False Potato Beetle

The first one of these guys that we came across took me off guard.

You see I thought he was a sunflower seed.

When I got closer, I realized that he was actually not a seed.

I had never seen one of these before.

And for good reason. They are just now making their way across my state.

The False Potato Beetle is pretty cool. When you touch it, it pretends to be dead. It falls on its back (or side) with its legs up. After a few minutes, it wiggles and waits. Then it will flip itself over and crawl away. We tried this many times. The poor dear.

 

It looks similar to the Colorado Potato Beetle, but doesn't do much damage.

It likes to eat horse nettle, ground cherry, and bittersweet.

Wishing you homeschool blessings,

Bethany