Leaf-footed bug (likely squash bug)

Vegetable gardens, fields, and other areas with cucurbit plants; often found on leaves, stems, and fruit.

Nymphs and adults pierce plant tissue and suck sap, especially from squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, and melons.

They are mostly active in warm weather, shelter under foliage, and overwinter as adults in plant debris. Females lay clusters of eggs on host plants; several generations may occur annually.

They can cause wilting, stippling, fruit damage, and plant decline, but they do not normally harm people. They are part of the food web and may occasionally scavenge or prey on small insects.