This is a large stink bug. Although it might be a stretch to say it is beautiful, it is certainly wonderfully made. This one has on a white belt. Perhaps it is going to a party, or maybe a stink bug convention. Left click on the image to get a closer look. It is resting on a Baccharis halimifolia (groundsel) flower. I did not disturb it because I did not want to test whether it stunk (stink, stank, stunk?) or not. Apparently the smell does not bother birds because they eat them readily. The stink bugs largely feed on plant juices (remember them on the squash plants?), but some eat other bugs. Another case of the foot bone connected to the leg bone....
I have a TON of experience with those crafty devils. In fact they are the 1 thing I battle more than any other garden bug. Baby ones are easily killed with almost any insecticide but adults can only be killed with malathion or dursban. And YES they stink!!! The main predator bug that feeds on them, maybe the only bug that feeds on them is a bug that looks almost exactly like them but has a long thin snout coming out of it's face and they pierce the stink bugs with that thing and suck the stink bug dry. So if you have the ones with a nose you want to keep them, and be careful not to poison them along with thr stink bugs.
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