Small Milkweed Bug
Lygaeus kalmii
An adult seed bug of open habitats where milkweed grows, including meadows, prairies, roadsides, and gardens. It feeds mainly on milkweed seeds with a piercing-sucking beak, but may also take nectar or fluids from other plants. Fully developed wings allow it to disperse between patches, though it often remains on host plants. Its bright orange-red and black pattern warns predators that milkweed-derived toxins make it unpleasant to eat.
- Type
- Venom
- Conservation status
- NE
Growth chain
- ?
- Small Milkweed Bug