too. In 1999, the Dogbane Beetle was featured on a US postage stamp. The stamp beetle isn’t as impressive as yours, but it’s still nice that the government was willing to put insects on stamps.
The first and third photos made me smile. They may show a beetle’s morning, but they remind me of me at the end of the work day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That stamp beetle needs some red. I am not sure the stamps helped much, but it would be nice if people had a better appreciation for insects and their importance in ecology and our lives.
Yeah, the first especially looks a little tired from a tough day of beetling.(wow…I am shocked that spell check accepted that). I thought about calling him “Kilroy” but it’s a bit too exposed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There’s a wonderful poem by A.A Milne called Forgiven. Check it out, Steve! Your photo reminds me very much of Alexander 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great poem! I never thought about catching a beetle in a box, but of course many people do keep them.
LikeLike
Steve, more great images. I’m most drawn to the first and third. I always love that nice crisp detail set against a distraction-free, beautifully out of focus background. However, I do still like the second. It’s nice to see species in their environment. That’s something I often forget to capture, so I’m taking this as inspiration to try to capture more environmental shots.
And regarding your comment to shoreacres about how it’d be nice for folks to better appreciate insects and their importance in ecology and our lives, I think images like yours are a great way to try to realize that wish. I’m sure there are some folks who will simply never care, but I have to believe there are others who, in seeing photos like these, will become interested, will begin looking more closely about them, seeing all the different insects they pass by every day, perhaps researching and learning more about them and what roles they play. We all have plenty more to learn. That’s one of the reasons I’m drawn to sites like yours (and of course the great photography 😀).
LikeLike
It’s very true, Todd, that there are people who will never care. Some just have learned phobias about insects. The same is true with wetlands. There are still many people who view them as bad places and have no appreciation for their importance…just like insects.
LikeLike
I do love your bug photos, Steve. These are gorgeous beetles. I like them a lot too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve done very little bug photography this year for some reason, Melissa. It’s a subject I get away from some years and then am drawn back.
LikeLike
Of course, fog is always a good thing if we can’t have bugs 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person