This Psyllobora vigintimaculata (Twenty-Spotted Lady Beetle) was found on the underside of a leaf of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) we brought home from near the library to feed to Cater who is now eating so voraciously we fear he may start on the drapes if we do…ok not really but he is eating two to three medium sized milkweed leaves per day…

Before refrigerating the leaves we check them for predators and other hitchhikers. This Lady Bird Beetle was a scant 1.8mm in diameter. I checked it first under the microscope, then put everything I could into the macro to get a half decent shot. For hand held I think it holds up pretty well. Gotta work on flash techniques though.

Unlike most lady bird beetles, this tiny beetle feeds primarily on fungus found on leaves and stems of many plants.