Oncopeltus fasciatus is the Large Milkweed Bug or one of them (yes there is a Small Milkweed Bug). Certainly this is a common one. I don't think I've ever seen them on anything other than a milkweed plant. These are attempting to create more milkweed bugs.

And they certainly enjoy a fat milkweed pod. Which is sort of remarkable because I don't believe they are very tasty. To each his own. You can barely see the pod beneath this milling crowd.

Because of the food choice, this is likely a true bug and not another small beetle. I have no idea what its name is. I just like its tenacity in the face of a fine snack.

The Wheel Bug is a very nasty true bug predator, Arilus cristatus. It is a member of the Reduviidae family. This one has taken a bumblebee in some Russian Sage. The sage was buzzing with bumbles and these Wheels were just helping themselves. There were several. They have a nasty looking sword of a suckertool which can give a really painful bite. It injects a neurotoxin into its victim (or into us). This relaxes the poor bumble and allows easy drainage without struggle.

Wheel with a Cucumber beetle. I think they will eat anything. I have seen shots with them drainging blister beetles, surely the most noxious food item out there.

The striking juveniles look like another bug. The smallest hatchlings look like deformed red and black ants. This guy was up to the midling size. Still a nasty piercing tool predator at this size. Note the wheel has not popped up yet.

This ominously colorful assassin was all over this Black-eyed Susan. When I first spotted it a large Scolid wasp had just landed to nectar and this guy was wide-armed and stalking up to it. Something in the little bugbrain told it not to go for the full monty on the wasp however and he let it go. I believe this is pretty close to Apiomerus, one of the bee hunting assassins.

After the wasp left he was very wary to my lens and basically tracked my every movement. Nice predator.