Large Milkweed Bug

Fields, meadows, and gardens, specifically where milkweed plants are present across North and Central America.

Primarily the seeds, sap, and leaves of milkweed plants (Asclepias species); they also occasionally feed on other plants or small insects.

They undergo hemimetabolous metamorphosis. They exhibit aposematism through their bright orange and black colors to warn predators of their toxicity, which they sequester from milkweed plants.

Rarely considered a pest of economic importance, though they can damage milkweed seed crops. They serve as important subjects for scientific research and contribute to local biodiversity.