This image was taken a couple weeks ago at Black Dog SNA. The plant is a cup flower with unique leaves that form a cup at the stalk and collect water. With the state fair in progress you have heard of everything available on a stick, this is a flower in a cup.
We are so used to the nuisance Asian lady beetle the it is easy to forget there is a good, native lady beetle that feeds on aphids. This is a Nine Spot Lady Beetle presumably named for the nine spots on each wing. Image taken at Black Dog SNA in Bloomington.
