Preview of a Berry Creek Adventure

 As you may have guessed,  this animal has made a big impression on me.  I have been following the Red Milkweed Beetle, Tetraopes basalis, every summer since since I found my first one four years ago at the edge of Lee Road in Quincy.  Until this morning, I had never seen them mating.  I know I have seen the preliminaries often.  In fact I posted some courtship photos a few days ago.  But, this morning on my way to work, while day dreaming about the Goldenrod Crab Spider I hoped to find at Berry Creek, I decided to check the lone Showy Milkweed on the western end of Chandler Road that survived the recent visit by the road department's weed eaters.  I could actually see the red dots before I got out of the car.  On close inspection, I found one pair mating, another pair courting, and a fifth individual on the sidelines, probably wondering how to get in on the action.  For a short while, I was no longer thinking about the crab spider.  

 I think I've posted these photos in a slightly different order than they entered my camera.  When I first got close, it appeared that the male had just landed and his antennae were still spread skyward.  Over the next few minutes, he seemed to be communicating with his antennae and they gradually assumed the position shown in the top photo, namely "attached" at the base of the female's antennae.

 They remained in this positions for at least five minutes.  After taking photos from several different angles, I had to get to work.  I look forward to checking in on them again tomorrow morning.

 This next photo is of the pair that were not yet mating.  They were definitely communicating via their antennae.  Maybe "sword" fighting, or maybe flirting.  I really don't know.  Fun to watch though.

 Here's the original mating pair again from a different perspective.  I might have disturbed them by now as the antennae are a bit flayed and they seemed restless.

Onward to Berry Creek and the search for Crab Spiders.