The Black Blister Beetle is a slender, entirely black beetle frequently found in large aggregations on goldenrod and other composite flowers in late summer. Like all blister beetles, it contains cantharidin in its hemolymph, which blisters skin if the beetle is crushed. Horses can be fatally poisoned if they consume large numbers in hay.
Habitat
Open fields, meadows, and roadsides with flowers
Diet
Larvae: grasshopper eggs in soil. Adults: goldenrod and other flowers
How common
Common
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