The red-femured milkweed beetle (Tetraopes femoratus) is a longhorn beetle species recognized by its reddish legs, white-ringed antennae, and specialized diet on milkweed plants.

This insect is distinguished from similar species by its unique physical traits. It features partially red or reddish-orange femurs, whereas the closely related common milkweed beetle has completely black legs. Its black antennae are broken up by bright white or gray rings.

Like other members of its genus, its compound eyes are completely divided by the antennal base, giving it a distinct "four-eyed" appearance. The rest of its body is a striking red-orange color accented by tiny black spots, typically measuring between 8 and 19 mm in length.Native to western North America and parts of the Midwest, these beetles spend their entire life cycles intricately tied to host plants like the showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa).

While adult beetles openly consume the plant's leaves, stems, and flowers, their larvae burrow underground to feed exclusively on the root systems.

By consuming the milkweed, they absorb cardiac glycosides from the plant's sap, making them highly toxic to predators. Their bright coloration serves as an aposematic warning to birds and other animals that they are poisonous.

Shot from mobile op12

Nomada is a massive genus of cuckoo bees within the family Apidae, containing over 850 species worldwide. Often called nomad bees, they are famous for their unique, wasp-like appearance and their specialized parasitic lifestyle.

Because they do not build their own nests or gather pollen, they look radically different from typical fuzzy bees. They are mostly hairless and slender, with bold stripes or patches of red, black, yellow, or white. In fact, Nomada contains the only entirely red bees in North America.

Female Nomada lack a scopa (the specialized hair patch used by other bees to carry pollen) because they never collect pollen for their young. They also possess an unusually thick, armored exoskeleton that protects them from stings if caught inside a host's nest.

Nomada are cleptoparasites, meaning they steal resources from other bee species. A female Nomada will fly low over the ground to locate the underground burrow of a host bee—most commonly mining bees from the genus Andrena.

While the host bee is away foraging, the Nomada slips inside and lays its eggs directly onto the chamber walls or the pollen provision.

When the Nomada larva hatches, it uses large, sickle-like mandibles to destroy the host's egg or young larva, then eats the entire pollen supply.

While adult Nomada bees drink nectar from flowers for energy, they are poor pollinators compared to their hosts. They can often be seen resting at night by clamping onto plant stems using only their strong jaws.

One of my all time favorite Genus of bees, and I've found quite the diverse selection of species just at my local area in Utah!

a tiny jumping spiders "Carrhotus sannio", enjoying meal : a tiny red-eyed fruit flies.

Comparing them with the fruit flies gives you a good sense of just how tiny, adorable, and delicate these spiders are.

• FUJIFILM XH2 + LAOWA 65MMF2.8 2X MACRO
• GODOX V860II + DIY DIFFUSER
• HAND-HELD STACKED ~30 IMAGES