So these really striking looking beetles are hanging out on my kale leaves. Don't seem to be eating them, just hanging out and mating. Nota great picture -- there were five or six and they all scuttled from the camera. This one is a side view:
Then I put some water on -- a low sprinkler -- and these emerged, hanging out on the snapdragon and I think they were climbing to get away from the water spray. The smaller ones originally were with the larger ones and may be immature offspring of those? Pattern is different but coloring is the same.
Not sure about the top one, will see what I can find or maybe someone else knows, but it too doesn't look like a beetle, it looks like a "true bug" which means it wouldn't be eating holes out of the plants if a plant feeder, it would be a piercing-sucking insect. Any chance of getting a picture that shows it from directly overhead?
That's it exactly. And it's on the kale, so that's the draw. It does look like a stink bug and there was a plain looking stink bug too at one point when I was peering at them.
Thanks so much!
Edit. To be specific, the Harlequin and the twice-stabbed are both present in this area and in the pictures.
I see they also eat sunflowers -- there is one right next to that kale. I don'tseem to have enough of an infestation to do a lot of damage though; maybe the bluejays I fuss at are eating them. I hope so!
