Psychedelic Dogbane Pin

A commission for an insect lover! Dogbane leaf beetles are specialists on dogbane plants. Dogbane is resistant to a lot of herbivory due to chemicals and the production of latex. To deter herbivores, dogbane plants expel a milky latex that dries and sticks to mouthparts of other insects. Dogbane beetles do not cut leaf veins prior to feeding like many herbivorous insects. They feed on the low-latex tissue of the distal part of leaves.* Females lay eggs mainly on the undersides of leaves, then cover the eggs with a shield to protect them. When the larvae emerge, they consume the shields, drop to the ground, and eat underground portions of the plants before they emerge the following year as adults. *From article by Merrell Peterson