Small Milkweed Bug

Black and red-orange true bug
Small Milkweed Bug – Lygaeus turcicus
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 2007-08-25
Thanks to John and Jane Balaban for the ID.

In my limited experience these seem more skittish and afraid of the camera than its cousin the Large Milkweed Bug is. Here’s another one that was trying to hide from me at Jamaica Bay yesterday:

Red and black true bug on a leaf

Despite the names, these two look the same size to me. Any difference you see here is just an effect of how much I cropped and shrunk each picture, not a difference in the bugs themselves. The difference in pattern and color is obvious, but not size.

One Response to “Small Milkweed Bug”

  1. mary green Says:

    are these good or bad for the plant??? my b ush is orange….

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