I was checking milkweeds for Monarch butterfly eggs and caterpillars at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden this evening, and found this little beetle on one of the plants. Tortoise beetles, to me, are quite wondrous! It is always a treat to see them. It is harder to get good photos because they are so small (5 mm). This species is typically mottled, as in the next image, but sometimes has a golden appearance.
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