Goldenrod Soldier Beetle  Chauliognathus marginatus

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Indeed, the soldier beetle must squeeze a lot of living into its short, one-year life span. In our area, adults emerge in Mid July and spend the next six to eight weeks flying from flower to flower. Then they mate, and the females lay eggs beneath a thin layer of earth. By the end of September, their work done, the adults have all died.  The larvae hatch out, looking a little like small, wrinkly, black caterpillars. Patrolling the damp ground and the stems and leaves of plants, they feast on aphids, maggots, small caterpillars, and grasshopper eggs. In the fall, the larvae transform into pupae, which spend the winter in the soil and under leaf litter. They survive the cold by producing a sugar-based antifreeze and entering into a state of diapause, the insect version of hibernation.

Soldier beetles, also known as leather wings, resemble fireflies but do not have light-producing organs.  There are many varieties of soldier  beetle.  The one most prolific in our gardens is the Goldenrod Soldier Beetle.  In its two active life stages, the margined soldier beetle leads an almost Jekyll-and-Hyde existence. The larvae are carnivorous little predators, spending all their time searching for, attacking, and devouring other insects. Adults, on the other hand, spend their days prancing about on flowers, feeding on sweet nectar and pollen to build up their strength for the rigors of lovemaking and reproduction.  They are great pollinators. 

They love our sunflowers!