66 Nebraskaland • July 2023
THE LAST STOP
We were conducting an early July butterfly survey, so
I was looking for small creatures on plants. As I walked
through a patch of flat prairie near the edge of the
Niobrara River, I spotted something dark and twitching
on a stiff sunflower leaf. It certainly wasn't a butterfly,
but it looked like something worth investigating further.
I'm no entomologist, but I've spent a lot of time
looking at and photographing insects. This was a new
one to me. It looked like a cluster of tiny, dark-tailed
shrimp. Or maybe bloated scorpions with clubs instead
of stingers. I immediately stopped and took some photos
and called over my companions to see what I'd found.
Upon later investigation, the creatures turned out
to be the larvae of the sunflower tortoise beetle, a
gorgeous and fascinating little creature. As adult beetle,
it feeds on the same sunflower leaves as the larvae and
gradually changes color from black-and-white to an
iridescent green over the course of its adult existence.
That's pretty cool, but what's with those crazy larvae?
Well. That dark portion of the larva's tail is technically
referred to as a "fecal shield," which is exactly what it
sounds like. Each larva has a mass of its own poop
adhered to its forked tail and held above itself as a
defense mechanism. As it feeds, it waves that smelly
poop tail at potential predators as if to say, "You really
want some of this?" Most don't.
Exploring the outdoors is always an adventure
and full of surprises. On this particular day, we were
searching for the color, beauty and grace of butterflies.
We found plenty of butterflies, but the most memorable
find of the day was a bunch of beetle babies waving
their own excrement over their heads at us while they
calmly munched on a leaf.
Nature is amazing, huh?
By Chris Helzer
SUNFLOWER TORTOISE BEETLES
