Goldenrod Soldier Beetle

Fields, meadows, gardens, and grassy areas, often found on goldenrod and other late-summer flowering plants.

Adults feed on nectar and pollen; larvae are carnivorous predators that eat soft-bodied insects like aphids, caterpillars, and insect eggs.

Adults emerge in late summer to feed and mate on flowering plants. They do not bite or sting, and rely on chemical defenses (distasteful secretions) to deter predators.

Harmless to humans, pets, and crops. Highly beneficial as natural pollinators as adults and effective biological pest control agents as larvae.